We value conscious co-creation. Our approach to our work is guided by a clear set of principles:
We are members of, and our work is
heavily informed by, the international Art of Hosting (AoH) community.
We are active members of the Australian Art of Hosting community of practice and work to support it.
We sponsor regular training in the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter (or the Art of Participatory Leadership), always working with other experienced practitioners to deliver the training, contributing back to the international community a percentage of the fees and our learning.
We are acutely aware of the gift that the Art of Hosting and many complementary practices are to the world, and to us.
Our thinking, learning and practice is also influenced by:
Some of the methods we have experience in using are :
The circle is the basic form underlying all other forms of participatory process. In every type of organisation or group, we meet in circles (even if they are around a boardroom table) to plan for the future, handle crisis, and listen to each other. In the Art of Hosting practice we often begin and end meetings in a circle – it helps the process if participants can “check in” at the beginning about why they are participating, and “check out” at the end by reflect on what we’ve accomplished. Meeting in circle can be especially helpful when getting to know each other and the issue at hand, or as a means for deep reflection or consensus making. Learn more
Where participants drive the agenda of a meeting, workshop or conference, around topics that matter most to them. Open Space enables self-organising groups of all sizes to deal with hugely complex issues in a short period of time, and can be a driver for new ideas that are owned by the people they impact most. Typically, Open Space meetings result in transformative experiences for those involved. Learn more
Instead of taking a problem-solving approach, Appreciative Inquiry offers a possibility focus, a move from “what is” to “what could be”. Based on a powerful, affirmative question, people share stories to uncover experiences that resemble what we want to create. Appreciative Inquiry can tap into the latent capabilities of a group to create the success they’re seeking. Learn more
The World Café is a method for creating a living network of collaborative dialogue around questions that matter in real life situations. It is a provocative metaphor. As we create our lives, our organisations, and our communities, we are, in effect, moving among ‘table conversations’ at the World Café. It is an ideal way to find out what members of a community or organisation is thinking and feeling about a topic. Learn more
Some of the other methods and approaches we use:
