2009.12.08 19:00 - Theme: Facilitation - I

This was a theme meeting, with Calvino and Eos, on "facilitation". The Guardian and log editor for this meeting was Eos Amaterasu.

Eos Amaterasu: Hi Calvino
Eos Amaterasu: watching flat panels turn into snowflakes
Calvino Rabeni: Hello Eos

 

--BELL--

Arrivals and hellos and preludes 

 

Calvino Rabeni: Hopefully this topic will be interesting enough to carry on for a couple of sessions - it seems too much for one
Eos Amaterasu: Yes, it could cover lots of ground - whatever it is :-)
Calvino Rabeni: :)
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Stevenaia
stevenaia Michinaga: hello
Calvino Rabeni: I like to scan my ideas before getting into a big topic
Calvino Rabeni: Hi Steve
stevenaia Michinaga: scan?
Calvino Rabeni: Yes, I think about it for a few hours and then write out notes
stevenaia Michinaga: awww
Calvino Rabeni: I read the session logs to see what has happened before I got into the group
Calvino Rabeni: To see where people are coming from
Eos Amaterasu: So maybe you can start off (maybe in a few minutes, in case others arrive), & talk for a bit about how you approach this theme of "facilitation"
Eos Amaterasu notes that Stevenaia is dressed warmly
Calvino Rabeni: I can. I thought you might have a kickoff statement or elevator speech
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
stevenaia Michinaga: still rezzing
Eos Amaterasu: SL being kind of pokey
Calvino Rabeni: It booted me off, the last 2 sessions I attended.
Calvino Rabeni: Shocking :)
stevenaia Michinaga: the pillows are arriving
stevenaia Michinaga: slowly
Eos Amaterasu: when I got here there were gray panels all around.... that turned into snowflakes

stevenaia will be mentoring tomorrow

stevenaia Michinaga: was hoping to get some pointers for tomorrow's mentoring session
Eos Amaterasu: oh, yes, apropos
Eos Amaterasu: that's definitely one of the contexts, is it not, for this theme?
Calvino Rabeni: Mentoring seems like a subset of facilitation
stevenaia Michinaga: interesting how some can "do" and others can explain it
Calvino Rabeni: Yes
Calvino Rabeni: slow indeed

Facilitating myself, facilitating ourselves

Eos Amaterasu: In terms of framing, I think facilitation has a lot to do with individual and group process
Eos Amaterasu: facilitation both from inside and from outside :-)
Calvino Rabeni: yes that is a good frame
Calvino Rabeni: yes
Calvino Rabeni: know thyself, and know others
stevenaia Michinaga: inside and outside what?
stevenaia Michinaga: the group?
Eos Amaterasu: By the way, one challenge is to come up with suggested approaches to the 90 secs that are thematic, or using the 90 secs to explore this theme
Calvino Rabeni: I didn't consider that, open to any ideas
Eos Amaterasu: Yes.... you can "allow" yourself, or "push" yourself, etc; and someone outside (outside you or a group) can do that also
Calvino Rabeni: I will add a section to my document

A project for Wol :-)

stevenaia Michinaga: was thinking someone could construct one of those spinning wheels with a pointer with themes around the perimeter, when it stops you have 90secs to explore
Calvino Rabeni: Inside and Outside also refer to subjective and objective perspectives
Calvino Rabeni: Sounds fun
Eos Amaterasu: heh heh, yes
stevenaia Michinaga: when you hit an empty moment, you can grab a spin
stevenaia Michinaga: I'll talk to wol about that :)



Eos Amaterasu: I think the little framings, such as "appreciate the presence of appearance", are facilitations of the experience of the 90 secs
stevenaia Michinaga: nods
Eos Amaterasu: and embody the paradox of facilitation, in that it is a "leading question" that helps open things up
Calvino Rabeni: Fortuitously, I just got a SL notice on a facilitation talk tomorrow at Roadside Philosophers
Calvino Rabeni: Facilitation is definitely in the cultural "air" right now
Eos Amaterasu: Do you do that yourself, Calvino?
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Eli!
Calvino Rabeni: Not in official capacity, but in dialogues with individuals and groups I attend.
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Eos :), Steve, Calvino
Eliza Madrigal: Sorry to be late
Calvino Rabeni: Greetings
Eos Amaterasu: "doula", facilitator = midwife?
Eos Amaterasu: We haven't quite begun... maybe after the break, Calvino?

--BELL--

Calvino Rabeni: Yes, good metaphor - midwife is about helping the soul past the bardo realm
Eos Amaterasu: Was this a bardo (aka transition... )?
Calvino Rabeni: Transition state where things are undefined. Birth and death, for instance.
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Pema
Calvino Rabeni: Hi Pema
Pema Pera: Hi there, don't let me interrupt!
Calvino Rabeni: Just getting rolling here
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Pema

 

 

The facilitation theme discussion gets under way

Calvino Rabeni: Do you have a framing statement for the topic, Eos?
Eos Amaterasu: [19:14] Eos Amaterasu: "doula", facilitator = midwife?
Calvino Rabeni: I can go with that
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Magdalena :)
stevenaia Michinaga: Hi Magie
Eos Amaterasu: Also, the paradox of facilitation, in that it is a "leading" that helps open things up
Magdalena Colclough: Hi all
Pema Pera: Hi Maggie!
Magdalena Colclough smiles at Pema
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Magdalena
Calvino Rabeni: The skill of leading - paradox is that leading and following are one.
stevenaia Michinaga: a leader only to the extent of extracting ideas from the group
Eos Amaterasu: Do you want to go ahead and talk for a bit, Calvino?
Calvino Rabeni: OK.
Calvino Rabeni: I gathered my ideas on the wiki - too much to read now, but hoping it can inform future discussion
Calvino Rabeni: http://playasbeing.wik.is/Guardians%27_Contributions/Calvino/What_Is_Facilitation%3f
Calvino Rabeni: Facilitation is helping, service
Calvino Rabeni: Requires or is a good application of all the awareness and contemplation skills that are cultivated in PAB
Calvino Rabeni: Everyone has the skills of facilitation - because they are the same skills as being human
Calvino Rabeni: (Try that on, as an experiment)
Calvino Rabeni: We are interested in facilitating in PAB sessions
Eos Amaterasu: (hi Paradise)
Calvino Rabeni: But there is a bigger picture of facilitation
Paradise Tennant: :) hello everyone :)
Magdalena Colclough: Hi Paradise
Calvino Rabeni: Coaching is a growth industry
Pema Pera: (hi Paradise)
Calvino Rabeni: Mindfulness is making inroads into the business world
Calvino Rabeni: And into conventional therapy, including hard cases like drug rehab
Calvino Rabeni: And modern media facilitate it
Calvino Rabeni: All my groups seem to have a growing awareness of it.
Calvino Rabeni: I'm interested in the "peer" version of it - kind of like PAB is based on a peer idea rather than the traditional authority model in religions
Calvino Rabeni: I call that co-facilitation
Calvino Rabeni: I want to propose, PAB as a "laboratory for learning facilitation"
Calvino Rabeni: I have reviewed the session logs and there is MUCH awareness and interest in this direction.
Calvino Rabeni: (end of intro remarks)

Mindfulness as facilitation

Eos Amaterasu: At one point you seem to equate mindfulness with facilitation: can you say more?
Calvino Rabeni: Yes, facilitation is a role, with a focus, and mindfulness is the most important foundational skill for a facilitator, both in session and for learning
Calvino Rabeni: Facilitation involves seeing the full human being.
Eos Amaterasu: "listening"?
Calvino Rabeni: Mindfulness can be a path in that direction.
Calvino Rabeni: Yes
Calvino Rabeni: Listening and seeing.

 

--BELL--

Eliza Madrigal: (whispers Hi Corvi... will catch you up in a note :)
Calvino Rabeni: It's kind of a basic realization, but mindfulness is not a technique, although a practice may be.
Calvino Rabeni: Therefore mindfuless does not conflict with holding structure, acting in process, having objectives, all the pragmatic issues of doing something like facilitation.
Eos Amaterasu: There is listening, seeing, and then facilitating: is there some kind of transition between the two, or bridge?
Calvino Rabeni: No, they are able to coexist.
Calvino Rabeni: Unless you meant, as a developmental path of acquiring skills
Eos Amaterasu: Facilitating has some quality of caring
Calvino Rabeni: In that sense, people may learn listening as a predecessor to applying it in facilitation
Calvino Rabeni: It very much does - compassion is a good word for it.
Eos Amaterasu: yes, a classic duo
Eos Amaterasu: openness / compassion
Calvino Rabeni: Holding what is, and helping it realize itself.
Eos Amaterasu: Does that come naturally out of listening?
Calvino Rabeni: But on a practical, psychological level, caring and liking people - appreciation - unblocks the intelligence of the facilitator

 

Corvuscorva asks if appreciation is always possible 

Calvino Rabeni: I think listening with appreciation is a tremendous practice for that
Corvuscorva Nightfire: but is that always possible?
Calvino Rabeni: Yes and no. As a doing, if you try it, you will be partly successful.
Calvino Rabeni: SO I would say, you can focus on the yes part to further it
Calvino Rabeni: and maybe on the No part, to resolve an obstacle
Calvino Rabeni: Did youhave something specific in mind, Corvu?
Corvuscorva Nightfire: well, I was considering how you "appreciate" without liking.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: and how that facilitates "listening"
Calvino Rabeni: Appreciate is to see "what is" and respond to it.
Calvino Rabeni: That facilitates clarity
Corvuscorva Nightfire nods...which doesn't require liking or not liking
Calvino Rabeni: Likes and dislikes are secondary
Calvino Rabeni: You add that to the experience
Calvino Rabeni: And it may help
Corvuscorva Nightfire: nods and listens, having gotten clarity
Calvino Rabeni: TO see more what is, you may find aspects you are also able to like
Calvino Rabeni: Which can give energy to the proceedings
Eos Amaterasu: (feel free to join in, btw, circle of friends)

 

Play as Being and facilitation 

Pema Pera: Calvino, it is an interesting idea to view PaB as a kind of "laboratory for facilitation." The notion of "PaB as a lab" is certainly one aspect of PaB, among others, such as "PaB as a meeting place" or "PaB as a resting point in your life", etc.
Pema Pera: Even the aspect of "PaB as a lab" can be subdivided into further aspects, such as a "lab for studying the nature of reality" or "lab for practicing wu-wei" or "lab to study the antics of the self/ego" and so on.
Calvino Rabeni: Yes
Paradise Tennant: PaB as a learning experience :)
Calvino Rabeni: Yes
Pema Pera: Is there something specific about "PaB as a lab for facilitation" that you think might stand out among the many other aspects of PaB?
Pema Pera: Or do you see the notion of "facilitation" as including indirectly compassion, listening, and the many other aspects you mentioned?
Calvino Rabeni: I see it as very general, including those aspects.
Eos Amaterasu: ( Hi Bene )
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Bene :)
Benedizione Vita: hello everyone
Paradise Tennant: :) waves ab bene
Calvino Rabeni: When you look at what people are trying to do here, a lot of it is about being clearer, more intelligent, helping each other, giving good attention, being skilled at dialogue, and learning
Calvino Rabeni: All fundamental to facilitation
Eos Amaterasu: Coming up with little phrases to facilitate the 90 secs
Paradise Tennant: and to realization :)
Pema Pera: yes
Calvino Rabeni: Even if someone is focused on themself as an individual, the perspective is relevant because an individual has many parts

 

--BELL--

Pema Pera: PaB can be entered through many gates: we often talk about wu-wei, which itself can be called a "path of ease" (same root as facilitation, facile, easy, as you pointed out)
Calvino Rabeni: Yes. I have no desire to redefine PAB, but I think facilitation is an entry to the same place of "what is real" and "what is it to be fully human"
Calvino Rabeni: And much of what people are tryng to learn - to get better at certain things - is like facilitation.
Eos Amaterasu: [19:44] Calvino Rabeni: Even if someone is focused on themself as an individual, the perspective [facilitation] is relevant because an individual has many parts
Magdalena Colclough: apologies - my fan is dying - must poof
Eos Amaterasu: Ciao!
Paradise Tennant: good nite magdalena :)
Pema Pera: bye Maggie!
Calvino Rabeni: Bye for now, Mag.
Eos Amaterasu: So our awareness facilitates our awareness, our intention guides our intention
Pema Pera: yes, a very interesting idea, of facilitating your own practice!
Calvino Rabeni: Yes

Play as Facilitator

stevenaia Michinaga: one of the joys of PLAY as being which seems applicable in many instances is you can Play as facilitator to learn how things work
Calvino Rabeni: The knowledge is transferable
Eos Amaterasu: "play as facilitator" seems like the right spirit
Calvino Rabeni: I like that
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Pema Pera: yes, facilitating rather than arguing or confronting directly, as is done in most debate groups
Benedizione Vita: hmm, thanks to eliza I just got a chance to read over the whole convo--very interesting convo :)
Pema Pera: (and often within one self too)
Calvino Rabeni: Good distinction. That jams things up
Paradise Tennant: so we could be facilitating consensus or simply appreciating disparate views :)
Pema Pera: playing to facilitate yourself to be, rather than to have (this and that)

Playing with Opposition

Eos Amaterasu: I suppose an "outside" facilitator is sometimes good because we can't quite see ourselves
Eos Amaterasu: feedback
Eos Amaterasu: like some martial / contemplative practices which involves some sense of both opposition and complementariy
Eos Amaterasu: (like push-hands in tai chi)
Calvino Rabeni: Good example
Calvino Rabeni: Exactly!
Eos Amaterasu: you get feedback on your energy
Pema Pera: (sorry, RL work calling, have to go to a meeting -- thanks a lot, Calvino and Eos and All, for a great conversation!)
Pema Pera: bfn
Eliza Madrigal: Bye Pema :)
Eos Amaterasu: bye Pema, thnx for dropping in
Calvino Rabeni: For those who arrived a bit later - here is the idea document I did for this topic
Calvino Rabeni: http://playasbeing.wik.is/Guardians%27_Contributions/Calvino/What_Is_Facilitation%3f
Benedizione Vita: bye Pema
Calvino Rabeni: Martial tai chi is a good place to see this in action
Calvino Rabeni: but so is really good ballroom dancing
Calvino Rabeni: tango, e.g.
Eliza Madrigal: the feedback seems to require a sense of trust... if there is that then a little pushing is okay...
Calvino Rabeni: it is delicate
Benedizione Vita: what about confrontation as facilitation?
Eos Amaterasu: like games where there is opposition and some force / energy

Container of Trust

Calvino Rabeni: Trust is part of the container for the process
Calvino Rabeni: confrontation happens in a container - an implicit agreement
Calvino Rabeni: martial arts have an agreement that says - it is not "violence" when you practice
Paradise Tennant: trust is the basic denominator of group living .. it is the real currency of economies .. society
Calvino Rabeni: If a facilitator goes beyond the container of trust, things will break
Eos Amaterasu: trust is something built up....
Calvino Rabeni: Yes I agree Para
Calvino Rabeni: It is worth thinking about and cultivating (or being sensitive to)
Eliza Madrigal nods... sensitivity... it is a kind of knowledge/confidence
Eos Amaterasu: hara to hara, heart to heart
Calvino Rabeni: Yes, sensitivity is part of how you feel how far you can extend
Eliza Madrigal: which makes pab, and even the setting of SL quite unique I think :)
Calvino Rabeni: Yes I like that, eos
Benedizione Vita: awwp, RL calling me as well--goodnight, all--I trust I will meet you here again :)
Eos Amaterasu: :-)
Eliza Madrigal: Night Bene, yes I'm sure :)

Benedizione Vita: onigokko

Calvino Rabeni: It is unique Elize, or uncommon, in SL / online
Paradise Tennant: nite nite bene
Eliza Madrigal: hahah
Calvino Rabeni: :)
Eos Amaterasu: ha ha
Eliza Madrigal: stop
Calvino Rabeni: wheeeeee
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Eliza Madrigal: haha... onigokko and run
Paradise Tennant: :) I have to scoot too .. be well thank you for the wonderful conversation to ponder :)

--BELL--

Eliza Madrigal: Night Paradise
Eos Amaterasu: :-)
stevenaia Michinaga: on that note... see you all soon, come to Play as Mentoring tomarrow
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, thanks for reminding me Steve... will send a note
Eliza Madrigal: Well quite a full conversation... just getting started perhaps :)
Calvino Rabeni: I hope so
Eliza Madrigal: Oh... eek... sorry, bell
Calvino Rabeni: Eos, I did most the talking - did you have the opportunities you wanted?
Eos Amaterasu: Oh yes (maybe I was just facilitating :-)
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eos Amaterasu: So many aspects to this
Calvino Rabeni: Its rich
Eliza Madrigal: I have to run, too... session in the morning and want to be daisy-like
Calvino Rabeni: My tai chi teacher taught facilitation also
Eos Amaterasu: Bye, Eliza!~
Eliza Madrigal: Hm, well maybe I didn't need to get up... hah.
Calvino Rabeni: Bye Eliza, see you later
Eliza Madrigal: Night Eos, Corvi, Cal :) Thanks!
Corvuscorva Nightfire: night
Eos Amaterasu: Yes, I know an aikido teacher who has also gone that route
Eos Amaterasu: as you were saying, this approach is entering the business/organizational world
Calvino Rabeni: Who, where?
Calvino Rabeni: THe aikido teacher.
Eos Amaterasu: Wendy Palmer
Calvino Rabeni: What city?
Eos Amaterasu: SF Bay Area... http://web.me.com/wendyepalmer/Conscious_Embodiment/Home.html
Calvino Rabeni: Did you do aikido, Eos?
Eos Amaterasu: No
Calvino Rabeni: Or tai chi?
Eos Amaterasu: I've done some; have done more chi gong
Calvino Rabeni: OK
Calvino Rabeni: The people that follow Ken Wilber's integral theories are also bringing facilitation into business.
Corvuscorva Nightfire smiles warmly and leaves to go cook dinner
Calvino Rabeni: Bye Corvu :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire: thank you, Calvino and Eos..I'm so glad you did this
Eos Amaterasu: Bye Corvi
Calvino Rabeni: My pleasure.
Eos Amaterasu: Wendy has taught a number of times at Alia Institute's summer programs: http://www.aliainstitute.org/institute/home.html
Calvino Rabeni: Thanks
Eos Amaterasu: Alia Europe in January: http://www.aliainstitute.org/programs/2010europe/home.html
Eos Amaterasu: Alia (Authentic Leadership in Action) is all about the tension between leadership and openness, chaos and order
Eos Amaterasu: leading from within
Calvino Rabeni: Here in Seattle, there is a program on applying nondual awareness in coaching and facilitation.
Calvino Rabeni: Thre are so many places this is happening, it is impossible to track
Calvino Rabeni: But I know a general movement when I see it
Calvino Rabeni: It's getting big in canada
Eos Amaterasu: Otto Scharmer's "Presencing" is one of the most developed
Eos Amaterasu: Would you say PaB has an aspect of facilitation without purpose?
Calvino Rabeni: Presencing was a key idea in one of the schools I was at.
Calvino Rabeni: Facilitation without purpose?
Calvino Rabeni: Well if you drop everything, including facilitation and purpose, you still have a foundational awareness for facilitaiton
Eos Amaterasu: facilitating openness, for no other reason than openness (or maybe exploring the "reason" of/behind openness?)
Calvino Rabeni: Yes, that's the way to do it.
Calvino Rabeni: You don't go for openness in order to accomplish anything.
Eos Amaterasu: :-)
Eos Amaterasu: but then it turns out that it does help to accomplish anything

 

--BELL--

Esoteric and exoteric

 

Calvino Rabeni: Yes. One interesting thing about how this knowledge spreads
Calvino Rabeni: is the difference between esoteric and external (exoteric)
Calvino Rabeni: Many philosophers or spiritual teachers have an esoteric knowledg
Calvino Rabeni: and then go and create applications in the world
Calvino Rabeni: In which the "internal" part is completely invisible
Calvino Rabeni: and no one knows the source of it.
Eos Amaterasu: Many business leaders have personal practices they never disclose
Calvino Rabeni: Exactly - as individuals
Calvino Rabeni: and many people whose main thing is esoteric, find an external form to put it into the world
Calvino Rabeni: There are many examples, all pretty invisible
Calvino Rabeni: It is very hard to take a "history of ideas" perspective on account of that
Calvino Rabeni: since the heart of that they do is not advertised
Eos Amaterasu: Hmm, I wonder
Eos Amaterasu: are there really any esoteric secrets?
Calvino Rabeni: Not really
Eos Amaterasu: I think many "deep" things are "self-secret"
Calvino Rabeni: It is definitional.
Calvino Rabeni: Most of them are "open secrets"
Calvino Rabeni: Some kinds of knowledge simply don't describe well
Calvino Rabeni: Further, some are only available to experiencers once they have practiced
Calvino Rabeni: so the description can't have any meaning
Calvino Rabeni: And it could even be counter-productive
Calvino Rabeni: There are valid reasons for secrecy
Eos Amaterasu: yes, that's a classic reason for secrecy, or at least for a progressive entrance to something, some practice or knowledge
Calvino Rabeni: A more true way to look at it is - an initiate is given knowledge - and it is pretty much impossible for them to give it away to anyone.
Eos Amaterasu: like musical notes that by themselves don't have the same meaning as in context of others
Calvino Rabeni: Yes
Calvino Rabeni: It contradicts the modern desire for transparency.

Let teenagers germinate...

Eos Amaterasu: it's like protecting a baby, perhaps?
Calvino Rabeni: that makes sense
Eos Amaterasu: another way to facilitate?
Calvino Rabeni: a facilitator needs a respect for things that are hidden or need protection or are in the dark
Calvino Rabeni: They germinate in the dark.
Calvino Rabeni: Animals grow within the womb. In an invisible, mostly dark place
Calvino Rabeni: It is kind of poetic, but a facilitator I think should get a felt sense for what his happening in the mysterious places and not try to open it
Eos Amaterasu: let them germinate
Calvino Rabeni: Yes
Eos Amaterasu: like how to work with teenagers :-)
Calvino Rabeni: Most of the world / universe is dark anyway
Calvino Rabeni: Now that is a challenge :)
Calvino Rabeni: I tried it a bit - whew.
Eos Amaterasu: indeed :-)
Eos Amaterasu: I need to go to bed
Eos Amaterasu: Thank you, Calvino, this was a great session
Calvino Rabeni: Thanks for co-leading. Shall we try again in a week?
Eos Amaterasu: Sure... plus we'll see facilitation in action tomorrow and on
Calvino Rabeni: Would you announce it?
Eos Amaterasu: Ciao!
Eos Amaterasu: Okay, yes.
Calvino Rabeni: Bye, sleep well. :)
Calvino Rabeni: (POOF!)