Notes for education on generative interviewing

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Notes for education on generative interviewing

• Prepared by George Pór, CommunityIntelligence
  Ltd.
• Resourced from the work Otto Scharmer (MIT)
• and The Change Lab Fieldbook

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Listening level 1 and 2 from habit and outside
The first type of listening is downloading
listening by reconfirming habitual judgments.
Whenever you are in a situation where everything
that happens confirms what you already know, then
you are listening by downloading. Practice
questions Have you ever experienced somebody
listening you in a way that has just confirmed
what s/he already knew, regardless what you said?
Have you experienced yourself doing the
same? The second type of listening is objective
or attentive listening listening by paying
attention to disconfirming data. In this type of
listening you pay attention to what differs. You
attend to those aspects of reality that differ
from your own concepts rather than denying them.
Objective or attentive listening is the basic
mode of good science. You ask questions and you
carefully observe the responses that nature
(data) gives to you. Practice questions What
conditions hinder the awakening of your
curiosity, the opening of your mind? What will it
take to generate those opening states when you
need them? Source Otto Scharmer (I added the
practice questions from a leaning expedition
base camp that I facilitated. - george)
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Listening level 3 (emphatic) from within
The third and deeper level of listening is
empathic listening. As long as we operate from
the first two types of listening, our listening
originates from within the boundaries of our own
mental-cognitive organization. But in empathic
listening, our perception shifts from our own
organization into the field, to the other, to the
place from which the other person is speaking.
When moving into that mode of listening we have
to activate our empathy our loveconnecting
directly, heart to heart, to the other person. If
that happens, we feel a profound switch we
forget about our own agenda and begin to see the
world through someone elses eyes. When operating
in this mode, we usually feel what another person
wants to say before the words take form. And then
we may recognize whether a person chooses the
right word or the wrong one to express something,
That judgment is only possible when we have a
direct sense of what someone wants to say before
we analyze what she actually says. Empathic
listening is a skill that can be cultivated and
developed just like any other skills in human
affairs. Its a skill that resides in activating
a different source of intelligencethe
intelligence of the heart. Practice questions
What conditions hinder the awakening of your
empathy, the opening of your heart? What will it
take to generate those states when you need
them? Source Otto Scharmer
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4 levels of listening
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4 levels of listening - 4 different results
These four levels of listening generate different
conversations with different outcomes.
Downloading (level 1) - protecting ego from
reality that keeps changing Debate (level 2) -
creating new knowledge Dialogue (level 3) -
discovering relational truth Deep presence
(level 4) - creating new future Source Otto
Scharmer
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4 field structures of listening
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3 enemies of building capacity for presencing
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What is generative interviewing

• Generative interviewing is expanding the skills
  of emphatic and generative listening into the
  co-sensing and co-presencing phase of the U.
• Generative interviewing brings forth creative
  energy and collective intelligence out of a
  personal sense of connection to the whole.
• Its about not simply to gather information-this
  is a point which is often not understood.
  Rather, through the process curiosity,
  commitment, and excitement are generated about
  the potential and relationships are built.
• Source Generon Fieldbook

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Preparing for generative interviewing

• 1.Identify initial dialogue interviewees. Develop
  an initial list of potential dialogue
  interviewees consisting of the key individuals
  you and the convener(s) believe are essential for
  moving the system toward a better future. Include
  any individuals who will sponsor the project or
  whose support will be important. Also include
  individuals who don?t hold formal positions of
  authority but who exercise leadership in informal
  ways, such as the ability to inspire others or
  generate a sense of shared urgency for change.
  Find out (from others, from the Web) something
  about the interviewee, their background and
  interests, why they are important to interview,
  and how you might connect with them.
• 2. Compose an interviewing team of two (one
  primary,the other secondary). The secondary
  interviewer will take notes during the dialogues,
  so the primary interviewer can focus on the
  conversation and have a partner for reflection on
  the exchange. The notetaker should take full
  notes, trying not to judge what is or isnt
  important and paying particular attention to (and
  taking down semi- verbatim quotes) points that
  seem important to the interviewee. Make sure the
  two interviewers always have at least 30 minutes
  immediately before each interview for preparation
  and role clarification, and one hour immediately
  afterwards for debriefing.
• 3. Schedule dialogues. Explain on the phone or
  email a brief note about the context and purpose
  of the meeting (do notsend interview questions).
  Ask each dialogue participant to set aside at
  least two hours for the conversation at a time
  when they have the flexibility to go longer if
  desired. Conduct the conversation in the persons
  home base if this can be done without
  interruptions. If the person expresses surprise
  or concern about the amount of time involved,
  explain in practical terms why such an investment
  is necessary that it will enable an in-depth
  understanding of their view of the system and the
  actions that may help move the system forward.
• 4.Prepare a list of sample questions. Although
  you will want to remain free to let the dialogue
  take whatever course naturally emerges, think
  through a list of questions that you believe will
  help you get at the issues at hand. Include
  questions that probe deep systemic aspects of the
  system.
• 5. Connect with your intention. Immediately
  before a dialogue, take time to enter into a
  state of mind conducive to your purpose,
  potentially through meditation. Visualize
  yourself, for example, as an instrument whose
  purpose is to be of service, bringing forth from
  the interaction the latent possibilities for
  growth and change. Your goal is to become deeply
  centered, relaxed, and open to embracing whatever
  emerges during the dialogue.
• Source Generon Fieldbook

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12 principles of generative interviewing
1. Preparation collect background infro develop
a questionnaire schedule the interview 2.
Intention the most important hour is the hour
before the interview (Jaworski) develop a sense
of profound openness and an intention of
discovering and serving the highest potential of
the interviewee 3. Initial contact create
transparency and trust about the purpose and the
process of the interview establish a direct
eye-to-eye (heart-to-heart) connection early on
(Jaworski) 4. Access your ignorance pay
attention to and trust the questions that occur
to you dont be afraid to ask simple or stupid
questions (Schein) 5. VOJ suspend your VOJ
(voice of judgment) and develop a sense of wonder
(Ray) 6. Access your empathic listening put
yourself in your interviewees shoes--and
thoroughly appreciate/enjoy/love the story you
hear unfolding 7. Access your generative
listening listen for your interviewees highest
self--his or her highest future possibility--and
at the same time try to listen from that
placee--not just from who she is today, but from
her evolving future Self 8. Go with the flow
let go of old ideas and concepts (Schein) 9.
Questions focus first on What, not on Why or on
confrontational questions you want to get into a
flow, not into a debate (Schein) 10. Generative
silence this may be the most important (and
least visible) intervention you can perform
while you remain silent you slow down the
interviewee and help her to access the deeper
aspects of her story, her work, and her life
generative silence requires the interviewers
utmost level of attention, presence, and
intention 11. Journey question if appropriate,
reconnect the interviewees biography (for
example, why he or she pursued a certain
profession or embarked on a particular journey)
with what that person now senses wants to unfold
in her life or in a social context around her.
12. Post-interview debrief and crystallize
right away capture observations and insights in
your journal dont even make phone calls or have
short conversations between the interview and
recording your thoughts and impressions use a
structured debriefing process. Source Otto
Scharmer