I’m working this week in Arlington, Texas. Co-leading an Art of Participatory Leadership offering with my friends Caitlin Frost and Chris Corrigan. It’s three days. There is a group of 40 for this one.
One of our first steps on the first day with the group is creating a center. We invite people to bring a small object “that inspires them in their leadership.” In this format, after a bit of welcome and context, we give them 10 minutes in trios to share story of their items. Then in whole circle, each gets a sentence or two and places their item in the center. We go around the whole group.
A theme I’m living lately is how some “seemingly small things are actually big things.” Inviting this circle with these artifacts is an important example of that.
- Helps people have voice immediately.
- Makes it personal.
- Invites tone of story.
- Brings connection.
And then so much good grows out of that. People show up with a bit more belonging. And a bit more courage and compassion together. The learning is so much better then.
Some people bring poems as their item. One from yesterday was this Maya Angelou quote:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
That’s what that opening circle with artifacts is. A feeling to remember. And to carry into all of the other learning of the day.
Fun.