Tools and methods
Opening Practices
Check-in
Check-ins help hub members transition into the session, become present to the space and the intention of the gathering, and connect with one another. They provide a space for each member to share something. It is often useful to allow people a few minutes of stillness before checking in. The check-in itself can take many forms. Generally, the check-in is guided by a question. You can adapt the check-in to suit the size and character of your group, as well as the time available for your session.
Here are some examples:
·How am I showing up today?
·A hope I have for today's session is _.
·Something I would like to share with you as we begin our time together is __.
·One word that describes how I am entering into today's session is.
Intention-setting
Intention-setting is a powerful tool, integral to the u.lab process. You may want to begin at least some of your sessions by allowing participants a moment to clarify and share their intention for the time you will spending together.
If you wish to arrive at a shared intention, consider that intentions can be set at a personal, collective, and global (with regard to the planet/whole) level - corresponding to the spiritual, social, and ecological realms.
The followingconditionsmight help with intention-setting in the co-initiation phase:
1.Create a relaxed atmosphere in which everyone feels comfortable (setting, icebreaker, check-in, something to drink, etc.).
2.Starting with a mindfulness practice to shift the attention to the here and now through being present in the body helps prepare for intention-setting.
3.You can then use practices like guided journaling or a World Café session (see instructions below) to explore questions that lead to finding a deeper intention, such as:
i.Present situation: What disruptions do you see? What do you see wanting to be born? Or: What frustrates you most?
ii.The future they wish to create: What would you wish for this context, challenge, or situation? What would that look and feel like?
iii.Next steps: what seeds need to be cultivated to arrive at this future, and what soil conditions will allow this?
4.For collective intention-setting, you can harvest the future possibility, seeds, and soil conditions participants came up with on a board.
5.Don't forget to reflect on the global intention: how can your personal and collective intentions be framed in the context of the whole? Is there a specific intention you have for the world at large, and what seeds and soil contribute to this?
6.Now you have a summary of what seeds you will cultivate at your hub, and what soil conditions you will commit to creating together.
Intention can function as an important compass for your u.lab journey, as it can allow you to really open up to new possibilities and let go of how you will solve your challenges. You can trust that the intention will be realized, but try and let go of any attachment to a certain outcome. At the right time, the universe will provide the details and the form in which the intention can be materialized will emerge.
It can even be helpful to explicitly refer back to your intention (whether personal, collective, or global) throughout your journey, checking whether it still makes sense, or whether new information and experiences might cause you to slightly adjust your course.
Closing Practices
Check-out
Check-outs can be short or long. Some examples of questions or sentences to guide a check-out are:
·How am I leaving the hub today?
·Something that touched me today is _.
·An insight or learning that I gained today is __.
·Something from today that will stay with me after I leave is _.
Check-outs can take place in the whole community or in smaller groups. If the check-out is done in smaller groups, it is still a good idea to come together as a whole community and ask for a few comments related to the check-out question. Gathering together in this way helps to support the sense of community and bring closure to a session.
Case clinic/coaching circle
Case Clinics guide a team or a group of peers (coaching circle) through a process in which a case giver presents a case (a personal leadership challenge), and a group of 3-4 peers or team members help as coaches, based on the principles of the U process. Applying this process during your hub is a proven method to increase bonding and deepen the level of understanding of the U process.
More about the purpose and process of the case clinic, as well as the instructions can be found here:https://www.presencing.com/tools/case-clinic
Guidance for moving into Generative Dialogue
Some participants may want more information on how to move into the Generative Dialogue phase of the case clinic process. Here are some points they might find useful:
1.Dialogue is different from discussion. Discussion is about sharing views and making decisions. Dialogue is about exploring the context or field in which a problem arises; the end point is not a decision. Rather, it is to become more aware of our thinking and being, and open ourselves up to new insights and awareness (see W. Isaacs Dialogue and the art of thinking together for more).
2.Avoid giving advice. Sometimes advice is direct and sounds like this: "You should/could/need to....". Often it is indirect and delivered as a question, such as, "Have you considered...", "Did you ever try....?", "Do you think you might want to....?". Don't be fooled: even in question form, advice is advice! Giving advice tends to shut down the conversation rather than opening it up.
3.If the circle becomes focused on the details of a case, try to move the conversation to the broader themes reflected in the individual's story.
4.Allow moments of silence in dialogue. This creates space, people can sink deeper into the shared understanding, and the new can emerge.
Talking Stick and Circle Practice
The talking stick - also called a speaker's staff, a talking piece, or listening piece - is an instrument from aboriginal democracy used by many tribes, especially those along the Northwest coast of North America. The talking stick may be passed around a group or used only by leaders as a symbol of their authority and right to speak in public.
In circle practice it is often used to slow down the conversation, in order to improve the quality of deep listening and intentional speaking. Principles are simple:
·Sit in a circle.
·Use an object as a talking piece. This can be a branch, an apple, a stone, a marker
·You can put the stick in the middle of the circle on the floor.
·The host explains the rules and speaks the question.
·The person that wants to share first takes the stick and talks as long as they need, while keeping the stick in their hands. The group listens with care (invite for level 4 of listening and speaking - generative dialogue). When finished, the stick goes back in the middle or is passed on. (you can pass the stick on to the next if you're not ready or don't want to speak)
·It is OK if there is some silence.
·No need to respond to anything that was said before, you can speak to the question from whatever emerge. Speak with intention. Less is more.
·Not everyone needs to speak!
This is a slow process. However, if facilitated with warmth and discipline it is a good way to create a real dialogue. You can do this with big groups, if there is time enough and a certain level of maturity in listening (that might also grow in your hub as the process unfolds).
Use this method for example in the beginning to check in (what touched you this week in u.lab or life?), or at the end for closure (what is the insight or question you take away?).
Awareness Practices
'When you know better, you do better.' - Dr Maya Angelou
We add some practices that can help you and/or your hub to improve the collective condition of being aware of our thoughts, emotions, beliefs and actions. To bring balance, relaxation and quality of attention in the hub-meetings. Particular profound methods to open a session with or during the weeks in which we are focusing on presencing.
Silence
Just introduce a few minutes of silence at the beginning of the meeting. Invite participants to land, in the session, in their body, in their mind, in the now.With eyes open or closed, whatever feels good. If you keep your eyes open, focus somewhere on the floor before you, don't look in each-others faces.
Guided journaling
Guided journaling leads participants through a self-reflective process following the different phases of the U. This practice allows participants to access deeper levels of self-knowledge, and to connect this knowledge to concrete actions. Journaling practices can be used in all phases of the U process, especially during the sensing and presencing movements.
Journaling-principles:
·Journaling is a personal process. Never ask participants to share their journaling notes in public.
·After completing a journaling practice you may create an opportunity to reflect on the experience of journaling. Again: emphasize that participants decide what they want to share.
·Journaling means that you think through writing; not to think and reflect, and then write down the reflection. In the instruction, emphasize that participants should just start writing and see what emerges.
·Step 1: Preparation: Prepare a quiet space that allows each participant to enter into a process of self-reflection without distractions.
·Step 2: Guided Journaling Questions: Read one question after the other; invite the participants to journal guided by the respective question. Go one by one through the questions. Move to the next question when you sense that the majority of the group is ready. Don’t give participants too much time. It is important to get into a flow and not to think too much. ‘Just put your pen on the paper and see what comes out’. Tell them they don’t have to write the questions down, share them afterwards. Finally, share how much questions will follow to give the participants some context to relax in. Speak slowly and loud and hold the space during the journaling. Also afterwards, keep the space calm and silent.
More info:https://www.presencing.com/tools/guided-journaling
Mindfulness practice
To be read aloud for another person or a group, or to reference for a personal practice:
First, be comfortable in your seat. Sit upright and comfortably in your chair, planting your feet right in front of you. Take a deep breath and relax. You may want to close your eyes. But if you're more comfortable with your eyes open that's also fine.
Attend Downwards
Move your attention slowly downwards, down your legs to your feet to the lower part of your feet. And as you begin to attend to your feet, the feeling of your feet, attend to the connection downwards. Imagine if we were trees, we would have roots going downwards. As human beings, we don't have these physical roots, but we still can feel the connection downwards. Attend to your feet and attend to the connection downwards. Imagine this connection would go all the way down to the middle of the earth. Feel that connection.
Attend Upwards
And now slowly move your attention upwards, up the legs, up the spine to the head, to the upper part of your head. Attend to the upper part of your head, and attend to the connection that is extending upwards. As you attend to that connection notice how the sphere, the globe of your head is a small microcosm of the macrocosm that is surrounding us. Attend to that connection. Attend to the connection upwards.
Attend to the Micro-Macro Connection.
And now slowly move your attention downwards to the middle sphere of your body, to your heart. Not just to your physical heart, but to the whole energy field of your heart, to the whole middle sphere of your body. Notice how it is this part of our body, this part of our being that allows us to connect horizontally to all the beings that are surrounding us. Attend to your heart and attend to the connections that are emanating from your heart.
Attend to a Loved One
And now as we explore that space of connection, picture a person that you truly love, and notice how focusing your attention on that person is opening up your heart. It's allowing you to connect with a different level of energy, to connect with deep appreciation and love.
Attend to the Global Body
And now extend that quality of connection to the global community (to all u.lab participants) to connect to a larger whole that shares a common journey of relating more deeply with the sources of who we really are. Extend your heart, and the quality of your heart, to our entire community. And now even extend the quality of your heart even more, to all of us, to all 7 billion human beings on this planet right now.
Try to embrace a whole community, the whole, the entire social field in that deep quality of your heart, which includes all our friends, people we know, people we don't know, and even people we may have problems with, we may disagree with, we may be in conflict with. Try to create a space in your heart that's broad and deep enough for all of us.
Attend to the Present Moment
And now slowly let go of that. Come back to the here and now. Relax for a brief moment. Open your eyes and continue your day from this place of strength and connection.
Music
You could use music to create a good atmosphere during the session. As a starter, to relax the energy, or in between, while prototyping or having a dialogue in smaller settings. We (initiated by Asier Gallastegi with participants of u.lab) co-created a list with songs that have a special meaning regarding to the U process. Could be building awareness on the intention or helpful in connecting to the Self. Of course, music is a very personal and subjective phenomenon so use it with care:https://open.spotify.com/user/gallas/playlist/4gl9wTitzrurLrjo91KVzO
Dialogue Practices:
Art of Hosting methodologies
More info onartofhosting.org
Circle Practice
Adaptable to a variety of groups, issues, and time frames. Circle can be the process used for the duration of a gathering, particularly if the group is relatively small and time for deep reflection is a primary aim. Circle can also be used as a means for “checking in” and “checking out” or for making decisions together, particularly decisions based on consensus.
Appreciative Inquiry
Useful when a different perspective is needed, or when we wish to begin a new process from a fresh, positive vantage point. It can help move a group that is stuck in “what is” toward “what could be”. Appreciative Inquiry can be used with individuals, partners, small groups, or large organizations.
World Café
Process used to foster interaction and dialogue with both large and small groups. Particularly effective in surfacing the collective wisdom of large groups of diverse people. Very flexible and adapts to many different purposes – information sharing, relationship building, deep reflection exploration and action planning.http://www.theworldcafe.com/tools-store/hosting-tool-kit/
Drawing on seven integrated design principles, the World Café methodology is a simple, effective, and flexible format for hosting large group dialogue. World Café can be modified to meet a wide variety of needs. Specifics of context, numbers, purpose, location, and other circumstances are factored into each event’s unique invitation, design, and question choice. More about purpose, process and instructions:http://www.theworldcafe.com
Open Space
Useful in many contexts, including strategic direction-setting, envisioning the future, conflict resolution, morale building, consultation with stakeholders, community planning, collaboration and deep learning about issues and perspectives.http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm
Pro Action Café
The Pro Action Café is a space for creative and inspirational conversation. It is a blend of 'World Café' and 'Open Space' technologies, where volunteer hosts call sessions on what matters most to them (projects, ideas, questions, knowledge, experience - or whatever they feel inspired by) and other participants travel from table to table and engage around those issues to help the hosts to deepen their understanding of the matter and gain diverse perspectives on it. More infohere
Facilitation Resources:
http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/facilitation-resources/(Chris Corrigan collected all his resources in one place)
Group Dynamics
Introductions and Community-Building
In a hub where people do not know each other, it is worth dedicating some time to introductions to help people feel connected and comfortable. The following are examples of introductory activities:
Paired introductions
Invite participants to approach someone in the hub they do not know and introduce themselves. They can include some information about themselves and/or their work, as well as what brought them to the hub. When the community is sat together again after these conversations, each person introduces his or her partner to the group.
Getting-to-know-you
Again, invite participants to approach someone in the hub that they do not know and to share three things they believe are important to know about them. You can be more specific about what the categories are or leave it open. After each person has had a chance to share, they thank one another and find another person who they do not know and repeat the exercise. This can be done up to about three times.
Climate Setting
Every hub will have its particular feel or 'climate'. By nature, u.lab tends to develop a climate that is respectful, collaborative, and supports learning. If you anticipate that you would like to spend more time developing norms that support the climate of the hub, you will find some ideas below. They are designed to help people share their hopes and expectations for the hub and to develop group norms that support individual and collective learning:
Rounds.This activity would be suitable after the group members have had the opportunity to introduce themselves and get to know a bit about one another. The group can stand or sit in a circle and you can invite each participant to finish the following sentences in a round (one person after another around the circle):
Version 1: Something I will do to support the learning of others is __. Something I ask of the group/community to support my learning is __.
Version 2: One hope I have for u.lab is _. One gift I bring to the hub is __. One question I have is _.
This activity works well for groups of up to about 12 or 15 people. To adapt the activity for larger numbers, you can break into small groups. This can be done once or twice, changing the people in the group each time to hear from a greater variety of hub members.