Presentation by Tree Bressentree@ic.orgOMA | Nov. 2012

A Pattern Language for Bringing Lifeto Meetings and Other Gatherings

2011 Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0

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Introduction to the Group Works Deck 

The Group Works deck is designed to support your process as a group convenor, planner, facilitator, or participant. The people who developed it spent several years pooling our knowledge of the best group events we had ever witnessed: meetings, conferences, retreats, and other sessions that give organizations life, solve a longstanding dilemma, get stuck relationships flowing, result in clear decisions with wide support, and make a lasting difference. We aim here to name the core wisdom of what makes deliberative group work successful.

Why are we doing this? Our world is, to a very real extent, based on dialogue. Every action taken that involves more than one person arises from conversation that generates, coordinates, and reflects those actions. Those actions have impact. If our human world is based on conversations, then the work of creating and supporting those conversations is central to shaping a world that works. Designing and conducting meetings and other group sessions well is vital to determining our common future. This project grew around a shared understanding that in an urgent way, our survival depends on our ability to work and play well together, and on discovering and creating group processes which are at the same time effective and life-affirming. Because this is easier said than done, we wanted to deepen and spread the insights, skills, and capacity to make that promise real.

Due to space limitations, each card aims only to name the essential What and Why of that particular element. In order to actually use the patterns, you’ll need to come up with the How. A lot of Hows are supplied on our website, where you will find a growing pool of information about the patterns represented in this deck. Some cards have plenty of resources already on the website, while others remain to be fleshed out. Over fifty people were involved in the creation of this card deck, and we’d be delighted for you to join the circle by helping explain how to apply the patterns and get involved in other ways.

 

Key to the Cards

Group Works Patterns by Category

Balance Process and ContentBalance Structure and FlexibilityClosing Divergence and Convergence RhythmFollow the EnergyIterationOpening and Welcome Preparedness Reflection/Action CycleRest Right Size BiteRitual Seasoned TimingSubgroup and Whole GroupTrajectory

Common GroundEmbrace Dissonance and DifferenceFractalGo Meta Seeing the Forest, Seeing the TreesTime ShiftTranslation Unity and Diversity Value the MarginsViewpoint Shift

Appropriate BoundariesCourageous ModellingDischarging Dwell with EmotionsGuerrilla FacilitationHolding SpaceListeningMirroring Not About YouSelf-AwarenessShared Leadership and RolesSimplifyTaking ResponsibilityWitness with Compassion

All Grist for the Mill Dive inEmergenceLetting Go MagicPresenceSilence Spirit Trust the Wisdom of the Group

CommitmentInvitation Priority FocusPurposeSetting Intention

The essential skills and responsibilities for both facilitator and participants, to demonstrate good group practice and ensure the process goes well. Includes monitoring, nurturing and mentoring the group, enabling their effective personal and collective self-management.

Noticing and helping the group more openly and thoughtfully explore different ways of seeing an issue. Watching, understanding, and appreciating divergent viewpoints, ideas, values and opinions. The key is in how you look at something.

Using multiple intelligences and a variety of modes to open up creative possibilities.

Covers rhythm, energy and pacing. When we do what and for how long. Things to pay attention to both in anticipating the event and in responding to circumstances in the moment, to support movement along the intended trajectory toward the desired outcome.

Discovering coherence and moving toward convergence. From gathering in information to exploring knowledge to arriving at consensus, shared meaning. understanding, or clear outcomes.

Trusting and accepting what happens in a spirit of letting go and letting come. The mystery, magic and ineffable, complex magic of emergence. You can invite it, but you can’t control it. Felt as a deep sense of connection not only to those assembled and to the work’s purpose but to the larger universe as well.

Understanding and working with the broader context and circumstances both in place and in culture.

Keystone patterns are in boldIntention

Context

Relationship

Flow

CreativityPerspective

Modelling

Inquiry & Synthesis

Faith

groupworksdeck.org

AppreciationBreaking Bread TogetherCelebrateGood Faith AssumptionsHonour Each PersonHosting Power Shift Shared AirtimeTend RelationshipsTransparency

Creating and maintaining quality connection with each other, honouring our full selves, and recognizing power relations. Includes being authentic and sometimes foregrounding emotional needs in the moment rather than task.

Aesthetics of SpaceCircle Gaia Group Culture History and ContextNooks in Space and TimePower of PlaceWhole System in the Room

Context

DeliberateDistilingExperts on Tap FeedbackGo DeeperHarvestingInform the Group MindInquiry Mapping and MeasurementMoving Toward AlignmentNamingStoryYes, And

Serving and attending to the larger purpose for the gathering and how it is manifested, including addressing its longer term meaning and consequence. Why are we here, what’s our shared passion, and what we are aiming to accomplish.

ChallengeExpressive ArtsGenerate PossibilitiesImproviseMode Choice PlayfulnessPower of Constraints

1. Aesthetics of Space2. All Grist for the Mill3. Appreciation4. Appropriate Boundaries5. Balance Process and Content6. Balance Structure and Flexibility7. Breaking Bread Together8. Celebrate9. Challenge10. Circle11. Closing12. Commitment13. Common Ground14. Courageous Modelling15. Deliberate16. Discharging17. Distilling18. Dive In19. Divergence and Convergence Rhythm20. Dwelling with Emotions21. Embrace Dissonance and Difference22. Emergence23. Experts on Tap24. Expressive Arts25. Feedback26. Follow the Energy27. Fractal28. Gaia29. Generate Possibilities30. Go Deeper31. Go Meta32. Good Faith Assumptions33. Group Culture34. Guerrilla Facilitation35. Harvesting36. History and Context37. Holding Space38. Honour Each Person39. Hosting40. Improvise41. Inform the Group Mind42. Inquiry43. Invitation44. Iteration45. Letting Go46. Listening

47. Magic48. Mapping and Measurement49. Mirroring50. Mode Choice51. Moving Toward Alignment52. Naming53. Nooks in Space and Time54. Not about You55. Opening and Welcome56. Playfulness57. Power of Constraints58. Power of Place59. Power Shift60. Preparedness61. Presence62. Priority Focus63. Purpose64. Reflection-Action Cycle65. Rest66. Right Size Bite67. Ritual68. Seasoned Timing69. Seeing the Forest, Seeing the Trees70. Self-Awareness71. Setting Intention72. Shared Airtime73. Shared Leadership and Roles74. Silence75. Simplify76. Spirit77. Story 78. Subgroup and Whole Group79. Take Responsibility80. Tend Relationships81. Time Shift82. Trajectory83. Translation84. Transparency85. Trust the Wisdom of the Group86. Unity and Diversity87. Value the Margins88. Viewpoint Shift89. Whole System in the Room90. Witness With Compassion91. Yes, and

Group Works Pattern List

groupworksdeck.org

Group Works 

Applications Four basic categories of how to use the cards:1. Learning & Study2. Planning3. Actively in the Session4. Evaluation & Debriefing 1. Learning & Study (by individuals or groups)       Pick out which patterns you are already skilled at, and which you wish to improve on. Look at how to practice and improve at the latter.         Choose a card of the day/week/month to study, consider, and hold in your attention.       Make up games to do with the cards. 2. Planning       Choose which patterns are the most important for your event to meet its goals, and orient the design work around them.       View each of the nine categories and see what guidance each suggests. You could even make a grid with the categories on rows and time periods on columns (e.g. far in advance of session, final prep, during session, and follow-up).       Map out your session using the cards, in sequence. 3. Active in the Session       Shortly before the session, select a card for personal guidance as a facilitator.       As part of the opening of the meeting, invite someone from the group to select a card at random for the group to keep in mind for the duration.       Ask each person present to select a card, share them, and then take responsibility for stewarding that pattern during the meeting, thus sharing responsibility for good process.       If the group gets stuck, pick a card. 4. Evaluation & Debriefing       If you used the cards or categories in planning, go back to those same patterns for the debrief discussion and consider how you fulfilled each or how it could have been better.       Choose a few patterns at random and consider your event in light of them.

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