The Art of Convening (AoC) teaches the art and science of designing and leading in-person, virtual or hybrid meetings, gatherings, and conversations that are inspirational, productive, and transformative. As you design your next engagement, use the Convening Wheel 9-Step methodology to build a structure of Welcome, Safety & Belonging (credit: Center for Leadership & Neighborhood Engagement).

The Principles below are part of the Art of Convening “Inner Wheel”, where the Convener considers what values and practices will create authentic engagement, a core capacity of leadership needed today and to lead into the future. A foundational question is offered At the Heart of the Matter: “Who am I in relationship with others?”

The work of theoretical physicist David Bohm to explore and establish principles of dialogue informs the intention of The Art of Convening. This refers to intentional forms of group conversation used to improve mutual understanding and collaborative decision-making. https://www.bohmdialogue.org

The Principles of Conversation were created for the first Thought Leader Gatherings series in 1998. Corresponding Principles of the Convener, Design, Engagement emerged from the learnings of those early gatherings. We give credit to the work of Betty Sue Flowers and Kath O’Keefe in the creation of these Principles.

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