Talk

And then talk some more. I spent the day in a crowded conference room facilitating a table of a dozen educators, parents, would be employers and adults with autism. It was a fascinating experience - facilitation is a moving target, depending on who you're facilitating and this group was easy enough - but this town meeting model used technology in ways I have not experienced before. I'm not sure how I feel about it. And I'm not sure it made the conversations any more profound, insightful or productive than they would have been without the technology, but it was certainly interesting. There were keypads that took individuals demographic information and eventually initiative votes and prioritization were recorded on the same keypads - so when the 1000 or so people's input is analyzed there will be another layer of labeling to attach to their opinions - which could either be that they speak with the authority of their role, or that they are locked into predictable advocacy for their role. I'll be interested to see what ammendments are made to the process after today. This was a gig with America Speaks, but I think I still prefer the Public Conversations Project process, which is very low tech, very intentional and rooted in interpersonal dynamics. This seems just a little gimicky. Technology is a good thing and a useful thing, but is it always necessary? I don't know. But what I do know is that after a fairly long commute and a very long day of being "on" I'm ready for bed. (P.S. There was another baby pic today - he's still beautiful) In honor of the time keepers at todays town hall meeting, I have included this picture from our Mount Auburn visit - a funerary carving, holding an hourglass. Time slips away for us all.