THE ART OF HOSTING & HARVESTING
​CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER

SHOALHAVEN
…Sense of anticipation, purpose and calm converged Day 3,
Ready to take back to our home and community the ultimate harvest
Collective memories, new images, resources, and tools
The rippling of new skills, abilities and collaborations will spread
The final, wicked question to echo beyond…
What’s next for you?
                           
​                                          Final stanza of Bundanon Training Metaharvest
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, the Walbunja Yuin peoples of the south east coast of NSW, and pay our deep respects to their Elders - past, present and emerging. We honour their continuous connection to culture, community and Country.
The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter (also known as the Art of Participatory Leadership) offers simple and powerful participatory practices, patterns and processes to host generative conversations that can lead to coordinated action and positive change. These approaches have been used effectively in diverse contexts worldwide to harness collective wisdom, encourage compassionate leadership and collaboration, and create better social and environmental outcomes.

Nearly 100 people have participated in a 3-day  Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter training in the Shoalhaven.  This diverse group of learners engaged in remembering and re-discovering effective ways to work well together, and supported each other in learning and in practice. 

​Practitioners who attended training at Bundanon (Nov 2022) in the north and Willinga Park (Feb 2023) in the south have taken these practices, patterns and processes into their own context.  An email list has been shared and a community of practice has met to stay connected and offer opportunities to practice. 

Check out the harvest from these two trainings here:

What is the Art of Hosting, ​​and why participatory practice?​

The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations That Matter is a highly effective way of stepping into participatory practice through harnessing the collective wisdom and self-organising capacity of groups of any size.  ​
We believe that people give their energy and lend their resources to what matters most to them – in work and life. The Art of Hosting is a suite of powerful conversational processes and practices that invite people to step in and respond to the challenges facing them in creative, authentic, innovative and effective ways.
​​Built on the core values of trust, collaboration and accountability, the approach has been used to facilitate deep conversations with groups, 
from small groups to hundreds of people at a time, and address complex situations in a way that delivers alignment and actionable outcomes.
Groups, organisations and communities using Art of Hosting as a working practice report better decision-making, more innovation, greater ability to quickly respond to opportunity, challenge and change, and improved relationships.
​People who experience the Art of Hosting typically say that they walk away feeling more inspired and empowered and more able to help guide the meetings and conversations they are part of, to move towards desirable outcomes.

When joining an Art of Hosting Training, you will probably...

  • Deepen your insight  into participatory leadership and working with emergence and complexity. 
  • Learn ways to create and hold spaces  where people are invited to unlock their full potential and make valuable contributions.
  • Practise a set of simple yet powerful approaches for designing and hosting (facilitating) powerful conversations, engagement processes and meetings.
  • Learn and experience practices and tools for collaboration such as Appreciative Inquiry, World Café, Open Space, Collective Story Harvesting, Circle Practice and Designing for Wiser Action. We will also learn about practices, concepts and methodologies such as next stage or ‘Teal’ organisations, Theory U and more.
  • Discover the Art of Harvesting, visually capturing and making sense of meetings and conversations for clarity, learning, growth and wise action.

Join us - find out here what trainings are happening near you

Art of Hosting website 
Australian Art of Hosting Facebook Group 

​Art of Hosting training is for anyone and everyone who wants to explore the power of collective creativity, intelligence and collaboration with each other and within organisations and communities:
  • Community members, volunteers, community leaders, active citizens
  • Community development, recovery, resilience and social service workers and leaders
  • Government officers, leaders, policy advisers and program managers
  • Organisation and business leaders and social entrepreneurs
  • Community organisers and teams
  • ​​People of all ages and backgrounds​ ​
Image: Shells, Murramurang National Park.  Peter Pigott