NCDD

One of the great things about the NCDD is the interesting mix of individuals and methods of dialogue that are part of the conference. You can get anything from “The Inquiry Process: Zen Meditation and Dialogues as Liberating Intimacy in a Social Context” to “Findings About Public Participation from the New National Academy of Sciences Report” (including powerpoint presentation).

For most participants, a NCDD conference will engage both their head and their heart in meaningful ways. Last night at dinner, someone asked if I had attended the workshop in which participants were asked to “stare each other in the eyes and hold hands.” In fact, I had been a part of the workshop on “Compassionate Listening.” The workshop began with a guided a mediation, which lead to an exercise in which we were asked to partner with the person next to us and spend 3 minutes each, looking into the eyes of our partner and speaking uninterrupted about anything that was on our mind or in our heart.

Looking a relative stranger in the eye, while they listen to you speak  without any interruption, for  3 entire minutes – is more challenging that it might seem. I found it a challenge to speak and/or listen for that long, without either being interrupted or interrupting the other speaker, even if only to ask a question. Yet, it did feel good and I think I learned something about what it means to REALLY listen to someone and to REALLY be heard. Some participants reported that they were physically unable to look their partner in the eye for that long, without turning away or closing their eyes.

At the close of the workshop, we did in fact form a circle and hold hands, while the facilitator brought the workshop to its conclusion.

Not everyone at NCDD is there for that kind of experience and over the years, I’ve spoken to some folks who are really uncomfortable with this aspect of the conference. While, I could have attended the “Social Media” workshop that was taking place at the same time, I accepted the challenge of conference organizers, who in the opening session of the conference suggested that we try to “step out of our comfort zone.”

I’m thankful that I did.

(FYI – Touchy-Feely).