Opening

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Time	Content	Logistics and Process
Up to 4 weeks before	PREPARATION
00:00-00:30 or 00:00-00:25 or 00:00-00:35	PERFORMANCE For a 5 week session, 5 1/2 days, one each week: Opening Performance Script Video (ACTION: POST VIDEO TO YOUTUBE OR ON PATHSCROSSING, AND PROVIDE LINK HERE) For a 90 minute introductory session: Opening Performance (10’), only the Blind Cafe scene, and The Practice of Embodying Performance (7'), only the calligraphy section. For an 8 hour one-day session: Opening Performance (10’), only the Blind Cafe scene and the "this, this, this" scene, The Practice of Unfolding performance in it's entirety (7'), the Aleut scene from the Opening Performance (5'), and The Practice of Embodying Performance (7'), only the calligraphy section.
	TRANSITION AND SET-UP The purpose is to transition participants from the ideas demonstrated in the performance through the ideas of internal sensing, new ways of sensing, collective virtuosity, the art of illumination, and the five practice, in order for participants to be prepared for the individual and group exercises. Welcome to the Art of Illumination! REFLECTION Take a few minutes to record your thoughts in your notebook/handout, feelings about what you have just experienced Notebook, Option: Ask participants to write their names on the cover. You may consider letting them know that they have the option of leaving them with you at the end of the session, rather than having to remember bringing them. GROUP DISCUSSION ASK questions in order to prompt participants or highlight participants comments to introduce the idea of internal sensing, using individuals and Nainoa as a springboard. (Note: for longer session, ask participants to briefly introduce themselves when responding.) How and when does internal sensing occur in our everyday organizational or personal life? When is it constrained? Is there any situation that you feel hasn’t changed sufficiently enough to feel like you’ve really moved forward, that you’re going in the direction you’d like, or that you’ve been able to contribute in a meaningful-enough way? PRESENTATION/DISCUSSION There is always an opportunity for anyone to develop new ways of sensing, new ways of navigating. The blind and Nainoa each developed their own ways of sensing based on their life situations and experiences, it has come from their way of life. This can point to a gap, an opportunity, in our organizational and personal life, what are the ways of sensing that you are practicing in your organizational or personal life? How have you developed ways of sensing in your organizational and personal life? Possible responses: Demands, expectations, ambition, working as individuals, work in cubes or with a few others, then take that work to or in service of a larger group, seldom at the organization, community, or societal level. Hightlight responses that reflect some notion of a collective, where a large group's effort has had a positive experience together. If so, probe with questions like: And, could you point to one individual who was responsible for that cumulative effect? If no, then this touches on the core idea of this series, called "collective virtuosity." Explore the core idea of the Art of Illumination, collective virtuosity. Has anyone been part of a choir, a symphony, a dance group, a sports team, or a marching band? What was the difference when you were with a symphony, when there were amazing moments and when they were just okay? What’s that amazing moment like? A performing artist or athlete experiences the value of their contribution as an individual to a collective differently than an individual within an organization? What might happen if your organizational life was influenced by experiences as part of a collective, of doing something together at the same time, much like a symphony, a choir, theater or dance group? What new ways of sensing might it provide you? Explain the purpose and intent of the Art of Illumination This is the gap in our organizational life -- that the experiences we have as a collective, to do something together at the same time, inside of organizational life seldom occurs. But, what would happen if they could? What would happen if an individual within an organization could experience the same level of euphoria or fulfillment that an artistic performer does as part of a collective? What difference would it make to their contributions? More importantly, how would change the way an individual senses and navigates in their personal and professional life? It is about who you are as an individual, and about experiencing something collectively. That is what we will be exploring, this relationship between the individual and collective virtuosity. Explain collective virtuosity Collective virtuosity is a term that was mentioned by a research firm in Switzerland, The Imagination Lab. In this document, they write: “After rehearsal, I spoke with some of the sopranos. Alice was ecstatic and said, I had no ideas that we were capable of such a beautiful sound! Tonight we really surpassed our limits” Anne-Marie echoed this excitement and said, I really believe tonight showed us not to set such low expectations, or any expectations for that matter As a group we have transcended them all I am thoroughly looking forward to next week’s rehearsal.” Daisy vividly described the actual moment when the choral sound was transformed. “I had just had enough! I kept trying to sing more beautifully, imagining every time what we should sound like yet it wouldn’t happen, and it was driving me crazy. Finally, I just sang! And there it was. And it was beautiful.” (page 5, Collective Virtuosity, The Imagination Lab) Virtuosity comes from the renaissance and the romantic eras of civilization. It is moral excellence based on the word virtue. It is a dynamic force to overcome obstacles and achieve a level of brilliance and competence. From 16th century Renaissance, it marked a period of breakthroughs in history, architecture, art and music scholarship. Virtuoso refers to any distinguished person(s) who had cultivated an exceptional knowledge and skill in any intellectual or artistic field. Collective virtuosity is the shared experience that emerges from a group, a heightened emotional experience that cannot be attributed to a single person, but is without question dependent on each person’s talents. Traditionally, this experience is the result of a group rehearsal or performance in the arts. It is a different form of leadership, it is a collective sensibility, it is emergent, and fragile, and when it happens we don’t know if it will happen again. Explain the value of the term collective virtuosity An aspect of collective virtuosity is based on the individual’s way of sensing. Ways of sensing are about self-trust and trust in others. The whole experience is dependent on this very fragile balance between the individual and their role in a collective. It is so fragile that is often very difficult to repeat again and again. Explain the relationship between collective virtuosity and the five practices There are some aspects of the experience of collective virtuosity that I believe that the individual has: A keen sense of their own performance, they recognize a certain quality about their efforts, whether they are in "tune" in relationship to others, the practice of recognizing, like Nainoa and the blind, there a keen sense of their behaviors, thoughts, and feeling. This is the practice of recognizing. Learned to trust a process of individual and group rehearsals over time with a degree of uncertainty about what the final performance will actually sound, look, or feel like, they allow their and the collective's performance to unfold, the practice of unfolding, like Nanoia and the blind, they have a different relationship to time. This is the practice of unfolding. Refined the alignment of theiir body, heart, and mind to demonstrate their contribution, their entire being embodies the depth and breadth of their artistry, the practice of embodying, like Nainoa and the blind, they have developed a way of navigating that relies on their entire being, body, heart, and mind. This is the practice of embodying. A certain degree of confidence and clarity to direct their efforts that is enacted again and again, the practice of enacting, the practice of enacting, like Nainoa and the blind, they have learned to trust themselves, acting with confidence in ways that we would consider awkward and difficult. This is the practice of recognizing. I call them practices because they are ways of discovering and enriching your understanding. With each conscientious practice, you develop skill, competence, and eventually mastery. Each practice will give you the opportunity to discover – each week a different art form will be explored. The practices are about experimenting in ways to see if you can experience collective virtuosity. Explain the relevance to our organizational and personal life In our organizational life, collective virtuosity can show up most often in our conversations. But, besides that, the opportunity is for each of us to understand the importance of working on something together, of finding a way to work on something together at the same time, to experience what it feels like to be part of a collective. All of this takes on even more value when we are able to see how it applies or our daily life, both personally and professionally. To help you do that, you will contextualize or frame your experience here today by describing and revisiting a personal or professional challenge or opportunity at the beginning and at the end of each session. Explain the objectives Objectives for Participants: TBD Objectives for Facilitators: Apply the Art of Illumination’s design concepts to personal and organizational change opportunities; Apply the Art of Illumination’s content to frame change opportunities with an emphasis on both inner dynamics and collective action Participants will know if they have achieved these objective when they go to The Art of Illumination wiki to access the design documentation, if they contact Mark Shimada for guidance and advice, and most importantly, if they use any of the content for themselves personally, or with internal or external opportunities. To achieve this, today's experience has been designed so that you can: Describe ways in which aspects of the art of illumination design might be communicated in order for internal or external clients to support a future opportunity Describe the reasons why the art of illumination design is meaningful and useful to one’s internal or external clients Relates potential situations and opportunities for applying aspects of the art of illumination’s design Recognize the value of the art of illumination design to one’s internal or external consulting services Resolve questions about individual and group activities in order to customize individual and group activities for each of the five practices Identify key learnings, insights or discoveries through reflection and debriefs about each of the five practices Explain the process Each day begins with some type of performance Followed by some reflection Review some concept and process A series of individual and group activities Reflection Group discussion Closing Evaluation Each exercise may feel like it's asking you to take progressively greater risks, to be more trusting of yourself and of others So, to maximize your value, let yourself walk to the edge and try not to step-away, but to step in to this moment of growth, nurture your confidence Try to stay with your tensions, engage me and others with your discomforts for support REFLECTION: Personal or Business Challenge As I mentioned earlier, this all takes on practical value when you ground your learning around a personal or business challenge In your handout/notebooks (indicate page numbers), please describe a challenging situation or opportunity. It should be something that you can look at throughout the entire of this workshop (or series). I’ll give you about 10 minutes to do that.	Meta Process: Reflection Presentation Group Sharing Group Discussion Presentation Note: I recommend not writing anything down on easel charts or post-it pads for this session. It's not so much about what gets recorded, as it is that you are completely attentive to each participants comments and thoughts.
01:10-01:25	ONLY FOR 2 DAY OR 5 HALF-DAY SESSIONS OVER FIVE WEEKS: TEAM OR GROUP DISCUSSION (based on the size and if it is an intact team or not) If 18 or less, one group discussion If more then, discussions in large groups with a max of 18 or so to a group. To get a baseline, as a group, I’d like us to have a conversation about why your personal/business challenge is important to you, to someone else, maybe even to a specific group of people. Add your own guidelines or suggestions so that there is complete participation. For the next 10 minutes or so, please discuss your personal or group challenges and pay particular attention to what you are sensing internally. Let's not try to define that right now, just observe yourself. Debrief: What internal sensing did you use? What did you feel inside that resulted in what you said, or maybe even didn’t say?
	Go to The Practice of Recognizing

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