What is an underlying question that gives form
to your work or interest in this field?
How will we create and hold the space of unfolding, the
emergent orientation, when we have such strong muscles and practice
in planning?
What is your personal experience of collective
wisdom in groups?
I work as a graphic facilitator using skills in deep
listening, information synthesis, and intuitive visual processing to
create a visual map of a group conversation. I capture key decisions,
agreements, discussions, points of departure, and concepts, weaving
them together with text and graphics to form a picture of the collective
intelligence. Each day that I work is an opportunity to practice listening
for what is trying to emerge within a group, to find the image and underlying
pattern that captures it, and to create a powerful visual catalyst where
diverse patterns of thinking and points of view move the group toward
“seeing” what they are collectively trying to create. And
when it all comes together, it’s magic! The room vibrates with
the art of the collective mind and the energy of the people.
What is it about the work in this field that excites
you and connects you to your own deepest self?
I get very excited when I must walk the edge of knowing
and not knowing. Will I wiggle a toe over the precipice or will I step
off? Whatever choice I make, or a group makes when I am with them, how
do we make that choice and why? Why? Why? Why? I must have been an exhausting
3-year old; I never let go of the curious mind that asks “Why?”
And when I get even an inkling of the “why,” I wonder how
this can inform the next moment and the next. I believe that the spark
of collective wisdom needs to be cupped in the hand of the heart and
body and gently blown on by the curious “why” then maybe,
just maybe, the soul will reveal itself and wisdom might just emerge.
Please provide a brief storyline or snapshot of
what brought you to this work.
I was driving south on the interstate approaching San
Francisco early one morning fourteen years ago. Cars darted about on
all sides of me zipping into the tiniest space that would open in front
of me then lurching to a stop for no visible reason. Normally, I'm the
one zipping into the tiny spaces but on that morning I was overwhelmed
with the need to make a huge decision: How could I quit doing the work
I was doing, close my business, and find a new path? How could I even
contemplate stopping such a successful business? What would happen to
me if I did? Suddenly, I pulled the steering wheel hard to the right
cut across a lane of traffic and exited at the Olompali State Park.
The park gate was locked so I pulled off to the side of the road and
left my car. I walked a few yards into a field and stared up into the
golden hills where the Coastal Miwok people had wandered from 6,000
B.C. until the early 1850s. Tears started streaming down my face. "What
should I do?" I asked the hills. Behind me, I heard someone clear
their voice. I turned to see a park ranger watching me. "We're
not open, "she said. "I know," I replied as the tears
continued to stream down my cheeks and drip off my nose. She looked
at me for a moment. "Stay as long as you need to," she said.
I turned back to the hills and my face broke into a smile. I knew with
every fiber of my being it was time to close my business; it was time
to go.
Fourteen years ago, I didn't have the words to describe
the collective field of wisdom I had walked into in that moment, but
my body, heart, and soul vibrated with it and I've been following those
sensations ever since.
How would you like to be available to others in
this field?
I welcome conversation, be it voice or e-mail, and I
am treasuring my personal time this year, so I may not respond quickly,
but I will respond.
