IDEAS, NEWS AND RESOURCES
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February 2020
The Taos Institute's mission is to bring together scholars and practitioners concerned with the social processes essential for the construction of reason, knowledge, and human value, and their application in relational, collaborative and appreciative practices around the world.
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The Many Ways to Get Involved!
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Brief Encounter with The Taos Institute
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"
'True' listening can occur only when we are open to the difference and the uniqueness of the other without judgment, blame, or critique. In being and doing so, we are listening
ethically
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"Respect and curiosity show
appreciation for and acknowledgment of the 'humanness' of the other."
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Brief Thoughts on Listening
By Harlene Anderson, Taos Board Member
My thoughts on listening in a practice context rest on the conceptual framework of a Collaborative-Dialogic Practice. Collaborative-Dialogic refers to being engaged with the other, or others, in a collaborative relationship and generative conversation. I hyphenate collaborative and dialogic to emphasize that it is a
process rather than two separate things pressed together or as one modifying the other. In other words, relationship and conversation go hand-in-hand. The kinds of relationships we have influence the quality of conversations we can have with another, and vice versa. They cannot
not do so.
For me, listening is never a stand-alone activity. It is interconnected with speaking, responding, and hearing—all of which are essential in any genuine endeavor to accept and understand the other. It is a process of being and engaging with the other as a unique human being. John Shotter refers to this kind of listening as responsive listening: always poised to respond with curiosity and an invitation to share more.
I speak to invite the other to speak so that I can listen. I listen in order to respond. Responding is a human, moral responsibility and the way in which we respond is critical. What appears to be “no response” is a response that the speaker may interpret in different ways. The way we respond signals the importance—or non-importance—of the other person and what they said. I want to respond to acknowledge that the other has spoken and show coherence with what was said, or what I think was said. I want to reply in a way that helps me clarify if I have truly heard what the other wanted me to hear, and to do so in a manner, tone, and attitude of respect and curiosity. Respect and curiosity show appreciation for and acknowledgment of the “humanness” of the other.
Authenticity is important. We must genuinely and sincerely show interest and be present. But no matter how we strive to be genuine we must also acknowledge that we cannot be blind to our own values, beliefs, and biases. Our ears, eyes, and body—our lenses and our feelers—are filled with cultural and historical influences that can easily call us to discount, judge, blame, or categorize the other. We tend to make sense of the other, their narrative, and our experience of them through our pre-understandings and perceptions—that is, from our sense-making maps.
We cannot purposefully transcend our realities or pretend our objectivities do not exist. We can, however, be an interested and curious listener and responder who is trying to learn from the other, and to learn from their sense-making map, not ours. I find that when I am engaged in this kind of learning, my responses to what I think I am hearing and understanding are more coherent with what the other wants or hopes. This does not suggest that the intention of my response is always to support, validate, or condone what was said. I simply want to make sure I understand as best I can. Thus, understanding is active and not passive, just as it is mutual and not singular.
“True” listening can occur only when we are open to the difference and the uniqueness of the other without judgment, blame, or critique. In being and doing so, we are listening
ethically.
In
listening ethically, we do not strive to change the other, but rather allow ourselves to be influenced by them.
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Professional Development Opportunities
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Upcoming Events
April 21 - June 8, 2020
A 6-week online course with Celiane Camargo-Borges
See what participants are saying about this online course:
"I would like to thank you all for the learning journey. I learned a great deal and it feels more as a beginning then an ending. A begin that is longing for more to explore and to process."
"I would like to say how unexpectedly powerful this course has been for me. In fact I took the course without knowing exactly what it was about, trusting my intuition as I bought Ken’s book 'The saturated self'."
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April 21 - June 8, 2020
A 6-Week Online Course
with Celiane Camargo-Borges, Ph.D.
This 6-week online course introduces common premises and orienting ideas central to dialogues on social construction. The ways in which constructionist ideas differ from traditional, realist understandings of the world are explored. The course is facilitated by Taos Institute Board Member, Celiane Camargo Borges, Ph.D.
This course features videos and writings of Ken Gergen, Mary Gergen, Sheila McNamee, Harlene Anderson, Barnett Pearce, John Shotter, Saliha Bava and more.
The course consists of: Weekly live calls, assignments, readings, videos, activities, learning partner conversations, online commenting, and writing. There will be "live" conference calls on Mondays from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM New York time/Eastern US tim
e. Orientation to the course is April 21. Everyone is welcome! Some people even take this course several times and get something new from each experience.
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You are invited to participate in an exceptional space of learning, reflection and exercise. – International teaching faculty. – Innovative practices in various areas of application: therapy, management of conflicts, communities and organizations, education, coaching, among others. This diploma is available in
Spanish and Portuguese
and provides you with the knowledge and tools needed to work with generative dialogues.
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Do you want to expand your professional potential, explore a vision, follow your curiosity, bring about an innovation for a more promising future? Would you like a mentor, coach and conversation partners who will support, inspire, and challenge you to reach your goals? Would you like to work from the comfort of your own office, home or work environment and be part of a global community of learners?
At the Taos Institute, we support and mentor creative practitioners to form the future through relationship, collaboration, and ethical action. The International Diploma in Social Construction and Professional Practices exposes you to expertise from multiple disciplines, all focused on collaborative and relational approaches to generating meaning, values, and practices of significance. Your advisor, mentor or coach works with you to design a learning plan that addresses your goals, with feedback and learning tailored to your situation and project. You will receive support and inspiration from a broad network of conversation partners.
- There are no grades.
- You create your own deadlines.
- You design your own learning goals.
- You work virtually with scholars/practitioners around the world.
- You join a cohort of learners that support each other.
- You participate in a learning relationship with an advisor, mentor, coach.
Spring semester begins March 1, 2020
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From the local to the global, the challenges of relating are everywhere with us - increasingly complex and potentially volatile. Social constructionist ideas and practices have offered new insights and inspired wide ranging practices addressing these challenges.
Come share, explore, and co-create with practitioners, scholars and students from around the world as we generate conversations and actions for community collaborations through local and global resources.
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Look for more information soon!
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February 24, 2020 - 11:00 AM New York time
Unlocked: Discover How to Embrace
the Unexpected by Madelyn Blair, PhD
The book presents a clear definition of resilience that readers have found accessible and feasible for themselves. Written for the individual who wishes to learn how to become comfortable in discomfort, each chapter is written with an explanation of an aspect of building resilience, one or more real-life stories of people who have used that aspect, and a practice that develops that aspect followed by several strategies that enhance the practice. Early reviews find it inspiring for the individual, and several have already begun to see the link to organizational settings. Pre-registration required.
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March 18, 2020 - 10:00 AM New York time
The Art of Dialogue in Coaching: Towards Transformative Exchange by Reinhard Stelter
In
The Art of Dialogue in Coaching,
Reinhard Stelter invites readers to engage in transformative and fruitful dialogues in everyday working life, and provides the theory and tools for them to be able to do so. This book is an essential guide for coaches in practice and in training, coaching psychologists and professionals with a coaching role, including mentors, consultants and leaders. In particular, it will appeal to those looking to conduct dialogue as an art form, enhancing their work as a co-creative and collaborative guide. Pre-registration required.
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Our Newest Book
By Luc Verheijen, Saskia Tjepkema, Joeri Kabalt
Foreword by Ronald Fry
Organization and team development have increasingly become everyday components of a leader’s role. This book is written for informal and formal leaders who aspire to realize meaningful changes in their own context. Changes that will lead to a better performance and at the same time contribute to a vitalizing and energizing work environment. Appreciative Inquiry enables you to work with committed employees and other stakeholders on larger and smaller issues in your organization and bring them forward. Every day, one conversation at a time.
This book specifically brings the theory of Appreciative Inquiry to the daily practice of leaders and managers. It contains many practical examples and suggestions that provide inspiration for your own leadership practice. You can read the book as an invitation to start using Appreciative Inquiry right away. You don’t have to read front-to-back. The structure in short chapters, dedicated to specific topics or tools, ensures that you can read criss-cross and find a new and relevant angle each time.
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Featured Book
This book is a compilation of contributions from participants and presenters who attended the Taos Institute’s 25th Anniversary Conference in Cancún, Mexico, November 7-10, 2018. With pre-conference and conference sessions taking place over four days, the conference was full of dialogue, conversation, sharing, exploring, relationship building, and celebration. As the Taos Institute celebrated 25 years since its founding, we remembered its beginnings, acknowledged the founders, met new participants, and welcomed all to share in the learning.
We invite you to enjoy the ongoing flourishing and abundance of practices described in the pages of this book. We are both delighted and humbled to bear witness to the emergent insights, expanding activity, and diverse relational collaborations that point to an unending stream of creative possibilities for social construction that we can imagine and work toward, together.
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Editora: Adela G. García
Terapia Colaborativa. Relaciones y Conversaciones que hacen una Diferencia Disponer de esta edición en español, hace una diferencia. Reúne una colección rica y diversa de aplicaciones e innovaciones de muchos supuestos posmodernos, en la voz de varios profesionales de diferentes disciplinas, contextos y culturas que detallan lo que realmente hacen en sus prácticas cotidianas. Proporciona una puesta al día del enfoque basado en la colaboración, el diálogo posmoderno, el construccionismo social y su aplicación tanto en terapia con individuos, parejas, familias y grupos, como en ámbitos sociales más amplios, como la educación, la investigación, las organizaciones, las comunidades, las empresas y otros tipos de sistemas relacionales.
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International Journal of Collaborative-Dialogic Practices
This free journal brings together members of a growing international community of practitioners, scholars, educators, researchers, and consultants interested in postmodern collaborative practices. Issue 8 is now available.
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WorldShare Books
FREE downloadable books in 12 different languages.
With over 30 books in English and many more from around the world, you will enjoy reading about education, spirituality, organizational life, community building, group dynamics, leadership and more.
Order your free book today!
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Positive Aging Newsletter
FREE
newsletter
in 9 languages sent right to your email.
By focusing on the positive aspects of aging, and the availability of resources, skills, and resiliencies, research not only brings useful insights into the realm of practice but creates hope and empowers action among older people. By moving beyond practices of repair and prevention, to emphasize growth-enhancing activities, practitioners also contribute more effectively to the societal reconstruction of aging.
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Manuscripts for Downloading
Access hundreds of articles and papers on topics such as:
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Collaborative Practices
- Dialogue
- Appreciative Cultures
- Creativity and Improve
- Narrative Practices
- Relational Learning
- Relational Research
- Qualitative Research
- and so much more!
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Donate to the Taos Institute
Given the current global context into which we are moving, the work in which we are engaged is more important than ever. We invite you support the work of institute.
Read more
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John Shotter Memorial Fund
John Shotter's death on December 8, 2016, was a profound loss for the scholarly world, for the Taos Institute, and for many of us personally.
Read more
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Jane Magruder Watkins Memorial Fund
We remember Jane as an avid educator. This fund will support students who apply for a need-based scholarship to attend the various Taos programs.
Read more
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Peggy Penn WorldShare Fund
Supports the publication of new WorldShare Books on topics related to the work and interests of Peggy Penn, Ph.D.
Read more
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