Effective Communication is Key to Occupy's Success
a statement from the Bute Circle
Our vision is to replace the current conflict-dominated culture with a new one based on compassion and consensus.
When groups of people get together, it can be difficult to reach a consensus that is a real reflection of what individuals think and feel. Occupy is facing challenges on many fronts, and people can feel pressured into working as fast as possible, in order to cover as many bases as possible. What can happen in this rush is that old steps are repeated, process is ignored and individual needs are not taken into account.
The political debate that takes place inside Westminster is a representation of everything Occupy stands to challenge. The ongoing conflict in UK politics is truly shameful. Protagonists set out to compete, to win, to humiliate and ultimately beat each other in a race for power.
Learning new ways of relating to one another with compassion and care will be the real strength of Occupy. Unless the deadlocked nature of politics worldwide is challenged, then the impasse that prevents the people from taking control of their own destinies will remain. If Occupy manages to change this political deadlock by enabling people to change the way they communicate with each other, then it may be possible to bring about changes that work for everyone and not just the changes which are shouted the loudest.
On Bute a group of people from a range of backgrounds and nationalities reflected on the way that many people have been conditioned to be competitive and to strive for their own needs to be met, often to the detriment of society. Inevitably in this system many people's needs are not met - and when our needs are not met it becomes a challenge to be sensitive to the needs of others. Inevitably conflict arises.
Our work over the weekend was designed to break away from this conditioning, drawing from ancient traditions as used by Native Americans and indigenous people around the world, including those of these islands. With the help of teachings from The Circle Method of working in groups, we achieved a profound level of communication and consensus within the group.
It was recognised that, when people gather together, they sometimes have a need to get their point over and this can result in a lack of listening. This can herald the start of conflict. The group has been exploring ways of deepening our ability to listen whilst also exploring ways in which we can answer both our own needs and those of the people we engage with. "Only when everyone's needs are met, are everyone's needs met"
During the weekend the group learned to listen to each other’s needs and address them in a sensitive way, making it possible for everyone to feel secure and part of a process. As a result, a level of trust and communication evolved that enabled 10 people from divergent backgrounds to develop a deep sense of unity. This unity is something that, given time and a sound strategic plan, could be replicated on a wider level amongst other communities within Occupy and beyond.
The weekend on Bute represents an effective start in fostering awareness, coming together and communicating in ways that could be very enabling. It has become apparent that, if everyone's needs are identified, then people feel safe and listening becomes far easier. Humankind needs to address its way of communicating if it is to achieve consensus and develop a way of working together in harmony. The relationship between communication and consensus is critical – the former must be nurtured to achieve the latter. The end result is less waste of energy and more power to the work in hand.
Training in listening skills and compassionate communication will benefit the Occupy Movement and support its endeavours to reach a higher level of understanding between individuals. We are now working towards the implementation of what was learned on Bute into the wider Occupy Movement. There are already plans ahead for training in Communication Skills and the Circle Method to take place and we would love to hear from others interested in this kind of work.