Dear Friends of the Communication Dojo,
Justin and Carol here! Hike #13 (September through November 2024) is approaching, and we want to give you a rundown on what to expect. Please forward this to your friends, family, and colleagues who you think would enjoy practicing with us! Between now and September 9th 2024 is the best window for newcomers to sign up.
About the Communication Dojo
All practices at Communication Dojo are on a drop-in basis at the convenience of the participants. No continuous commitments are needed. We invite you to play and practice with us, just like a drop-in soccer game. To sign up for any of Dojo practices, please fill out a simple form on this page (click on “sign up here” button). We will send you calendar invite(s) and a zoom link after you sign up.
We exist as a community of practice. What you’d like to practice is up to you. Some examples are: learn about your habitual and/or somatic responses to stress when you are in groups; Try naming tensions/conflict with others; Notice when you feel connected to others, and when you feel distant or disconnected; Practice bridging different perspectives within a group. The possibilities are vast. Come join like-minded practitioners on a path of growth, healing and discovery.
In line with our principles, Communication Dojo is deliberately developmental. We are continuously iterating on our space to make it more robust, generative, and inclusive. A “Hike” is a playful reference to an Agile sprint (often seen in the project management field); we build a 3-month-long “learning container” to practice, reflect, and iterate.
For the new “Hike,” we have three recurring practices in the Dojo: T-group, Bohm Dialogue and Sandbox.
T-group
T-group (short for Training Group) originated in the 1940s to help give citizens the skills to effectively contribute to democratic process. Now the skills are widely applied at workplaces, in families, and among friends. It is a practice where we focus on paying attention to and learning about: ourselves, others, and the group process. We need to be able to understand and be understood to work on any collective goal with others. Learning how to show up intentionally lets our individual and collective geniuses shine.
If you are unfamiliar with T-group, come to the first session in the Hike, we will make time to onboard you. If you are familiar, you’ve found your people!! We ask new participants to the Dojo to please watch our introductory video, demo, and read our Quicksheet.
Communication Dojo T-group practice
The Communication Dojo operates on a T-group model where we do not have a designated facilitator. We have a host who opens and closes the space. During the actual practice, we are all peers to each other. Anyone can experiment with taking on leadership roles (or any other roles) without needing official permission from anyone else. When conflict arises, we practice skillfully navigating it together.
When you join, it is both a new group, and an old group. There are relationships and established norms that have existed before you join. And, since the group has never had this particular configuration of people, it is a new group with the possibility for new connections and norms to emerge. We encourage paying attention to how you choose to enter a new group, as this is excellent practice to help you better integrate in other new contexts/groups you come across in life.
Since the Communication Dojo is based on a drop-in model, we will be continually forming and ending groups each practice session throughout the Hike. It is extremely valuable to have a specific learning goal in mind when you show up at each session. If you often find yourself avoiding naming conflict/disagreement with others, for example, you can come to our practice with a specific goal of practicing talking about disagreement with others. You have a whole community of intentional communication practitioners who love to support your efforts to learn.
We build a cohort together through our intentional practice with one another. We don’t ask that you commit to all six sessions during this Hike (though we’d sure love to see you at every session). In our first session, we put special effort into forming our cohort, and in the final session we put special effort into closing our cohort, so please try to make these two sessions at least!
If you have attended a Hike before, you are welcome to drop in to any of our T-group sessions. For those who are new to T-group, though, we require you attend at least one of the first two sessions in this Hike. We will not let people who are new to T-group join sessions in the middle of the Hike. We invite them to wait for Hike 14 starting in Jan 2025.
We encourage self-organization in the Dojo. We offer a Discord as a tool for doing so. For example, if you hope to create another practice space to better suit your schedule or interest, you are welcome to express your desires on our Discord channel. Sky's the limit.
T-group Practice Dates (co-hosted by Justin, Carol, and friends): Sign up here
12:00pm - 1:30pm Pacific Time (PT) on Tuesdays [September 10th (Opening session), September 24th (Last day to join this cohort for newcomers), October 8th, October 22nd, November 5th, & November 19th]
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T-group Seminar
A space to discuss all things T-group: What is this process that we call T-group? What are different styles of the practice? How do I know if I’m practicing T-group “right?” What’s the potential I’m sensing here? How do I realistically apply this in my work or in my family?
T-group Seminar Dates (Hosted by Justin): Sign up here
Thursday, September 12th, 9:00am - 10:00am Pacific Time
Thursday, November 7th, 6:00pm - 7:00pm Pacific Time
Bohm Dialogue
Bohm Dialogue practice may be the hardest to describe or define, compared to other dialogue practices. One definition from Wikipedia describes the practice to be “a freely flowing group conversation in which participants attempt to reach a common understanding, experiencing everyone's point of view fully, equally and nonjudgmentally.” In some ways, this practice inherently defies structure, script, or definition. It invites us to pay attention to how our mind moves within ourselves and with others in the dialogue. If you want to join our practice, we highly recommend watching this 3-part video series on Bohm Dialogue titled "David Bohm and Peter Garrett on Dialogue": pt 1, pt 2, and pt 3). You can find them here.
Bohm Dialogue Practice Dates (Hosted by Carol and friends): Sign up here
10:30am - 12:00pm PT (Pacific Time) on Fridays (September 13th,
September 27th, October 11th, October 25th, November 8th, & November 22nd)
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Sandbox
As the steward of the Sandbox space, Sahil wrote the following introduction to the space:
“Sandbox is a playground for experiments where you get to play designer and/or guinea pig for immersive interpersonal experiences.
The space has, since the beginning, attempted to lower the barriers to experimentation. When I look underneath people's responses to various relational practice structures---excitement, irritation, ultimatums, imposition, nudges, breakdowns---I find sparks of the explosive creativity and aliveness that this space is raring to nurture.
To harness that storm, I want to continue leaning into the paradox of ownership: that if individuals are freed to disown the implications or significance or polish of what comes out of them, their living edge can breathe openly. Hence the offer for people to merely show up in their excitement, irritation, ultimatum, etc. and to assist them in workshopping and executing that into an experimental container, whether it results in a completely new thing or a familiar activity with a tiny modification.
This hike we want to invite that whole process to happen during the call, and as a collective.
One person volunteers to bring themself as they are; a seed for the session. Whatever emerges out of them under group attention, whether ‘relevant’ or not to anything sandbox, becomes a soft inspiration for what is to follow; a half-forgotten dream to be revitalized. It could be anywhere in apparent relevance: ‘how might we communicate without words at all’ or ‘I wonder why power corrupts’ or ‘last week I accidentally took someone else's bag home from the airport.’ In phases, then, the whole group takes responsibility for the creation of a relational activity. Rapidly constructing, then refining, then executing, then testing, then harvesting... all within the 90 minutes.
We plan on leveraging the Discord channel for ideation, experiment support, and process disclosure. Come with open-mindedness and partake in the whimsicalities of co-creation.”
Sandbox Practice Dates (Stewarded by Sahil): Sign up here
8:30-10am Pacific Time on Tues (September 17th, October 1st, October 15th, October 29th, November 12th, and November 26th.)
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A Gifting Community
In-line with our starter cultures principles, we intentionally practice more inclusive livelihood models. We do not exclude others based on economic status. All our sessions are free to participate in. We operate on a model of gifting; be it financial, intentional feedback, community building efforts, co-creation, or other creative ways you can see contributing. We invite you to give from a place of joy and solidarity. Our intention is to 🍓 cultivate a gifting culture 🍓 in this community. A culture that helps us to see value and abundance in all forms and shapes.
For Financial Gifts
Use our US tax deductible pledge site. We are a fiscally sponsored collective with non-profit status. You can easily receive tax receipts for your donation here.
For those trying to donate non-USD, please follow these steps for a method with minimal conversion fees.
For Gifts of Feedback
Please use this feedback form, or set up a call with Carol or Justin!
For Community Cultivation
Invite your friends or family to join our practices by sharing this newsletter or landing page with them. In the meanwhile, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please reach out to Carol or Justin, or attend our Keepers of the Flame meetings where we do community building and support co-creation.
For Amplifying Our Collective Impact In the World
If you see opportunities for folks in the Dojo to bring authentic communication and trust-building skills to organizations, workplaces, and communities and/or sources of funding or grants to support this type of work and this community of practice, please let Justin or Carol know.
See another way to contribute? Let us know!!
Upcoming Sessions and Zoom Link
Same zoom link for all sessions: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82222075148)
T-group: Tuesday, September 10th, 2024 at 12:00pm - 1:30pm Pacific Time (PT). [Session recurs at the same time every 2 weeks]
T-group Seminar: Thursday, September 12th, 2024, 9:00am - 10:00am PT [The other one is in Nov]
Bohm Dialogue: Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 10:30am - 12:00pm PT [Session recurs at the same time every 2 weeks]
Sandbox: Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 at 8:30am - 10:00am PT [Session recurs at the same time every 2 weeks]
Keepers of the Flame (Community Hangout): Tuesday, September 10th, 2024, 4:00-5:15pm PT [Session recurs at the same time every 4 weeks]
Keepers of the Flame (Community Hangout): Tuesday, September 24th, 2024, 8:30-9:45pm PT [Session recurs at the same time every 4 weeks]
In Gratitude,
Justin and Carol