Yesterday morning, the Golden Civilization team led their second kick off call, this time with three aspiring conversationalists in Glasgow. Inspired by the CISI keynote which George led in Glasgow last month, the meeting attendees are excited to begin hosting an on-going Golden Civilization Conversations with their communities.
The Golden Civilization community hosted a call to answer any questions and offer our resources. In attendance were staff facilitators, Lora Woodward and Natalie Bonetti, and conversationalists, Michael Fairweather, Matthew Kellett, and Barry Honeyman. Colin Anderson of CISI has offered his assistance to the group as well.
The Golden Civilizations team has some resources available for anyone interested in hosting Golden Civilization Conversations. We invite you all to take a look and please reach out if you are interested in leading a Conversation, or have been leading one you would like to tell us about.
Board Charts - simple charts used to capture individuals' ideas moving from vision to actionable commitments
Initial Meeting Structure Flow Chart - a helpful step-by-step guide to facilitating your first meeting
On-Going Meeting Structure Flow Chart - another easy guide for facilitating a follow-up meeting with the initial group or an amalgamation of the original group and newcomers
On the call, the group discussed some key thoughts for planning Golden Civilization Conversations, listed below:
If you have access to a diverse audience, strive to bring in different voices to your conversation. People of different backgrounds tend to react differently when it comes to obstacles and prioritization, but we have noticed that the visions all tend to be similar.
As a facilitator, aim to balance your personal passion, that which energizes you to make the commitment to lead conversations, with the priorities and ideas of the group so that they feel heard and can believe in the process
There are some nuances to the language of describing "A Golden Civilization" to new audiences in a way that will tease the topic. We brainstormed some ideas as a group:
2020 as dually perfect vision and the coming year
New Year's resolutions
Targeting financial audiences where George might already be well-known
Speaking to groups already leaning towards an activism/organizing tilt (churches, libraries) or public spaces like coffee shops
We ended the call by listing our commitments:
Barry: Start advertising locally and on Facebook to generate interest in an initial Conversation
Matthew: Host a Conversation in January and use that meeting to define a specific area that the group will focus on moving forward
Michael: Work on attracting a few women to round out his existing interested group and hold an initial Conversation on 10 January
Colin: How he or the CISI can support any events happening in Glasgow.
Natalie & Lora: Offer support from HQ
George: Attend on-going conversation groups on his return trip to Glasgow in the spring to add his enthusiasm and passion