Pattern Language Workshop – Tuesday Afternoon:

July 20, 2010

Present: Chris, Carol, Sue, Dan, Tree, Dave, Daniel, Kathy

Purpose read (from website)

-        To support purpose-driven design

-        To deepen the skills of those who serve

-        To serve as a resource for those who are teaching others

-        To increase process literacy among people who are users of process(es)

Agenda:

• “How is this going out into the world” conversation continued

◦      What is our vision of it in the world

▪      Commonly known by people involved in facilitation. One of the “palette” of resources out there.

▪      Memetic

▪      Lang

▪      Game

▪      Carol:

·        Vision: African business bankers dancing, singing teaching. Something global, suprising, something where learning & curiosity are shared through joyful, exhuberant embodiment that isn't primarily intellectual.

·        Vision: Young kids, learning this as a part of the curriculum. Core to how people learn and how they share learning.

·        Phrase: “Bloom where you're planted”. (Bowen – an amazing place for this being nurtured, a crucible of facilitators, artists, like-minded people)

▪      Dan:

·        There's an indescribable, important aspect of facilitation. As a model or path to understand the truth or real nature of things, PL can capture the aspects of well done facilitation that often remain unseen.

·        Underlying PL is the ability to share that quality. Facilitation as a way for peace to manifest in the world – When we talk to each other in a facilitative spirit, new things happen: wounds can heal, we can move forward. The creation of PL for groups is attractive because of this. (The group process here has been inspiring – people attending to the details and viewing from different angles.. PL is a way to do just this.)

▪      Tree:

·        Participation in this project rose out of a wondering of how to scale things up – the need in the world is vast, and the ability to meet that need in the role of facilitator is limited. This is a way to scale that up so more of the world's need is met. This is a way for us to make a difference. More, better meetings happening in the world about things that matter because of this.

·        Alexander's work is an inspiration as that level of impact within design.

·        How do we do this with a legacy vision and yet also get it out there now, because the world needs it now.

▪      Dave

·        Looking at it from the perspective of the author and the marketer – who is the customer for this. Ambivalent about 2 audiences: NCCD demographic was overwhelmingly white women over 40. Second audience is upcoming generation who urgently need to learn these skills & capacities, and don't have preconceptions around what is the best way to facilitate group process. A book gives “street cred”. It would be useful for us to put a stake in the ground and state: “The book will be published by _____”. Then see who's willing to commit to what to make that happen. In terms of young people, play is a key way that young people learn. Intrigued by the possiblity of the primary deliverable being a game-based curriculum.

▪      Daniel: - add from notes

▪      Kathy

·        The concept can be cryptic for those not familiar with Alexander. Interested in making it accessible. A way of documenting important stuff.

▪      Chris

·        When the tech geeks started realizing they were gathering and collaborating in horrible ways. By discovering open space, unconferencing, they gathered powerful tools for doing face to face what they had been doing in keyboarding.

·        Before about '02, everyone who was involved in open space new most of what was going on in the OS world. After that point, it was a bunch of old guys who'd been involved since way back when. The vision is that these patterns will take the art of facilitation away from expertise and methodology. Those who are deeply steeped in methodologies of this have moved past their methodologies. Those who are immersed are really investigating patterns.

·        Those who have been driving this are working on behalf of a lot of people in the world. Moving the group of those involved in designing process to have the capacity, resiliency and resourcefulness to do this powerfully.

·        For years people have talked about how great this would be to do.

·        Make a book, and have 40 template pages at the back. A finite number of patterns, and pages at the back for people to continue. The purpose is not to be definitive, but to inspire a mindset around this kind of work.

·        In art of hosting, we teach: Worldview, methodologies and design. Of those three, the edge, the place where people grow most quickly is when they think of themselves as designers.  (The books cover the methodologies well). PL is the easiest way in to that design world, and the world is waiting for it.

·        You don't need the founders of the methodologies to be in the room to do the PL work – they've offered up what we need to be able to now move deeper and find the underlying processes.

·        Don't sell yourselves short – this is extremely important work, and the book could be a best-seller.

·        We should set the goal for the book, get the proposal done, and make it happen. A short, powerful book.

·        “The river beneath the river” is a phrase from Maria (get last name from Chris)

▪      Sue

·        “Messy Emergence” was the initial phrase that came. This is exciting stuff, and the project seems ready to burst to another level. It's going to get messier, more exciting, more uncontainable, and all the good that comes from that.

·        It needs to have a lot more people in it – more people engaged with PL. Inspired to share it with students, family, and start using the language, and using a notebook of the patterns. It would be great if we all did had those conversations around what patterns we're using, naming them.

·        We should start teaching through the PL together, similar to Tree's workshops. So we have some experience explicitly using it.

·        Had a major image from the building blocks. Rather than having a single deck with each card in it once, it would be useful to have multiple cards … ie, have several “drilling down” cards that are used in conjunction with others while working on something.

▪      Carol

·        This work has already changed the world.

·        “Change starts as soon as you ask the question”

▪      Dave:

·        Commitment to using Wednesday afternoons to serve this project.

·        One useful role as a non-expert facilitator is to be the collector of stories. Getting names from people to talk to and capture their stories of their most effective, surprising, powerful experiences. Then we can map those into the patterns.

▪      Dan:

·        Looking at a tree out the window – the delicate top of the tree. Pointing the way flapping around as to where the tree will be. Tree and us are that part. Alexander's  work is the roots. The intersection between the trunk and a branching point is each of us. The last element of the tree is the tip – who is the leader in each of the different communities that we're involved with. Our work may be to look at each of those 4 points, and determine the most effective action for that point.

▪      Daniel:

·        In addition to informational book, an evocative book could be neat.

▪      Tree:

·        Resonating strongly with the things people are saying.

·        Card deck takes on the role of the evocative, the book would be the informational way.

·        Within the website, links to the stories, or other media that relate to that pattern. Approach it from a multimedia mindset.

▪      Dan:

·        The nice thing with new media is that it doesn't have to be a finished work – it's a continuous work in process. We can get it out there in its rough form right now, and have it co-created with those who get involved. It could essentially launch at any time, though we may want to look at how to make Wagn into a more elegant display environment.

▪      Chris:

·        Keeps coming back to the community of users. Make an iPhone app, like the “iprov” for picking improvisational activities.

·        The possibility for any of the young folks who would voraciously consume it might not be producers as well.

·        Alexander sat in this position once: not sure if the patterns are perfect or all right. Don't worry so much about that – it's enough to bring inspiration and thought around this kind of process.

·        Think of the hungry – think of the hunger for this.

·        In terms of how to support the right kind of learning in the world, this is it. Find the ways that have the largest impact on those who most need it.

·         

▪      Tree

·        The original publishers of pattern language: “We wanted to publish it originally as a 3 ring binder, always in progress, etc.”

·        The question in this moment is: we do really well in person, but once we aren't gathered, this gets slotted into the “important but not urgent” category. How do I build this work into my life – who's going to do the work?

·        Tree needs something to keep her in touch with this work when she's at home Eugene. We need something to keep us connected and connected to this work when we aren't gathered for this purpose.

▪      Dan

·        Monthly (or every 2 months) teleconference, do the round table, remind us why we're doing this. (Tree: we have tried this, with less impact than we'd hope for)

▪      Carol:

·        When we do get together in person. Rather than swimming upstream, how do we best facilitate us getting together in person.

·        This is a tough moment for us – we should choose 1 thing to focus on.

▪      Chris:

·        Two things we need to do:

◦      Keep writing patterns

◦      choose a form in which we might pursue them.

·        Don't let the form override the need to keep writing patterns.

▪      Kathy:

·        Go with what works – how do we get together.

▪      Daniel

·        “Whenever two or three of you gather in this purpose”.....  it doesn't need to be hard to get us all together.

▪      Sue:

·        We don't want to dampen the

·        if we want 6 months from now a proposal, 1 year from now to have a prototype card deck, etc.

·        If we have the major idea of the trajectory of what we're wanting to get done, it helps it happen.

·        When we're here we think “We're it”, but there's another group in Berkeley, and other groups. Is it time for us to look at getting a larger gathering of perhaps 35 people to work on whichever areas they are most passionate about.

·        The more we know each other, and build commitment, the more we'll get it all done.

▪      Tree:

·        If there's a lot of energy to work on a specific form, we can always run with it. We can balance not getting spread too thin with letting people go with their energy.

▪      Chris:

·        There's something about the people who are at the core, tending the process of making it happen. Without that center, we're doomed. There's concentric level as to people's participation level. Triangles are a way to get things done (someone at the center connecting out to folks who are interested but not at the same level of commitment). This is important rather than having a totally separate group somewhere, working on the same thing and not connected into the core.

·        People get frustrated with bureaucracy because it slows things down, but an organizational structure like this with a core team can serve a useful, powerful purpose. Sometimes slowing things down is important.

▪      Tree:

·        Sue, John, Dave, Vine have all been very important to this happening. Tree's been at the center the whole time, and is tired from that.

▪      Chris:

·        That's a call, an invitation: who is willing to step into that core?

·        Perhaps Tree's main work now is to give that invitation.

·         

▪      Tree

·        Can always create 'support groups' etc. which are helpful. But it would be better if we had a fully established core group holding the purpose, and doing a bulk of the work.

▪      Sue

·        Maybe we need to get back to how in the first 6 months, where there were weekly calls.

·        Maybe we need some sort of ritual of commitment.

▪      Chris:

·        There is a caller. The reason we're here is because Tree has brought us together.

·        Who else will step into the call?

▪      Dave:

·        Two things make it happen.

◦      Having it on the calendar, not on the to-do list.

◦      What's the end-product?

·        Being able to say that he'll do the research for the overall design of the game, and the collection of the stories.

▪      Tree

·        We need to make sure that our time commitments allow us to get the necessary work done. (Don't bite off more than can be handled in the time allotted)

·        Book, gatherings, writing patterns are where her core energy will go

▪      Carol

·        Not in the core – two other passions. A book with a colleague and working on Bowen transitoin.

·        Interested in helping gather a more diverse group and organize a gathering.

▪      Kathy

·        Happy to work on an event, and convene more of these smaller gatherings.

▪      Dan

·        Initial interest is on cards

·        Currently has space in his schedule. Can respond to things, work on pattern writing, etc.

▪      Sue

·        Would be willing to step into the core, but doesn't want to be one of two.

·        Intrigued by it all – doesn't have a specific piece to be in the core, but is interested in helping do all of it- organizing, feedback, etc. Organization & dishes :)

·        Willing to do some of the important organizational work that is vital for moving things forward.

▪      Daniel

·        Figuring out income – a lot of projects on the go.

·        Willing to work on a lot of this, trying to understand where my core skillset is in the group.

·        Interested in being the core,offering what I can.

·         

▪      Chris:

·        Not in the core.

Chris:

As a way forward, perhaps the current core (Tree, Sue, Dave), write an invitation to others – what would it be like to invite others in.  There also seems to be some ideas on specific products: book, game, cards, workshop (check w. Chris – is that who?)

Tree: for Daniel – collaborate, facilitate based on pattern language.

(Talk to Megan, Tree, Kathy)

◦      Details of the “technique” of getting it out there

◦      Book

◦      Multimedia instructions

◦       

• When/where/who will carefully check all patterns against criteria if really a pattern (pattern editing / pruning)
• Checklist of pattern criterion
• Next face-to-face meeting
• Optional: Another look at organized categories
• How to support on-going work; providing leadership for the work.
• Card Decks