What is the Art of Hosting?
The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations That Matter is a highly effective way of stepping into Participatory Leadership through harnessing the collective wisdom and self-organising capacity of groups of any size.
Based on the assumption that people give their energy and lend their resources to what matters most to them – in work as in life – the Art of Hosting blends a suite of powerful conversational processes to invite people to step in and take charge of the challenges facing them.
Groups and organisations using this approach as a working practice report better decision-making, more efficient and effective capacity building and greater ability to quickly respond to opportunity, challenge and change.
People who experience the Art of Hosting typically say that they walk away feeling more empowered and able to help guide the meetings and conversations they are part of move towards more effective and desirable outcomes.
Based on the assumption that people give their energy and lend their resources to what matters most to them – in work as in life – the Art of Hosting blends a suite of powerful conversational processes to invite people to step in and take charge of the challenges facing them.
Groups and organisations using this approach as a working practice report better decision-making, more efficient and effective capacity building and greater ability to quickly respond to opportunity, challenge and change.
People who experience the Art of Hosting typically say that they walk away feeling more empowered and able to help guide the meetings and conversations they are part of move towards more effective and desirable outcomes.
Using all the ingredients of good conversation
So why is conversation so powerful? Conversation, more than any other form of human interaction, is the place where we learn, exchange ideas, offer resources and create innovation. Not every conversation works like this, though.
Many people experience meetings that waste time, conversations that feel more like debates, and invitations to input which turn out to be something altogether different. People want to contribute, but they can’t see how. Leaders want contribution, but they don’t know how to get it.
Many people experience meetings that waste time, conversations that feel more like debates, and invitations to input which turn out to be something altogether different. People want to contribute, but they can’t see how. Leaders want contribution, but they don’t know how to get it.
Powerful methods to create open and meaningful conversation
The Art of Hosting a blend of some of the most participatory powerful methods to create open and meaningful conversation that leads to commitment and good results. Collaborative methods used in Art of Hosting include:
Much of the art and power of the Art of Hosting approach comes not from any individual method but learning to blend and tailor a combination of methods to serve the need and purpose of the unique context a practitioner is working with using an understanding of underlying patterns of process design.
- World Café
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Open Space Technology
- ProAction Café
- Designing for Wiser Action
- Collective Story Harvest
- Graphic Recording & more...
Much of the art and power of the Art of Hosting approach comes not from any individual method but learning to blend and tailor a combination of methods to serve the need and purpose of the unique context a practitioner is working with using an understanding of underlying patterns of process design.
An Art that takes practice and care
This is more than a suite of methods – it is also a practice. We call it the Art of Hosting and Harvesting because it is an art to become skillful at helping ourselves and others work well together, especially in these times of increasing complexity.
We talk about hosting, because what is offered here is not a typical facilitation or moderated session.
It gives attention and care to all aspects of people’s work together, intending to host them in being successful, just as any person welcoming guests will make sure they have everything they need to make their visit fruitful.
The foundational practice is about hosting ourselves – being present with self, a little more consciousness every day, being grounded.
It is about being hosted – participating, learning and practicing.
The experience of hosting others – calling and inviting, designing, harvesting.
And finally it is about being part of a hosting community – co-creating, being in learning and community together. It’s about supporting and having mates on the same road.
We talk about hosting, because what is offered here is not a typical facilitation or moderated session.
It gives attention and care to all aspects of people’s work together, intending to host them in being successful, just as any person welcoming guests will make sure they have everything they need to make their visit fruitful.
The foundational practice is about hosting ourselves – being present with self, a little more consciousness every day, being grounded.
It is about being hosted – participating, learning and practicing.
The experience of hosting others – calling and inviting, designing, harvesting.
And finally it is about being part of a hosting community – co-creating, being in learning and community together. It’s about supporting and having mates on the same road.
The Art of Harvesting Conversations That Matter
Anyone who plants a garden is planning for results. Whether the result is a fruit or a flower, a gardener is planning for a harvest. In the same way, anyone who plans to host a meeting also wants to get a good result from their efforts. In this case, the harvest might be in the form of a project plan, or an agreement to action or a better relationship.
As Art of Hosting practitioners, we plan our conversation design around the harvest we want to produce. The results we are seeking help to determine what methods we use and how.
We are continuing to grow our harvesting capacity and experiment with different forms of harvesting – digital images, photographic, musical, social media, multi-media, narrative – you name it! We think good harvesting is one of the most potent ways to assure that the agreements and decisions arising from important conversations actually lead to clever action.
As Art of Hosting practitioners, we plan our conversation design around the harvest we want to produce. The results we are seeking help to determine what methods we use and how.
We are continuing to grow our harvesting capacity and experiment with different forms of harvesting – digital images, photographic, musical, social media, multi-media, narrative – you name it! We think good harvesting is one of the most potent ways to assure that the agreements and decisions arising from important conversations actually lead to clever action.
What people say
"The Art of Hosting is a practice that heals the broken relationships between people." |
"The Art of Hosting and harvesting conversations that matter is a new practice of democracy that we really need in the world now." |
“This beautiful Learning Journey awakened me to leadership from the inside out, rather than the top down.” |
Traditional corporate communication must give way to a process that is more dynamic and more sophisticated. Most important, that process must be conversational. |
