The first Gathering Genie Circle

Gathering Genies across spaces met on 27th July at the first Gathering Genie Circle to pause, notice & learn together!

We began with a reflection exercise with Genuine Contact™ transfer in cards - relating the card to what we are noticing in gatherings - reflections included sun, sky, joy, collective, authenticity, allowing, wonder, health, humour, vision....aspects that sometimes we miss to experience in work related gatherings....

We then went into a story circle of our recent experiences in hosting gatherings. It was amazing to listen to a variety of gatherings including a quarterly team review, meetings with government, meetings with the community, workshop on education.... stories instead of ppts, starting playfully, vision alignment, sharing life journies, user experience, appreciation all helped to build connection, empathy & deeper learning.

We then in smaller groups reflected on our hopes & fears of hosting gatherings... it was again very interesting to see aspects that related to the visible (behaviours, expressions, words, actions) and also the invisible (self belief, assumptions, needs).. in silence the participants reflected more on their hope and fear and what was above the water and what was below. People could discover links between their actions and core values like inclusion and need for connection for example.

One person talked about the need for connection & inclusion stemming from their unmet need for connection... in a way all our needs are universal and relatable in some way - love, appreciation, recognition, connection, safety, belonging, pride......

When gatherings intentionally balance task (rational aim) with connection (experiential aim), magic happens!

We then reflected on what this experience meant for us...

"carrying the authenticity of the group with me"
"I feel the sense of self worth that I get from being able to get into a thinking space makes me really loved. Thank you for letting my baby be a part of it in spontanously"
"thank you for creating a beautiful space today 🙂"
"never realised 2 hours could pass sooo quick 🙂 Great experiences and stories...and the understanding that we are not alone"
"learning and sharing from others without filters"
"collective joy"
"came into the meeting with a lot of nervousness but all is well & excellent. Look forward to next gathering session and felt happy to be part of this team 🙂"
"Feeling so light and positive after the session."
"Refreshing… Aladdin got lots of genie here ...."

Amazing to design and hold this space with you Tulika Mehra! Thank you for your presence, engagement and authenticity.