Posts Tagged ‘conversation’

How is your community’s agenda established?

October 30th, 2009

I recently stumbled on an idea that won’t let go of me.  I love those kind of ideas-something I can’t ignore, even if the Swedish side of my brain is telling me ‘no, not another project.’    So, here it is. 

The town of Harrisonburg, VA has started something called the Harrisonburg Summits  to create intentional opportunities for public conversation around important issues facing the community.  The idea in and of itself isn’t new.  What puts it over the top, in my mind, is the use of Open Space Technology. 

What’s Open Space Technology?

I first learned about Open Space Technology at an Art of Hosting training sponsored, in part, by the Rural Learning Center.  The RLC understands that conversation, and the ability to host conversation, is a critical need in our rural communities.  Open Space is one tool we use to do that.  At its most basic, Open Space is a facilitation process that allows meeting participants to create the agenda around a specified topic based on what’s most important to the people in the room.  Several conversations are hosted at one time, and people can choose to participate in whichever is most interesting to them.   There is a lot more to it, but the premise that it genuinely allows the voices of those in the room to influence the outcome is most important here.  This is vital if your goal is to engage people both in conversation, and then in the work that follows. 

See what Harrisonburg residents think of the process in the video below. 


 

The importance of involvement from the start.

Why is it so important to engage people in the process of creating the agenda?  I think the answer begins and ends with one principle: people care more about ideas and projects that they feel a part of.  Gone are the days when a city leader can come to a group of people with a project identified and execution planned, and simply ask for their help in doing the work.  People want to feel more a part of the process, and their ownership is fundamental to getting the project completed.  That ownership is one of the reasons why the community building work in Miner County has been so successful; people’s individual ideas and passions became the community’s ideas and passions.  And they were willing to work hard to make things happen.

The Harrisonburg Summit webpage indicates that the summit started as a one-time project. They indicate that it continued because “the event was so successful.” What I would surmise is that the summits have continued because it has created a renewed sense of ownership and contribution for residents.  They have become a part of something that matters. 

If your community is looking for a meaningful way to engage residents, I think the Harrisonburg model is something to consider.

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Can Facebook be used for serious conversation?

October 21st, 2009

Lately, I’ve held up the Miller, SD Facebook Fan Page as a good example of how rural communities can use Facebook.  Because of the spiffy photos, engaging questions, and interesting responses that have been posted on the page, I feel like I’ve gotten to know Miller a lot better.  And you know what?  I like it!    I think it is safe to say, the community of Miller should be proud of how community leaders are using Facebook. 

But a recent article in the Everyday Democracy newsletter has caused me to wonder if Facebook (and other social media tools) could also be used to develop deeper conversations around the more complex, challenging issues. You know, the type of questions that make the mayor’s job tough.     

That’s what residents of York, Maine (pop. 12,854) are attempting to do on a Facebook Fan Page titled “York Community Dialogue.” 


York Community Dialogue - What’s important to you?

“Have you ever wondered,” the group asks on their page, “what sort of conversations communities might have if public meeting agendas were set by citizens rather than by governments?”

With that in mind, one of the first questions they asked was “What about York matters to you?”

That question, in and of itself, is a deeper question than anything I’ve seen on the Miller page.  And it points to the desire of some community members to dig in and shape the future of the community. 

Interestingly, residents in Howard, SD sought the same outcome back in 1997 when they developed a community dialogue process they termed “Community Vision Meetings.”  As Lindsey explained last week to the folks in Pepin, WI, this process revolved around high school students leading small group discussions, which took place in individuals’ homes. 

While I feel the York model is commendable, I haven’t made up my mind whether or not I think Facebook is a good place for the type of conversation the group seeks.   I suspect two shortcomings.   First, the way Facebook is structured makes it difficult for complex thoughts to be expressed.  Experience suggests to me that a blog is a better medium. (Perhaps this is why leaders intend to create “study circles” in the future.)

 Second, the biggest challenge in holding this type of conversation on-line is that it often degenerates into baseless name calling.  (One advantage of Facebook is that residents have to own up their comments with their name, unlike many blogs and newspaper forums.)

Those questions aside, however, I applaud community leaders for taking on this challenge.  Rural communities need dialogue of this nature, and I look forward to watching the York model in action. 

(And if you are aware of other communities holding conversations like this on-line, I hope you will share.)


Photo credit - Bucklava - Flickr (the Nubble Light House is just up the Maine coast at York Beach)

 

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