“What if we started with the outcome we want instead of the format we’re most familiar with?”
That’s the question at the heart of this week’s video. Carmen introduces A Convening Formats Guide: where it came from (a very long phone call that ended with 28 formats), why we made it, and how to start using it.
A few moments we hope stay with you:
On tradition. In Carmen’s family, you read the greeting card. No opening it and letting the money fall out. Traditions matter. The invitation is to build our gatherings around the moments that actually mean something, instead of repeating the same setup every year because that’s how it’s always been done.
On panels. “Have you thought about the person sitting in the audience and whether or not they can even absorb 75 minutes of seven people on the dais?”
Four questions to ask before your next gathering
Why are we bringing these people together?
What do we want them to experience?
What should be different because we gathered?
Is the format we’re choosing actually going to help us get there?
Use this season to look back
The end of the year is when many of us start planning what’s next. Before you do, pause on what you’ve already done. Pull out your debrief notes from this year’s staff retreat, conference, leadership meetings, or gala. Open the cheat sheet, find the formats you organized, and ask yourself: did the intended outcome actually happen?
And if you didn’t debrief? As Carmen says, don’t freak out. You still have time.
👉🏽 [Download the free cheat sheet] https://www.cultureofconvening.com/cheat-sheet
👉🏽 [Subscribe to get the full guide] https://www.cultureofconvening.com/guide
How we gather shapes what’s possible when we’re together. We think it’s worth getting right.
We’d love your input: Which format did you organize this year, and did it get you the outcome you wanted? Tell us in the comments.
Redefining the tradition of coming together, where every identity, experience, and perspective belongs.
– Carmen and Gregory
P.S. This conversation is better with more people in the room. If this video sparked something for you, forward it to a colleague, a fellow facilitator, or that friend who’s always the one holding the space. And if someone sent this to you, welcome to the Culture of Convening Crew. Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.
