G'day folks I've been pondering lately on the 'art of provocative questioning' - or curiosity. Working recently with couple of 'undecided' clients - co-designing a process for working with staff groups on such themes as 'team-building days' or 'planning conferences' - we've discussed the notion of 'different purpose, different space, different process' They had already decided that they wished to go off-site but seemed reluctant to engage in any unconventional or 'way-out/weird' activities...
One of my key questions to them now is: Why would you invest so much to take your staff, team, whatever away from their normal 'business as usual' space - place of work - and then just expose them to the same old 'business-as-usual' processes...where predetermined plans, outcomes, bells and whistles dominate the timetable? During the ensuing conversation, I usually have the opportunity to provide an invitation to consider a real alternative - if you are going away, then go away in more than just a physical sense - go away in terms of place, pace and space... a different place - removed from the usual environment, sights, smells, sounds, tastes, touches in order to create a different space - in which the unknown can be made known, the unusual can be accessed and the creativity of people can be unleashed at a different pace - a slowing down and/or a speeding up, determined by those who are there, in response to the energies and passion that emerge from them as they engage with each other and with the theme... This basic, simple question and subsequent conversation seems to have provoked a couple of welcome 'ah-ha' moments from sponsors struggling to accept the 'risks' associated with their 'loss of control' or fear of the unknown.... It's so much fun developing 'provocative questions' - much easier than trying to provide answers! Any other favourite 'provocative questions' hanging around? Cheers Brendan * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist