|
| The Gurteen Knowledge Website |
|
Document
|
Sustainability Café - Dialogues 23rd of March - 1st sessionCranfield University |
|
|
 /VIEW-IMAGE/$File/view-image.png "Image information"){kind=small} This initiative arouse from conversations after experiencing a 'knowledge café'. David Gurteen came to Cranfield University to talk about knowledge management. Instead of giving a lecture on the subject, he made us share our own ideas about it. This way, not only did he introduce the 'knowledge café' but made us understand in practice the power of conversation. It was an incredible experience as finally you "had a license to" talk and to make sense of what you think, but mostly, listening to others ideas and thoughts to start making new linkages. Because it is based on experiencing - active and dynamic - rather then sitting and listening - static- it is not immediate the acknowledgement about the value that you gain through a 'knowledge café'. Some days after, Jon and myself started to acknowledge how much we had learned from the 'knowledge café', and how something so simple and so inclusive could have such a potential to grasp thoughts and new ideas. To better understand what we had experienced, an analogy will probably explain it better: the 'knowledge café' and the way David Gurteen presented and managed it, planted a seed inside of us. This seed needed time to start growing, needed nourishment and time to see if it had enough strength for roots to grow. The nourishment was once again dialogue: conversations between Jon and myself. We have a common passion, which is Sustainability. The seed started to grow and grow until it was inevitable to give it its own space: Why not a Sustainability Café, which promotes dialogues about different subjects around Sustainability? After verbalizing such an idea - to make it happen was in the speed of a blink of an eye. Fortunately we could count on the support of David Gurteen who was almost more motivated then we were. Planting the Seed The idea behind the Sustainability Café was to make people feel comfortable on talking about a subject that is currently mainstream use, and start making a community inside Cranfield University, which hopefully could include staff and students form different backgrounds, agendas, interests, and departments. Jon and I didn't have any type of agenda neither any objective, and I guess it was exactly this that gave the rest of the nourishment that the seed needed. We made a flyer to announce the first session of the Sustainability Café. This was sent via email to all staff and student and some posters were spread around the campus. There was a positive response from different kinds of people (e.g. administrative staff, external lecturers, students from different departments, lectures from different disciplines, ...) which gave a good diversity. Some showed interest but couldn't come, asking to keep them posted about future sessions and any other information around it. Flourishing seed On the 23rd of March the Sustainability café had its first session. We prepared 6 tables each to receive 5 people. We wanted to create a different environment from the one of everyday: we offered tea, café and biscuits, and we put some flowers in the centre of the table. Each table also had some information with suggestions (e.g. try to be open minded; make an effort to listening to others: ...) and information about where this initiative came from. There was another small flyer presenting the theme of the first session, which was well-being, and different ways of looking and talking about it. This theme was chosen because everyone has something to say around well-being, as it relates to the individual. We did want to start conversations, and not 'mini-lecture' type of conversations in each small group and so a theme that everyone could relate to was essential. We chose lunch time on a Thursday. Lunch time because will not disrupt the work day or lectures, and Thursday because was almost weekend and people are more open to different things when they see weekend time in the horizon. We wanted to give plenty of time for conversations, so we programme the session for one hour and a half. People arrived on time. It was amassing to see people's enthusiasm. Unfortunately we were competing with a pilot test done at Luton airport which was paying 20 pounds for people to attend. Even so between 15 to 20 people come. We start the session explaining what exactly we were going to do, but mainly to make people comfortable with the open structure and to the uncertainty of the places conversations will let. The process was explained. And the theme of the conversation presented. Like we had experienced in the past with the 'knowledge café' of David Gurteen, we started with the "speed networking" exercise, followed by table conversations. Jon and I decided that people would probably like to take something with them of the Sustainability café. Therefore we made some notes about the main topics touched in each table. After 45 minutes we suggested dialogues between tables where new issues emerged. New seeds People embraced this initiative and seemed to help them make sense of this awkward subject that everyone talks about and is in use as an adjective everywhere, which is: Sustainability. But more interesting, started to create a network of interests and make people feel more conformable and less alone about thinking different and sharing their personal motivators towards Sustainability. Towards the end of the session we asked people to fill in a form that we had prepared to collect names and email addresses of the participants, and also asked them some themes which they would like to talk about in the future. Some asked when would be the next one, which gave Jon and me enough reasons to prepare the 2nd Sustainability café session. After the session people talked about the Sustainability café with colleagues and friends, and new people started writing us emails for more information, so probably, on the next session on the 20th of April, new people will come along to share their ideas and thoughts which will allow different narratives to emerge. Almost one and half weeks after, we sent around to the participants and to people who show interest on such initiative, a document which summarized part of the conversations and issues touched. This raised more interest and people appreciates. Sustainability café - Dialogues Cranfield University 5th of April 2006 - Jon D'Este Hoare & Margarida Monteiro de Barros
|
|
04:05 PM GDT |
