What’s happening to the inner climate?

If you’re like us, you’ve been keeping one eye on COP15, the UN conference on global climate change, taking place in Copenhagen Dec 7 – 18, and wondering what its outcome might mean for the planet. Instead of waiting to hear the news, why not take action to help define the future?

In Copenhagen, Toke Moeller, Monica Nissen and other practitioners of the Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter will be holding a space alongside the official conference proceedings. They have also issued an open call to form “Inner Climate Learning Villages” across the world, in order to further the ripple of awareness spreading out from COP15. What is a Learning Village? “A gathering, large or small, where people come together to engage in meaningful conversation and joyful connection around how our “inner climate” is affecting what we see happening in the outer world.”

In short, whatever else happens in Copenhagen, there is an opportunity to come together in new and supportive ways to explore possibilities for a common future. Can you add your voice and wisdom to this crucial conversation? On Dec 10/17 from 5 to 7pm we’ll be gathering at the Urban Arts Space around these questions:

• What relation do you see between the inner climate and outer climate change?
• What change in the inner climate would help us to imagine a sustainable future?
• What story about sustainability are we learning to tell?

The Urban Arts Space is located in the Lazarus Building in downtown Columbus, 50 W. Town Street.

We hope that you will be able to join us for this conversation. Come beforehand for refreshments and to explore the current exhibits at the UAS; stay afterwards for the Marotta Hour, an evening of music hosted by Larry Marotta.

Please RSVP to livingston(dot)28(at)gmail(dot)com by Tuesday 12/15 so that we can arrange our space appropriately.

Looking forward to talking with you.

Rick Livingston & Andrew Miller

There is a community conversation that I have wanted to host for several months now, maybe longer. Over the past week it has become a frequent subject between myself and some of my friends in the community and now it is expanding outward, albeit very slowly, beyond this shelter of friendship.

I want to see a conversation where people of different belief systems sit face to face and find ways to open new lines of communication between each other. Right now the only communication appears to be casting verbal stones with a strong sentiment of distrust. If we are going to move forward as a community we must find a way to be more productive and less destructive.

What has made this conversation difficult to pin down is that I too am someone with strong opinions who has, at times, cast stones. So how do we host such an conversation internally without clouding the process with the persona’s involved?

The steps I’m taking right now are to build a coalition from the primary parties of contention so that a fully developed purpose can drive the conversation. I believe that a purpose derived from our communal knowledge will make this community conversation a success.

Behind the conversation I am also working on a website solution that will provide opportunities for cross organization project development. I’m taking suggestions on names for this site as well.

So, are you in an organization or community that faces similar issues and has a similar need for reconnecting factions? Reconnecting people? If so, what steps are you taking?

The “Un-Conference” – The Perfect Place for Sharing Ideas

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I have very fond memories of watching Sesame Street and the Electric Company on PBS as a child. After years of watching This Old House I couldn’t wait to move into my first home. It was in that house that I listened to the very first episodes of This American Life on WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio. Now that I’m living here in Columbus I have the chance to not only enjoy WOSU but to be a part of it on air too.

Recently I attended the first national Public Media Camp as a representative of WOSU. The mission of “PubCamp” was to better understand the role of Public Media within the local community; particularly as online media becomes such a major factor in the production and distribution of content.

Because Public Radio and Television have been a constant for me my whole life, it just felt right that I would have a chance to help shape its future. I was honoured to have this opportunity.

PubCamp was held as an unconference. For those of you unfamiliar with this format it is structured in such a way that all attendees are participants. An unconference isn’t a place for presentation, it is a place for meaningful conversation.

The idea is actually very simple, just three basic steps:

• First, get motivated, interested, engaged and knowledgeble Public Media folks together in one space.
• Second, give them an issue to discuss.
• Third, let them determine the right questions and topics necessary to inspire conversations that lead to innovative solutions.

Believe it or not this process works great.

The unconference format is very empowering. It sets the stage for participants to work collaboratively for the common good of the group. For that reason I wasn’t surprised that PubCamp used this format. You see, I truly believe there is a difference between the people working in public broadcasting and commercial broadcasters. Public broadcasters seem to always look for ways to make their community better. For them, the common good of the community is ahead of everything else.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve attended an unconference; I’ve even helped to host a few myself. In every case I’ve walked away feeling like I helped to create something new. Then, just as important for me; I felt like I made some significant connections with other people.

So what would happen if we began solving of all of our community issues in this collaborative, empowering way? Instead of requiring a few willing people to try and figure out the answers to our complex problems, what if we tapped into the community knowledge that already exists?

Now is the time to maximize our collective intelligence and embrace these new conversation techniques. Through meaningful conversation, conversation that welcomes and listens to diverse viewpoints and maximizes participation and civility, we can transform conflict into creative cooperation.