John Dicus wrote:
>Have any of you tried either of the following -- or something else
>intriguing?...
>
>- - Passing around a lump of potters clay, while each person in turn molds
>the clay while speaking from the heart-mind. The clay seems to evoke
>depth, introspection, authenticity... And the lump of clay, at the
>conclusion of the dialogue, is representative of the composite thought in
>interesting and often unexpected ways.
I use copper balls with the size of a tennisball.................
>As Rick mentioned, there is a wealth on conversation on the talking stick
>in the archives, yet this topic always renews interest. An explanation I
>heard that resonates with me is the idea that whoever is holding the
>artifact (stick, etc) has invited the rest of us into her (his) space --
>and we should conduct ourselves as gracious and civil guests. Learning to
>receive is an integral part of learning how to give. I think I like this
>construct because it seems to move away from the idea that the person with
>the artifact is holding others off (although, I know, this is not the
>intent).
The desired attitudes John describes above I do literally with groups as a
movement exercise. Done as an introduction on dialogue (in the right
way!!) it develops the proper climate for good dialogues.
For those interested: you can find an exercise (among some other creative
stuff) on the subject 'giving and receiving' on my website:
<http://www.universal.nl/users/winfried/euryshow.html>
If you like what you see, drop me a line (private e-mail) and I will give
you instructions on how to do the exercise with a group.
Winfried Deijmann
--Mr. Winfried M. Deijmann - Deijmann & Partners - Zutphen - The Netherlands Artists, Consultants and Facilitators for Organizational Learning, Leadership and Action Learning Events Het Zwanevlot 37, NL 7206 CB Zutphen, The Netherlands <Winfried@universal.nl> Phone: +31-(0)575-522076 mobile: +31-(0)654 94 71 27 Homepage: <http://www.come.to/dialoog>
For information on our International Workshops: <http://www.universal.nl/users/winfried/workshopsuk.html>
"An educated mind is useless without a focussed will and dangerous without a loving heart" (unknown source)
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>