The Art of Hosting and Convening Conversations is a practice retreat f or all who aspire to learn and find new ways for working with others to create innovative and comprehensive solutions.

We are a growing community of practitioners, supporting each other to explore and accomplish what we most care about.

The Art of Hosting & Convening Conversations has been offered in Europe, Africa, as well as North and South America.

This practice retreat is not for spectators...

• Our learning will grow out of participant contributions and presence – we will support each other as co-learners
• We will learn by observation, experience and practice, using interactive processes to build a safe and inspiring learning environment – we will explore Open Space Technology, Appreciative Inquiry, Circle Council, reflective practices, World Cafe, and other participatory methodologies
• Taking a chance to explore – and experiment with – applying these tools to your own projects-in-progress will help you to apply your skills, as well as develop and continue a new practice that will last well beyond this training

This retreat will investigate and support:

• Hosting conversations as a core leadership practice and competence for leading change
• How the Art of Hosting is an organising pattern/culture that invites new ways of living and working
• The conditions needed to create space for meaningful conversations
• Specific interactive processes through which learning and creation can emerge
• Sensing and shaping the conditions and timing for using particular methods and tools
• How the practice of hosting can be applied to key strategic change projects in our lives and work.

Context & background
We are inspired by what happens when people meet with the purpose of learning and developing their own competences together with others.

We have discovered that the principles of self organization, participation, ownership and non-linear solutions are the keys of both individual and collective discoveries. This is different and complementary to more traditional ways of working that are often based on rational planning and full control of the progress, in order to secure that the planned results are met.

We are especially inspired by what happens in the creative tension between chaos and order – with just enough chaos to make the creation of newness possible and just enough order to bring the ideas into wise action. This is where learning and innovation takes place and where change can be discovered. This is where we can turn towards each other and let the collective intelligence and creativity arise. It is the hosting of this field that is our work and practice.

YOUR HOSTING TEAM IS: Brenda Chaddock Odyssey Leadership Centre Vancouver, BC Canada http://followtheleader.ca With 30 years experience in change initiatives and community based leadership with organizations, Professional Associations and communities worldwide, Brenda founded Odyssey Leadership Centre (http://followtheleader.ca) and more recently co-founded Limitless Leadership Inc. (http://limitlessleadership.com). Both organizations are dedicated to whole leader development for the purpose of right service in our connected world. Brenda brings to facilitation her passion for the compelling questions and a profound belief in the power of the world we can create when we live at the edge of all our possibilities. Chris Corrigan Harvest Moon Associates Bowen Island Canada http://www.chriscorrigan.com I am a facilitator of conversation in the service of emergence. My business is supporting invitation: the invitation to collaborate, to organize, to find one another and make a difference in our communities, organizations and lives. I work with organizations seeking to improve their work, communities seeking to improve their future, people looking to improve their lives. I hold and care for process - the ways in which we work together - to encourage people to make their best possible contributions. I have an unflagging belief that the answers and leadership we need arise out of collaboration and conversation. By facilitating skillful dialogue, I do my best to hold space for futures to emerge. Teresa Posakony Berkana Institute Seattle, Washington, USA http://www.berkana.org Teresa's work has led her beyond the bounds of corporate change consulting into the arena of community engagement and collective leadership. She was one of the founding members of Berkana's From the Four Directions initiative which invites leaders into circles of courage, support and reflection. Teresa is passionate about working with groups as they discover their shared purpose and work to create positive futures for their organizations and communities. She does this work globally with the Berkana Institute and its effort to support pioneering leaders and locally through programs such as the “Collective Leadership Circles of Practice” a 9-month team-based learning intensive to engage groups and organizations in unleashing their potential. Tenneson Woolf Berkana Institute Provo, Utah, USA http://www.berkana.org Over the years, I have been fortunate to work with many good people to create inspired working, learning, and leadership spaces. I spent twelve years working with Berkana growing and stewarding the global network of leaders now called From the Four Directions. I am a host in my family, the hemophiala foundation, the university, and everywhere I go. My interest is simple - to deepen my practice of hosting inspired spaces, and to contribute to a community of people doing likewise. My invitation is also simple - to convene with full hearts and full curiosity to experience and discover the essentials of leading change through hosting. How do we open the space to see each other and make something new possible?

Please come if..

	You have decided that hosting conversations and processes can add to the work you are already doing
	You are prepared to challenge assumptions on how learning and co-creation happen
	You are willing to practice your hosting and leadership by designing your specific project/process that will take place in the near future
	You are willing to take responsibility for your own learning – to bring your “burning questions” and explore them through The Art of Hosting.
	We look forward to seeing you soon! Brenda, Chris, Teresa and Tenneson

THE LOGISTICS The Art of Hosting & Convening Meaningful Conversations Dates: Sept. 24th – 27th, 2006 The retreat will take place Sunday September 24th through Wednesday September 27, 2006 We will gather at 2pm on Sunday, catching the 12 noon Ferry or earlier to get there. Note: there is not another Ferry until 2:30 so plan to arrive a bit early for the noon Ferry to ensure your spot. There is always ample space for walk on passengers as well. We will end at 3:30 pm on Wednesday and catch a late afternoon or early evening Ferry home. Where: Rivendell Retreat Centre, Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada This is a residential retreat hosted at Rivendell Retreat Centre on Bowen Island, BC, Canada. Rivendell is a relaxing and inspiring location, settled on 6.5 acres atop Cates Hill, with magnificent views of mountains, forest and shining sea. Bowen Island is a 20-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay, which itself is a 30-50 minute drive or bus ride from downtown Vancouver. Tuition: The cost of the training is Tuition $975 USD, Meals and Accommodations: $300. We offer a reduced Tuition price of $775 for participants from the not for profit sector. If the price of the training is not affordable for you, let us know as we hold the following principle: “To be part of the training, everyone should contribute as much as they can and a little bit more”. We also invite you to pay what you can and a little more to support scholarships. Need more information on the workshop? Feel free to drop us a line! Brenda: Brenda@followtheleader.ca Tenneson: Tenneson@Berkana.org To register: To register please click here for the registration form in .rtf, or click here for a printable .pdf. Please complete the registration form and questionnaire and send it: via e-mail: Brenda@followtheleader.ca via mail: Berkana, 350 East 10th Avenue, Spokane, WA 99202 via FAX: 509 835 4182 Registration and payment deadline: August 15, 2006 Note: places are limited to a maximum of 24 participants; please submit your registration sooner than later to secure a spot!