Would you kindly explain what you mean by "transfer-in process?" I am not sure I understand. -------------- Thanks for your question Doug. The short answer is in the first two paragraphs. The rest are some stories and observations about my experience using it.
The transfer in process is an exercise that is used to engage the right brain and to help people to be fully present at the meeting. It is different than an icebreaker. The intentions of the exercise: to connect the person to themselves, to one other and the group as a whole. I learned about this during the whole person process facilitation training offered by Birgitt Williams(part II of the Genuine Contact program) It is a three step process. Objects from nature, coloured markers, pictures or whatever you think is appropriate to engage the creativity of the group are placed in the centre of the circle. Participants are asked to choose an object. They are then asked to reflect silently on the object and to write down what the object says to them or what comes to mind with respect to a question about the theme of the meeting. They then are invited to find another person to share anything that they wish to share relative to the question and are given time to do that. The whole group is convened and then invited to share anything that they wish to the collective. It is always invitational, particularly that people need only share what they want...A student brought it to my attention once when she said that the exercise took her very deep and she did not want to share what came to mind...so I remember to ensure that I say it out loud...only what they want to share. I start every meeting this way. The time is well invested, even in a short meeting. Recently a group that I facilitated commented as part of the closing of the day how powerful the transfer in process was for them. It engaged people to talk who were normally very reticent. They said they felt comfortable speaking because the ideas were reflected through the object (in this case, stones). Other comments were that they felt the exercise levelled the playing field and gave everyone an equal voice. I am always amazed and surprised...and of course, even the person who says "It is just a rock" gets engaged. My observations as a facilitator: The time investment usually results in high productivity and creativity. They seem to leap forward in their creativity..especially in meetings that are about moving to a collective vision, coming to consensus etc. It can reveal much about where the group is at with the topic at hand. It is also a great way to get to stories about the organization. I recently was asked to be one of the facilitators at a constituent assembly for our local elected member of parliament (our provincial government). The purpose of the meeting was to advise the representative on the constituents' positions on a number of key theme areas. The topic theme that I was asked to facilitate was "Amalgamation" (Many small towns in the region were amalgamated into a "supercity" last year and there was much anger about it). It had the potential to be highly conflicted. I did not get to design the meeting (encouraged the use of open space of course, but they were not ready for it....yet) So, I arranged the chairs in a circle (as per usual) and used the transfer in process. I allowed sufficient time for each step of the transfer in to be sure that participants had air time. Each person took time to tell the story that came to mind as a part of the introduction process. They moved beyond the anger that brought them to the meeting and expressed very passionate stories about what their communities meant to them, how the amalgamation impacted them and how they wanted to speak up for healthy communities. Everyone else in the group listened intently. At the end of the transfer in, they summed up the themes that had been spoken, expressed amazement at the commonality of their views, did mind-mapping of the ideas that came up and then moved to the steps of recommendations to the MPP...no conflicts, no fighting, highly constructive feedback. The MPP sat in on part of the process and was amazed. Although the transfer in took close to an hour, we still achieved all of the objectives of the meeting in the allotted 2 1/2 hour time frame. We did a closing circle at the end of the session and each person expressed that they felt their ideas had been heard and captured in the process. I trust this helps. Michelle Michelle Cooper RN, MScN Integral Visions Consulting Inc. 200 Crestview Avenue Ancaster, ON L9G 1E2 Tel: (905) 648-4633 Fax: (905) 648-1763 Toll Free (North America): 1-877-405-9918 "Inviting Organizational Effectiveness and Health" Once we know people's stories, we feel compassion instead of judgment. Today, practice remembering that everyone has a story. - Mary Manin Morrissey * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
