Workshop Title:
A way of Council – nobody is invisible; every voice matters
Workshop Description:
The practice of Council – simply – is a circle, a centre, a way to begin, one person speaking at a time, everyone else listening and a way to close. It is a formal, structured process that includes passing a “talking piece” (an object used to identify the speaker) in response to a prompt from the facilitator. By fostering attentive listening, authentic expression, and creative spontaneity, Council practice builds positive relationships between participants and neutralises hierarchical dynamics fostered by inequality of status, race, economic stature or other social factors. Council allows participants to communicate in ways that lead to a heightened sense of common purpose. Council offers effective means of discovering the deeper, often unexpressed needs of individuals and organisations.
If people got the best of the session what would they leave with?
Wondering and curious what else could show up in a Council, with an altered knowing of self and others. A distinction and appreciation of structured communication space and what it makes available.
How is this session connected to the conference theme?
Today we share the story about ‘something’ but rarely share the story of self; ie. what matrix of experiences have shaped me to this point? What voluntarily is shared in a Council gives context, builds empathy, reveals truth in a non-threatening way. The process can develop intimacy where there was none and be a keystone for building trust among a group. The unspoken question in an organisation, any group that comes together is how true are you? Can I trust you to be true? Answer this and the mechanics of cultural change can shift from occurring as a dictatorship to the truth of the matter. This is a living model of how one story at a time can influence cultural change.
About the Workshop Presenter:
Tina Christensen is the creative director of Labyrinth Lane. It is a handmade sanctuary in the city where stillness, creativity and nature organically flourish. Here professional, personal and community development groups meet to nurture, dream and learn more about themselves around the labyrinth – itself an ancient tool for reflection and clarity, around the fire bowl, in the workshop spaces. Labyrinth Lane is home to Council in Australia, Tina working in partnership with her LA based teacher Kate Lipkis is nurturing a Council community in Australia. In addition to the Lane, Tina runs a creative arts psychotherapy practice and is deeply interested in ceremony and rites of passage. A highlight of her 2016 was 8 weeks spent walking the Camino pilgrimage path as a rite of passage journey.
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