Paideia Blogging

John Robinson has set up a third strand centered around how to create a more civil, more inviting blogging atmosphere.

Unlike the first strand and the second strand on this topic, John's asking individuals who have already commented to stay on the sidelines and NOT to add any more comments.

John probably realizes that some of us feel tortured by such a bizarre request.

It's an experiment of sorts, one suggested by Mark Binker.

Mark: "I don't know if that would create a safe enough space for others to chime in, but it's a thought."

A thought worth considering.

I don't know if this experimental invitation will bring in new voices by itself.

But the idea that more new voices might enter the conversation if some of the old voices would occasionally keep quiet is worth considering.

The dynamics in cyberspace are different than the ones in which people come face to face, such as in a meeting or in a classroom.

But I'm sure most of us have been in meetings and classrooms in which the same core group of individuals do all or most of the talking.

The primary talkers usually think that the listeners just prefer to listen and don't have anything to say.

That's probably true sometimes.

But what talkers don't realize sometimes is that more of the listeners might jump in if ever given real opportunity.

The talkers tend to think that that such opportunities are abundant.

What they sometimes fail to realize is that they and the other dominant talkers are "stealing" every opening into the conversation, leaving no meaningfuly "wait-time" for others to join in.

The space that is filled with your voice takes away from the opportunity to hear someone else's voice.

In a meeting or classroom, a good leader tries to make sure everyone is given opportunities to speak and that the environment is comfortable enough for everyone.

Some people have a lot to say, arguably more than others.

Some of those people have a seemingly infinite supply of great ideas to share.

But it's arrogant for anyone to think that he has a monopoly on those great ideas.

It's also arrogant to assume that the voices that never speak up have nothing to say.

It's healthy for talkers to step back and give room for others to enter the conversation.

Paideia seminars, in which a common text is explored and discussed, offer the opportunity for people to learn better communication skills.

Ideally, seminars have participants seated in a circle.

Everyone is invited to jump into the conversation at any time.

Usually a facilitator gets things started by asking an opening question that everyone answers by going around the entire circle.

After going full-circle, the rest of the dialogue depends on individuals jumping in, preferably without any hand raising.

The facilitator's job is to make sure everyone behaves well and that new questions are asked when the conversation otherwise stops.

Since hand-raising isn't permitted, the facilitator shouldn't have to call on anyone.

There's a fine line between encouraging absolutely open dialogue and preventing ugly communication.

Some people will shut down, sometimes forever, if they're given reason to fear how others will respond.

One interesting strategy with paideia circles is to assign an inner circle and an outer circle.

Individuals in the inner circle are the out-loud participants, the ones who can express themselves freely.

Individuals in the outer circle are the full-time listeners, the ones who have to keep their thoughts entirely to themselves.

The "outsiders" are often instructed to take notes about what the "insiders" are saying.

The dynamics for paideia seminars do not translate perfectly into the world of blogging.

But it's worth thinking deeply about how we each participate in blogging and how our participation influences and affects others.