The potential of group process

I used to staff large group seminars that lasted three or four days and involved intensive group interaction, sharing personal experiences, and individual and group feedback. Quoting from an invitation:the potential of group process: a circular photograph taken from above of a circle of people looking up toward the camera

“The seminar involves risk-taking, emotional investment and expanding your comfort zone. It is all part of a process that has been developed and fine-tuned over a number of years. We know it works; we also know the more you contribute, the more you will gain from it. We hope that you recognize mixed emotions and feelings are a part of the process which, when acknowledged and examined, yield tremendous rewards including greater focus and clarity about your goals, new choices for your personal and professional life, and closer more intimate relationships.”

I staffed over thirty of these events. Typically there were around sixty participants, and I led a group of six or seven people. I hadn’t met the people in my staff group before and rarely ever met them again.

By the end of our time together, the people in my group knew more about the other members than most people know about their closest friends. And, more important, everyone received valuable information about themselves from their group members and from their responses to what happened during the event. This all took place in a safe and supportive environment. Most people found their experience profoundly moving, sometimes life-changing.

The potential of group process

You might be interested in, skeptical, or dismissive of what I’ve just described. That’s not the point. What’s important is my repeated observation that most of us have the potential to quickly develop intimate, powerful connections with others at group events. What must we do for this to occur? At a minimum we must offer 1) a safe environment, and 2) permission and support to step a little outside what we’ve been taught (albeit for good reasons) about what can happen when we meet people.

No, Conferences That Work aren’t large group seminars that launch participants on a voyage of self-discovery. They are gentle, joyful events where people learn, share, and connect safely around a topic of common interest. But my knowledge, gained from those seminars, of what’s possible when people get together drives everything I do.

Image attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/virtualvillage/ / CC BY 2.0

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