Learn the Art of Conversational Flows - Part II

Sub-title: Exploring dynamic power of conversational flows for supporting awareness based change Theory U.

In our fast-paced business landscape, understanding and mastering the dynamics of conversations is pivotal. This article, part of our series on 'conversational flows', blends this art of structured dialogue with the renowned 'Theory U' method. For newcomers: imagine 'conversational flow' as the rhythmic dance of meaningful exchanges guiding us towards a shared goal, while 'Theory U' is an awareness-based change management blueprint.

This edition will guide you through how these two merge, enriching our understanding of effective communication. We will see how each stage of Theory U represents a distinct pattern of conversational flow. How the value of this method is tightly tied to that of the specific sequencing of the conversations and activities. I’ll star * the words in the glossary at the end.

Let's embark on this journey together by exploring the transformative power of conversational flows.?

Question: Think about a recent conversation you had. Did it flow naturally, or were there interruptions and barriers? Keep this in mind as we dive deeper.

Introducing Theory U

At the basic level, Theory U is a method for implementing awareness-based change. It has five movements and we’ll focus on one called 'co-presencing' to see how conversation flows within it. We will move from “Downloading to Presencing” as referenced in the diagram below. For more details on the other movements and a great introduction to Theory U see C. Otto Scharmer’s book “The Essentials of Theory U”.

Let's explore the conversational flows inherent within Theory U's stages. Within co-presencing movement, we'll cover the 'Downloading, Seeing and Sensing' stages.

Question: When was the last time you truly re-evaluated your ingrained beliefs or patterns of conversation?

Stage 1: Suspending download of past patterns

The first step is to pause and reflect on our own ingrained habits and beliefs in our conversations. We are encouraged to examine these patterns and actively suspend our existing playbooks. This involves introspection, a conversation with yourself, sensing what you believe. What actions do you typically take, and why? What values push you forward??

This stage's introspective flow lays the foundation for change. Without recognizing and suspending our past patterns, any deep and meaningful dialogue about change is going to have limited impact.

This introspection, whether done alone or in groups, helps us see ourselves more clearly. It brings our patterns into the light of our consciousness/ awareness, enabling us to suspend them.

Having both time alone to reflect and the guidance and inspiration from a collective setting in a specific conversation flow sequence, can empower the participants to move forward together in this journey.?

By sequencing the conversational flow strategically, participants experience introspective moments for personal reflection, draw feedback and inspiration from small group discussions, and benefit from larger group sessions amplifying diverse perspectives. This sequence concludes with individual reflection on our learning, ensuring that each of us is optimally prepared to progress to the next stage in our journey.

Stage 2: Redirect to see with fresh eyes

When we redirect our attention, we see challenges with fresh eyes. It allows us to break free from old habits and truly understand and address the challenges. This is achieved by redirecting our conversational focus, while genuinely engaging with our challenges - using our minds, hearts, and bodies.

The goal is to understand both the core elements and the edges of the system. By engaging stakeholders with diverse perspectives and interests from different parts of the system(s) we achieve this goal by adding to the dynamics and understanding. If this activity uncovers any gaps in understanding or underrepresented areas, the group goes on learning journeys to explore those parts of the system.

We sequence the conversational flow with an individual or group stakeholder first sharing their individual stories about their interactions within the system. Smaller group settings support participants in delving deeper into their narratives, teasing out details and nuances. The speaker-listener-documenter interaction can be structured so that the speaker is responsible for their story, while the listener reflects back and uses curiosity to support the speaker to tell their story. And the documenter helps visualize the story in notes. This interaction is a tangible representation of a flowing dialogue where each participant plays a crucial role in guiding the conversation.

Question: Can you recall a conversation where you played one of these roles naturally, even if you weren't formally assigned it? How did it feel?

This richness of storytelling adds to a holistic understanding of the intricacies, challenges, and core interests underpinning these narratives. For the collective sensing (next stage), it becomes crucial to ensure that all primary interests are represented. Both potentially each stakeholder can read the stories and listen to them told.

Stage 3: Sensing into what is to be let go?

In this stage we “sense into the field”, this means sensing the social context*. We're tuning into the underlying vibes of our environment. It's about capturing the unseen ties, feelings, energy and dynamics that shape how we all think, behave, and interact.

The collective sharing of the stories becomes a deepened form of conversational flow, where participants aren't just talking but are profoundly listening, absorbing, and reflecting on the narratives shared.?

Experiment: Imagine a system or team you're part of. Can you sense the underlying dynamics, even when they're not spoken out loud?

Thus, stakeholders recognize individual roles while understanding the collective identity as the system.?

Just like how personal reflection helps us understand ourselves better, when a group or organization listens and reflects, the group gets to understand its own dynamics, patterns, and underlying structures that characterize the system as a whole. Thus they can better understand its constraints, tensions, and then form initial thoughts of what needs to be changed.

By jotting down our observations, we get a clearer picture of the group's pulse, the dynamics at play and see where we might need adjustments. This helps us decide what habits or ideas we might need to drop, both as individuals and as a group.

Note: ‘Letting go' isn't just about changing things outside of us. It's about realizing we're part of a bigger picture and starting our change from within.

Personal challenge: As you read on, think of one belief or habit that you might need to 'let go' of for personal growth.

After capturing collective data, we now discuss and process the needed conversational flow. The facilitator or group has a choice here to select one or do both. There is a great power in the collective conversation where the social field is very strong and potentially inspiring. Yet, there's an equally essential place for intimate small-group dialogues, where deeper insights often emerge.

Reflective question: Can you think of a group discussion where certain voices dominated? How could the principles of conversational flow have improved that dialogue?

Sometimes decisions need to be made by the group on what to prioritize or focus on for discussions with collective input. As we process the gathered data — by scoring, grouping, labeling, and prioritizing — we simultaneously weave a tapestry of understanding. This understanding shapes what individuals and the collective discern needs to let go.?

On one hand, we're sorting and analyzing data. On the other, everyone is reflecting on personal changes they need to make and imagining a better system.?

Indeed, the process of 'letting go' is multifaceted, requiring both personal introspection and collective alignment. This dance between internal and external dialogue represents an advanced form of conversational flow critical for transformative change. Stakeholders can navigate the challenging terrain of self, relational and systemic reflection. The balance between individual voices and collective wisdom is crucial. While the mechanical aspects of handling data ensure objectivity and structure, the heart of the process remains rooted in a profound understanding that change begins from within each stakeholder. As each individual discerns what they need to release, the system, in turn, evolves, revealing a path forward that is both informed by the past and open to the future's possibilities.

Key takeaway?

Recap question: As you reflect on the key takeaways, which aspect of conversational flow do you find most intriguing or challenging?

Even in today’s digital-first world, the person-to-person conversations remain central to our development. It is the meaningful collective conversations that help our teams perceive and work to address complex adaptive challenges*. Learning the art of conversational flows is a key component of helping you create the “holding space” that guides the narrative and cultivates transformative growth. Conversation flows takes your team through a journey of self-reflection to action, empowering an internal mindset shift that helps them successfully resolve adaptive challenges.

In this edition, we saw how the Theory U method is delivered through powerful conversational flows. These conversations help you implement collective insights that develop your teams’ adaptive* capacity and build adaptive conscious teams.

Next steps

When you face adaptive challenges and feel stuck, with your team unable to resolve the full scope of the issue, you can turn to powerful conversational flows to resolve them. At Janars [dot] com (under workshop, interactive workshop), we have a tailored workshop series focused on responding to an adaptive challenge with powerful conversational flows.

Next step: Keen on confronting adaptive challenges head-on and enhancing your mastery over conversational flows? Simply drop me a direct message on LinkedIn with the word “Adaptive”.

OR:

Next step: For a deeper dive into embracing adaptive challenges through powerful conversational flows: Check out Janars [dot] com. OR Delve into our other editions under the series - "Build Adaptive Conscious Teams".

Glossary:?

Adaptive: Change is considered adaptive when it’s complex, doesn’t have a clear path to success, involves culture shift, and can’t be implemented top down. Complexity is often from the dynamic interrelationships between variables that make the path to the solution unpredictable. Another barrier is a web of different interests between groups involved in the change that need to be resolved.?

Adaptive challenges: Problems or situations that can't be solved using traditional solutions or approaches. They require teams or individuals to learn and adapt to new circumstances. The engagement and collective intelligence of the organization is used to pull the change forward, as pushing change top-down doesn’t work.?

Co-presencing: A stage in Theory U that emphasizes deeply connecting with oneself and the surrounding system to understand current realities and visualize potential futures.

Conversational Flow: The structured or organic sequencing of individual dialogues or interactions that, when combined, form an interconnected and evolving process targeting specific outcomes or insights.

Conversational Sequence: The intentional order or flow of conversations and interactions designed to achieve a particular outcome or insight.

Holding Space: Creating an environment (physical, emotional, or psychological) where individuals feel safe to express themselves, share perspectives, and explore ideas without judgment. See edition on Holding space for a more detailed definition and exploration.

Letting Go: The process of releasing old patterns, beliefs, or behaviors to make space for new understanding and growth. In Theory U, it's a deeply introspective stage.

Redirect: Shifting focus or attention, often to see things from a fresh perspective or to approach situations in new ways.

Relational Reflection: Considering not just individual behaviors and beliefs but also understanding and evaluating interpersonal relationships and dynamics within a group or system.

Suspending: Temporarily putting aside pre-existing beliefs or judgments to fully experience and understand the present moment.

Sensing: In the context of Theory U, it's about deeply tuning into a system or environment, gathering insights from various stakeholders, and feeling the underlying dynamics at play.

Speaker-Listener-Documenter Interaction: A structured conversational method where one person shares a story, another listens and reflects back, and a third person captures the essence in notes.

Social Context: The invisible web of relationships, cultural norms, and dynamics that influence individual and collective behavior in any system or group.

Systemic Reflection: Looking at larger patterns, structures, and forces at play in a group, organization, or community, beyond just individual or relational aspects.

Theory U: A change management method that focuses on transforming systems through heightened awareness and understanding. It consists of different movements and stages that guide this transformation.?

Further Reading:

Part 1 of this edition is Learn the Art of Conversational Flow: Craft dialogues to shape your group’s future. Part of the Build adaptive conscious teams Newsletter

"The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications" by C. Otto Scharmer

• Dive deep into Theory U with the person who developed it. This book is great for understanding the nuances and applications of this method.

"The Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversations & Participatory Leadership"

• A handbook for those wanting to facilitate impactful group dialogues. It touches upon the practices and mindsets needed to guide transformative conversations.

"Dialogue: The Art Of Thinking Together" by William Isaacs

• A profound exploration of dialogue and how it can revolutionize the way we communicate in organizations, schools, and in our personal lives.

"Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust & Get Extraordinary Results" by Judith E. Glaser

• Glaser discusses the power of conversation in building trusting, healthy organizational cultures.

"Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling" by Edgar H. Schein

• This is a guide to asking questions in a way that fosters trust, curiosity, and genuine connection.

Online Resources:

• Theory U Platform: An online platform offering courses, resources, and a community for those interested in diving deep into Theory U.
• Harvard Business Review's articles on Conversational Leadership: A collection of articles discussing the importance of dialogue in leadership.