An Interview with Jeanette Romkema, GLP Senior Partner

Jeanette Romkema with co-facilitator Marshall Yoder, GLP Certified Teacher.

What’s your favorite axiom, and why?

Pray for Doubt. I pray for the learners to question, struggle with, and doubt the new content and learning journey I take them on. For me, this means they are engaging with the new content. This is good! However, I also pray for my own doubt. I never want to come into a course or workshop or meeting feeling like I know it all. There are always surprises – from the learners, the place, the timing, the content, and the situation – and I want to walk into an event with lots of questions and curious to discover what I don`t know. I often say to learners, "The day I stop being nervous before a learning event is the day I stop teaching." I always want to remember that there is lots here I don't know… and yes, this is a bit nerve-wracking.

Name your favorite facilitation skills. Describe what you use it for and why it’s your favorite.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate and respect the facilitation skill of silence. It is amazing what happens when we wait. I have heard the most powerful questions, deepest sharing, and most provocative insights after a long silence. People need time to think; people need time to have courage to share; and, people need to know you are authentically curious and want to hear what they have to say.

Of all the DE principles, what is your favorite? Why?

Lately I have appreciated the DE principle of relevance. Of course it is important for adult learners to know how an event and the new content is important for their lives – they want to know "Why am I here?" Even more important is that people take time during the learning event itself (here and now) to decide what they will do with the new content. If it is so relevant for their lives and work… then let's plan what we will do differently with that 'critical new learning'.

Lately, I have more deeply understood the importance of spending time to transfer the learning: the AWAY part of a task or design. Yes, this is all about maximizing change in real lives, real communities, and in the real world. In the end, this is what it is all about.

Why do you love DE?

For me, DE is rooted in deep love: love for the world and all living things. At its core this method is about authentic presence with each other better systems, lives and communities – it is about right relationships with each other and bringing things back to how they were first created and intended.

What would you say to someone who’s new to DE to explain the essence of DE?

This is constantly growing in meaning and changing for me, as DE is soooo rich and complex in its simplicity. What comes to mind for me right now is: authenticity. When we are authentically present with each other and in a situation, we can truly see, hear, and understand. When we are fully present with each other we can truly work together for change in the world.

What tips do you have for someone who’s been practicing DE for a while?

Don't stop doubting, questioning or challenging what you do and how you do it. DE principles and practices are wonderfully complex and our understanding of them is forever changing, deepening. What “safety” looks like in rural Iowa may be different from urban Ontario; what “engagement” looks like in a corporate Board meeting may look different from a not-for-profit meeting; what “respect” looks like in Jordan may look different from the USA; what “the WHY” is for leadership training in a small rape clinic in Ottawa may be different from such a clinic in Addis, Ethiopia. The principles and practices of DE are a moving target and we have to constantly work at understanding and practice deep presence with individuals and groups to hear. There is never a time or place when we can say, "Mmmm, I finally know how to do this". This is the stuff of life-long learning and what makes it so exciting.

Part of all this "life-long learning" is also a need to continue to research other methods and ways of doing things. Talk to colleagues, surf the internet, read blogs, study the new thinking on teaching and learning, and ask for feedback on your work from other professionals. There is so much more to learn and just because it doesn't say "DE" somewhere in the text does not mean that it is not congruent or usable.

If you use other teaching methods that you feel complement DE, what are they and how are they complementary?

There are many methods that complement and are congruent to DE. Three of these that I use often are circle practice, world cafe, and the art of hosting.

Circle practice is a practice of meeting in a circle to share… deeply. This simple practice of passing a "talking piece" or sharing "popcorn style" can help to ensure relevance, dig into the root of why an event is happening, and include all thoughts and feelings in a safe way. In slowing down and focusing on a single question, idea, feeling or experience depth of sharing is experienced. It can be quite surprising and powerful!

World Café is a wonderful method of working with large groups on complex topics or issues. It is highly engaging, respectful and inclusive, and can be a great solution to the challenge of facilitating a large group.

The Art of Hosting is “an emerging set of practices for facilitating group conversations of all sizes, supported by principles that maximize collective intelligence; welcome and listen to diverse viewpoints; maximize participation and civility; and transform conflict into creative cooperation.”

Join Jeanette Romkema for Advanced Learning Design, November 18-20, 2014 in Toronto.

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