These articles are part of a series of reflections on the Global Network Annual Conference. To view the previous article, click here.
Pecha Kucha was a fun, fast-paced, and to-the-point way of getting to know more about the work conference attendees do and tap into their passions. Presentations covered a wide range of topics, from the plight of farm workers to the organization of health care, from the the inner space of the psyche to considerations about our planet and our species.
Jean-Phillippe’s presentation on the importance of paying attention to emotions in organizational work stood out for me. The slide presentation, originally set to run at 20 seconds a slide as per standard Pecha Kucha form, started stalling one minute in due to technical difficulties. Jean-Phillippe was completely unfazed when this happened, and he very skilfully seized the emergent opportunity to ask the audience, in a slow, deep, inquiring voice, the catch-question of his presentation: ‘How do you feel right now?’. The audience roared with laughter. The snafu ADDED to the presentation tremendously!
Humor aside, there is a deeper learning to be found here. How often do we as practitioners, while in the midst of our work with groups on a given task, take the time to ask ourselves that question and explore the impact of the answer on what we are doing? What would change if we did take the time?
Dena Duijkers,
HSI 2014
