I love the way Carla Rogers of EVOLVE has written about working in facilitation with Indigenous people in a post called 'Facilitating Difference From Oneness'. One of her themes was the importance of exploring difference through a rich appreciation of what we have in common. This can be done in 'cultural sensitivity training' by first discussing what we have in common, and moving on to our differences.
I really like this. The concept of moving from our similarities to our differences is like the subtle process in the SWOT of beginning with our strengths, so our weaknesses feel less overwhelming (and similarly with our opportunities and threats).
If we are about building bridges between people and between cultures, then this is a great insight into meeting as people.
You can read Carla's post 'Facilitating Difference From Oneness' by clicking here.
...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au
I found Carla's blog through the AFN-L mailing list. Anyone interested in facilitation in Australasia can benefit from dipping a toe into the often rushing waters of this mailinglist, or even better, diving right in.
