I attended this event and would like to publish a review.
It was probably the best thing our meetup has ever done. I kept thinking, “I don’t want to wait a year for this to happen again.” I am so glad ModusPonies made it happen.
These are people that I hang out with several times a month but know relatively little about. To hear other sides of them—histories that shaped them, fears, goals—made them feel much more like real people. It makes me want to know more. I’m excited to see them again.
There were a few new or nearly-new attenders—I imagine it was a bit strange for them, but they seemed to enjoy it. I expect those of us who knew each other better got more out of it.
I think it took about 90 minutes plus potluck, which felt like a good amount of time. Having 5-minute breaks was good to allow people to check on food in the oven, go to the bathroom, or just break the intensity.
Some things I might change: after people speak, especially on emotional topics, it feels weird not to have some way to acknowledge that. I wanted a way to say “thank you” or “I hear you” or “I honor your experience.” In the Quaker environment that I’m used to, this would be done through a bit of silence after each person speaks. At the end of something like this, Quakers would get up and stand for a minute holding hands in a circle (which would probably feel icky to some LW people.) I’m not sure how best to end the whole thing, but I do think having a silent pause after each speaker would improve it.
I also think it might be useful to specify what happens with the information that is shared. Is confidentiality required? Are there things that people are willing to speak about during the ritual itself, but don’t really want to discuss afterwards at dinner?
It’s awkward and disruptive when people come in late to things like this. Maybe we needed a sign on the door saying, “If you arrive late, please wait until a pause between speakers before coming in and finding a seat.”
The suggested topics were Joys, Confessions, Struggles, Hopes, and Other. A lot of people shared History as well, so I think next time we could add that. Also, Confessions/Struggles seemed to be mostly the same thing.
The amount of ritual-ness felt just about right. The talking was the important part, and the food was kind of extra—afterwards, people mostly just ate the chocolate and raspberries, so maybe we just need to pick foods that go together better. Having a potluck afterwards was definitely good, as it gave people a reason to stay and talk.
I attended this event and would like to publish a review.
It was probably the best thing our meetup has ever done. I kept thinking, “I don’t want to wait a year for this to happen again.” I am so glad ModusPonies made it happen.
These are people that I hang out with several times a month but know relatively little about. To hear other sides of them—histories that shaped them, fears, goals—made them feel much more like real people. It makes me want to know more. I’m excited to see them again.
There were a few new or nearly-new attenders—I imagine it was a bit strange for them, but they seemed to enjoy it. I expect those of us who knew each other better got more out of it.
I think it took about 90 minutes plus potluck, which felt like a good amount of time. Having 5-minute breaks was good to allow people to check on food in the oven, go to the bathroom, or just break the intensity.
Some things I might change: after people speak, especially on emotional topics, it feels weird not to have some way to acknowledge that. I wanted a way to say “thank you” or “I hear you” or “I honor your experience.” In the Quaker environment that I’m used to, this would be done through a bit of silence after each person speaks. At the end of something like this, Quakers would get up and stand for a minute holding hands in a circle (which would probably feel icky to some LW people.) I’m not sure how best to end the whole thing, but I do think having a silent pause after each speaker would improve it.
I also think it might be useful to specify what happens with the information that is shared. Is confidentiality required? Are there things that people are willing to speak about during the ritual itself, but don’t really want to discuss afterwards at dinner?
It’s awkward and disruptive when people come in late to things like this. Maybe we needed a sign on the door saying, “If you arrive late, please wait until a pause between speakers before coming in and finding a seat.”
The suggested topics were Joys, Confessions, Struggles, Hopes, and Other. A lot of people shared History as well, so I think next time we could add that. Also, Confessions/Struggles seemed to be mostly the same thing.
The amount of ritual-ness felt just about right. The talking was the important part, and the food was kind of extra—afterwards, people mostly just ate the chocolate and raspberries, so maybe we just need to pick foods that go together better. Having a potluck afterwards was definitely good, as it gave people a reason to stay and talk.
Glad this went well!