Inviting a stranger in
I loved walking in to this building to do the work. It felt warm and homely, elegant (I was worried i’d break something, or get it dirty), special. A nice place to come to make things happen.
Continuation from- Reflections on a sprint funding process: The Facilitator. The Group. The People. & Me.
I think it is pretty bold inviting a stranger in, and inviting me in to not really participate but to witness.
I am not sure that everyone was aware that this was a role. It might have felt uncomfortable at times. I was learning how to be it whilst doing it. I have loved it and I think it has been really important.
Being a witness is not about having any answers...
In the philanthropic sprint, my role was to observe, to be present, to listen deeply without the pressure of contributing solutions or fixing anything.
Letting go was something I had to practice continually in this role- good job I know something about that! Although it was still hard.
Most spaces demand action, opinions, immediate responses. But witnessing is different. It's about creating space for what is happening, not what should be happening. My perspective isn't about solving problems, but about seeing all of human interaction. Insights, patterns, feeling the energy of the room - all without needing to change or direct anything.
More conversations needed...
When this process ends, my real work begins. Conversations with the facilitator, the group, the people who recieved the funds will help us understand what truly happened. What did we learn? What surprised us? What might we do differently next time? As a witness, I'm gathering threads that might not be obvious in the moment. I don’t think what I have seen, or what I write about means anything without the conversation.
And for my continued practice...
Now I have seen the value of this role, I invited a ‘witness’ into one of my sessions recently and boom - again - the value was huge. Now I don’t want to be in a space without one!
How do you feel about inviting a witness in? Have you done it before?
To return to the first blog in this series please click here - Reflections on a sprint funding process: The Facilitator. The Group. The People. & Me.
