Cathryn and I went on an enlightening journey in the middle of November. On a damp and murky autumn afternoon, we caught the train and started a 300-mile trip to Battle in East Sussex. ‘Why on earth were they going all that way?’, I hear you ask yourself.
Well, we were lucky enough to have been accepted onto ‘The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter,’ a 3-day intensive workshop teaching facilitators and hosts powerful techniques to harness the collective wisdom and knowledge of groups through deep listening and challenging conversations.
Reading the information about the training and the background of the hosts who had experience in a variety of interesting things, such as visual facilitation, community organising, mediation, and international development, it struck me that it had the potential to be quite a spiritual experience. Not being at all in tune or even aware of my own spiritual side, this intrigued me, and I was excited to not only learn new skills but also to go on a journey of self-discovery.
The week before the workshop, we joined the participants' WhatsApp group and introduced ourselves to people from all over the world, including Slovenia, Switzerland, Colombia, Brazil and Germany. Many of these people were travelling to the UK specifically to attend the training.
Our journey to Battle went smoothly until, too busy chatting, we jumped on the wrong train at St Pancras! It took us almost twice as long to travel the 50 miles from London to Battle as it had taken to travel the 250 miles from Durham to Kings Cross!
We shared a taxi from Battle to Ashburnham Place with Katarina, a young woman from Slovenia who was on her very first trip to the UK… more on that later.
Ashburnham is a beautiful place, a Christian retreat and conference centre in over 200 acres of grounds with walled gardens, lakes, wild swimming opportunities and stunning rooms in which to relax and recharge.
Cathryn and I were told we’d be sharing a small flat for the 3 days. Despite my initial reservations about sharing living space with my boss, it actually worked out well in the end!
Day 1 started with a healthy breakfast of fruit and muesli intermingled with lots of excited chatter as we met new people and mused in anticipation about the day ahead. We were ushered into the main hall where we sat in a circle around a centrepiece of autumn leaves, candles and Colombian instruments. We were introduced to our hosts: Jon, who we know from the Poverty Truth Commission, Phil from Ireland, Sue from Leeds, Mira from Germany and the energetic and musical Jose from Colombia, along with their apprentices, Jade, Charlotte and Vanessa.
The atmosphere was friendly and warm, with the all-encompassing feeling that we had each brought our true, authentic selves into the room. One of our first tasks was to form listening triads, and each take on the roles of speaker, listener and witness. This is a task we have set our Community Commissioners, and it was interesting to experience it from the other side. It was at times emotional as people chose to share their personal challenges. For some, it cultivated friendships, and we all came away feeling valued and heard as our witnesses gifted us with a poem, a picture or inspiring words to thank us for sharing.
We spent time learning about the power of the circle, its historical importance and its ability to embody a safe space for thoughtful speaking and deep listening. All things which help to cultivate the meaningful conversations Cathryn and I aim for as facilitators of the Poverty Truth Commission.
Evening time was our opportunity to be mentored so we could host a session the next day. I opted to host a circle and was paired with Richard, an English engineering professional who lived in Germany. I chose to be the guardian of the circle…. the time keeper and safeguard who would manage the pace and flow, call for a time out if required and ensure each participant had equal time to speak. Richard would host, invite the participants to speak and present the topic. I found this to be a very fulfilling experience, and it made me reflect on how we host our PTC circles and what improvements we can make in the future.
The next morning, we were roused by Jose and his fellow musicians playing traditional Colombian music on the drums and glockenspiel. It was fascinating watching and listening as they spontaneously found the same rhythm and made some beautiful, albeit very loud, sounds together!
On Thursday evening, we wrapped up warm and followed the beat of the drum down to the fire pit where a roaring fire awaited us. We sang, danced and celebrated our new connections, knowledge and awareness of self.
We all acknowledged that the training had changed the way in which we work and hold conversations. I felt thankful to have shared the experience with such inspiring and wise people, and definitely came away with lots to think about.
On our journey back to Kings Cross the next day, Katarina shared her insights into ‘English quirks;
‘Why do you have two separate taps for hot and cold water? What if you want warm water and not freezing or hot?’
‘Why do people offer a cup of tea and biscuits?’
‘Why do you say loo?’
Things we never really think about, but her observations made us smile during the long journey home.
