Weeks ago Johnni had a post about thriving the conversation - nice post by the way - and by the time I just read the article mentioned very briefly. Now I got the opportunity and I must say there are some very good insights hidden between the lines….
People come together to participate in a conversation with different aims, intentions and expectations in mind. What is the impact of these expectations on the quality and outcomes of the conversation?
Reflecting on our experiences in thriving (and not-so-thriving)conversations, we have concluded that the purposes and dispositions of the individual participants are important to the success of the community and their conversation. In other words, not everyone can make a thriving conversation happen.
So, make clear what the expectations are…..but is that always possible?
Take your time and read the piece.
One comment so far
This is a nice article, although I’d like a little more about what, specifically, one can do to encourage these types of conversations.
A lot of this stuff sounds like common sense (”People come together…with different aims, intentions and expectations in mind”) but it’s really tricky to take those into account up front. One of my main goals for planning Design Engaged is to really make a commitment to “engagement” among the participants, no one is allowed to be a passive observer. But to me the most important thing is to find ways of encouraging everyone to participate in ways that feel right for them. You might say that “experience design is participation design.”
The theory of multiple learning styles is helpful here: some people learn by reading, some by doing, some by listening, etc. (See http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Learning_styles)