Gurteen Knowledge Letter March 2023 Issue 273

Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 273 – March 2023

I haven’t conducted a Knowledge Café workshop on ‘How to design and host a Gurteen Knowledge Café’ in over a year, but I now have one scheduled for May 16th, 2023. The timing should work well for those of you in the EMEA/Americas time zones, but if you’re willing to wake up a little earlier or stay up late, it may work well for you too.

You can find more information and register here.

1. Working conversationally: It's not about the fish
   Why 'working conversationally' is not as trivial as it might sound
   
2. Twenty years of Knowledge Cafés
   Hong Kong, Indonesia, Egypt, Ireland, London ...
   
3. There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home
   Ken Olsen, 1977
   
4. Make your presentation or seminar more participatory
   Conversational Talks
   
5. Engaging in impossible conversations
   Impossible conversations are different from difficult conversations
   
6. Help Keep My Work Alive
7. Unsubscribe
8. Gurteen Knowledge Letter

I love this short video on LinkedIn, "It's not about the fish," from Johnnie Moore.

Johnnie's ideas tie in well with my thinking on Conversational Leadership, which at its simplest is about taking a 'conversational approach to life'.

Conversational Leadership is about how we respond to the complexity of the world we’re living in. It’s about taking responsibility for the changes we want to see, and recognising that none of us can do that alone.

By practising leadership through dialogue, we bring in different perspectives, we listen, we question, and we learn and think together. In this way, dialogue becomes the means by which we create the possibility of a better world.

Credit: David Gurteen

It's no wonder I love his term 'working conversationally'.

And his ending is beautiful:

To really work conversationally, I think, is potentially to be really open to the complexity of what being human is like.

Credit: Johnnie Moore

More broadly, Johnnie discusses the art of navigating conversations, particularly the importance of responding thoughtfully as we take turns speaking. It is essential to choose our words carefully, as this can significantly impact the quality and productivity of our discussions.

I have written only recently about the skill of navigating conversations in my blook.

Over the last 20 years, I have facilitated hundreds of Knowledge Cafés worldwide; more recently, I have run them on Zoom or Teams. Some of these experiences were recorded, and I have compiled a selection of Café videos in my blook.

The videos clearly demonstrate how the Café format can be adapted to different environments and showcase the enthusiastic engagement of the participants in conversations. Take a look and see for yourself the diversity of the Café experience.

Apparently, in 1977 Ken Olsen (who co-founded Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1957) attended a convention of the World Future Society and said:

There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.

Credit: Ken Olsen

There is naturally some context to this, and you can find the story on QuoteInvestigator.

Given the story, I have to chuckle when I see my wife working on our kitchen table, using three laptops, a mini-iPad, her iPhone, and a calculator.

Interestingly the Commodore Pet, one of the first personal computers, shipped a little earlier, in October 1977.

While the Commodore PET wasn't the first personal computer, it was one of the first to have a built-in keyboard and monitor, making it easier for non-technical users. Additionally, it was one of the first personal computers to be marketed to consumers rather than just hobbyists or computer enthusiasts.

I began working for Prime Computer in May 1978. In 1982, while working for Prime, I spent my spare time developing software to design timber frames for houses using a Commodore PET with twin floppy drives in an extra bedroom at home.

So much has changed in the computer industry in the last 45 years. I wonder what the next 45 years will bring.

Allowing for audience discussion during a presentation or seminar can be incredibly beneficial for both the presenter and the audience.

It allows the audience to share their own experiences or perspectives, which can deepen their understanding of the presented topic.

In addition, it also helps the presenter to get better questions and insights from the audience, which can help them improve and tailor their content to the needs and interests of the audience.

To facilitate discussion during a presentation or seminar, the presenter can allocate a specific portion of the Q&A session for conversation. I have been doing this as a speaker for years, both at in-person talks and online with Zoom or Teams. I have written more about the practice in my blook and included photos and videos of engaged audience members, including in banked lecture theatres.

I encourage you to take a look and consider implementing this practice yourself, as it is easy and incredibly beneficial. I am amazed that it is not more common.

Here is an example of the conversation after a talk I gave at EC Knowledge Week in Brussels in 2018:

Much is written about difficult conversations, but much less about impossible conversations. But what is the difference? Here is how I define the two types of conversation:

Handling impossible conversations is about more than just having a bunch of tricks or techniques at our disposal, although these insightful ideas from Peter Boghossian are extremely useful.

The key is to have the right mindset and approach. This means letting go of the need to be correct and seeing people with different opinions not as enemies but as friends. Instead of viewing conflict as something to be feared or avoided, seeing differences as an opportunity for growth and understanding is beneficial.

When approached constructively and respectfully, conflict can lead to a deeper understanding of others' perspectives and help build stronger relationships.

However, it's important to remember that this requires both parties to be willing to engage in the conversation in good faith, with an open mind and a willingness to listen and consider each other's views.

If you are not playing by the same rules, it is best to walk away.

For almost 25 years, I've been sharing the Gurteen Knowledge Letter each month, and many of you have been reading it for five years or more. My Knowledge Café also reached a milestone, celebrating its 20th anniversary in September 2022.

If my work has made a difference to you, I'd be grateful if you could consider supporting it. A small monthly donation or any one-off contribution would greatly help cover some of my website hosting costs.

Thank you to the 50+ patrons who have already supported me - your generosity means a great deal.

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The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly email newsletter designed to inspire thinking around Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management. You can explore the archive of past issues here.

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David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom

Gurteen Knowledge Letter February 2023

Gurteen Knowledge Letter April 2023