Few meetings, in the countless I attended, in my thirty year in business were met with a sense of accomplishment. My colleagues left these unfulfilled gatherings with a quip like, “That was a total waste of time” and I found myself longing for the opportunity to speak my mind about what was ‘on the table’ and have my co-workers do the same. But, that was ‘inappropriate’ protocol.
A few years before I ended my career, a friend told me about a new way to conduct a meeting. Authentically, getting to the heart of the matter and having all the voices heard…there was an organization…Heartland run by Craig and Patricia Neal. I called and spoke to Patricia…I started my training with Craig, in The Art of Convening.
Through the journey of Convening I came to see what was missing in the workplace, authentic engagement with my colleagues, honesty in sorting out the issues we were managing and getting to the heart of the matter. I think Warren Bennis (from an HBR Blog post) sums it up:
“People learn from dialogue — it stretches them. I know that I don’t know all that I know until I’m in conversation.”
Business needs a ‘conversation’ to stretch with and it starts with The Art of Convening. Traversing the ground of this conversation is not easy. It’s fraught with many hazards and having experienced guides like Craig and Patricia lead through their book, will certainly ease the trip. Whether clarifying your intention, creating the invitation, setting the context, or determining the essential question, they have been down the trail and call forth deep wisdom and experience through their stories and questions.
The Art of Convening is one of those unique books that actually delivers what it promises. Within the pages you’ll find the practices and principles that lead to authentic engagement and a robust model to connect the pieces. The process in the book created by Craig, Patricia and Cynthia, conducts the reader through the ins and outs of Convening and provides real access to the power of the process. If you are looking for a meaningful transformation in your gatherings, meetings, or conferences, this is the book for you.
The Art of Convening, By Craig Neal, Patricia Neal