I had thought that permaculture had mostly to do with organic gardening and local food supplies – but what fascinated me as a facilitator was how permaculture is based on natural ecological principles that – lo and behold – actually have quite a bit to do with how people operate.  It’s the application of a “living systems approach” to collaboration, decision making and change.  For example, the approach to “change management” I learned working for a large consulting firm emphasized doing a detailed design, then essentially “managing” the change by designing communications to convince people that the change was “good for them”  The permaculture approach is a more stepwise process, one that values diversity, small steps, and constant creative adaptation.

The first step is what Holmgren calls “Observe and Interact”, which speaks to observing how our actions interact with our place, rather than developing all the details from a grand, abstract theory.  By observing first, we slow ourselves down and see how our thoughts and actions fit into a grander pattern.  This is the essence of systems thinking.

From a facilitation perspective, this means that one of the best ways to sort issues out efficiently is, paradoxically, to SLOW EVERYBODY DOWN first.  Too often we don’t really listen to each other, biding our time until they stop talking so we can jump in and say what WE want to say. Practices like using a talking stone (or stick) are not just some sentimental “kum-ba-ya” throwback, but in fact work because they shift what I like to call the “physics of a conversation”.  Conversations are highly complex interactions that can be understood through many of the ideas of chaos theory, particularly the idea that initial conditions of a system have a huge impact on the subsequent flow of the conversation.  That’s why a mindful facilitator pays attention to factors like the meeting space, the way people are arranged, the agenda, and how the conversation is initiated. Using a talking stone forces each of us into the role of either speaker or listener, without “cross talk”. When one speaks, one speaks completely.  Otherwise, one just listens.  It’s amazing how quickly the real issues in a group surface when we do this, and how it reinforces mutual respect and trust.

For an article on how Transition leaders are using these principles in practice, check out Shaktari Belew’s article in the Sentient Times.  Shaktari is a Transition Trainer and leader of Transition Ashland in Oregon.