My 10 key takeaways from Art of Hosting

training at Karlskrona, Sweden

Experienced and written by Henna Kääriäinenhenna@banana.fiwww.banana.fi

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1. There is something concrete in the circle.

• I didn’t go to AoH on my first chance at 2010 because I was fed up with sitting in a circle and talking about unconcrete things, and my fear was that AoH would be full of that. Eventually I got over that circle overdose, and nowadays I believe the participative and conversational working methods are very concrete, relevant and most efficient for committing people to your projects. AoH Karlskrona showed that once again.

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2. From hero to host• At every possible moment in AoH training

there’s a request for you to stand up and invite people to work with you. The idea is to train hosts, while the sometimes popular hero-leaders are not appearing, or should not appear, in the room.

• A host is someone who ignites and holds the space for conversation. Host is not a hero-leader, but merely an equal with an intention.

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3. AoH happens in a global context & global community

• AoH is a global network. Therefore the conversations we’ll have in on our first AoH Finland for example, will expand globally via the international participants, the harvesting sites and the online presence of the community.

• Examples of the global AoH are for instance the 1000 tables dialgues conducted in Israel & all over the world using the Art of Hosting practices, check more: http://ncdd.org/5928 or http://bit.ly/qK4KoA.

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4. Every moment is a chance to stand up and host

• Since the day one we were asked to co-host sessions, eg. Open Space and Pro Action Cafe together with the experienced hosts. Co-hosting means that you have a chance to learn how to conduct such an activity.

• Aside of that any participant can still stand up and host a session in eg. Open Space or Pro Action Café, so at every moment there really is a chance to stand up and host.

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5. The ”nugget” is our own stories - bring up yours.

• The most useful thing for me in the training was ur working with stories. We worked both with our own stories in Appreciative Incuiry, and also with others stories in a storytelling workshop. My takeaway is that the world is made of stories, not atoms. (like Mary-Alice Arthur said)

• Storytellers work on the field of sense making. It all makes sense when it’s connected with a story.

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6. You’ll learn a bunch of new useful tools

• Tools you learn for facilitating group dialogues and for leading change are great, but in fact they’re just a secondary value in the treat. Most important is that the gathering hosts conversations that matter, and that you bring up and host conversations that matter to You.

• As said in the point 3. AoH is international, and the conversations we have eg. in Finland will travel to the world via AoH community.

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7. It’s all about hosting conversations that matter• If you want to have a specific conversation

that matters or move on with your personal project, bring it on the AoH.

• At AoH training you can ignite a global conversation on the thing that matters. Because on the network the conversations we’ll have in one place will expand globally via the international participants, the harvesting sites and the online presence of the community.

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8. Harvesting gives a meaning• Whatever you talk and do

with your project is in danger to stay in the air and be forgotten by your team and community unless you pay attention to harvesting it.

• Harvesting is something taken out of a conversation of any group, that gives a meaning to that group.

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9. Give some of your skills to the use of everyone

• Songs, poems, stories, videos, photos, installations, situational photo shows...anything can come and give a meaning for the whole crew of participants, and you’ll get to practice your practice as a practitioner: win-win-win.

• BTW: What’s Your practice? Another learning for me in AoH was: ”If you don’t practice your practice you’re not a practitioner.”

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10. Art of Hosting training makes you know where are

you standing• It kicks you to look into yourself, think about

yourself in relation to others and expose your thoughts to others continuously.

• As a result you get connected with your firmest position (in life, between projects, physically) and find out how to stand there.

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Art of Hosting training happens for the first time in Finland in 3 weeks 23-25 April 2012,

at Otavan opisto, Mikkeli. Hosted by Toke, Monica & Piret and Ville

it’s sure a pure AoH at it’s core.

Check more and sign in at: http://aohsuomi.wordpress.com/

For any questions, notes & ideas about these slides, feel free to contact: henna@banana.fi, www.banana.fi

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