Dialogue Salon Vol. 3 (in Japanese)

On Thursday, 8 January, we held the third “Dialogue Salon on Nurturing Inclusive Spaces” (in Japanese).

The session facilitator and theme

We were joined by Yuko Hasegawa, a professional facilitator based in Hokkaido who runs SNUG, and she kindly facilitated this session.

We held a dialogue around the theme of “fear” and “anxiety” as experienced by facilitators. The theme was proposed by Yuko.

The influence of values on dialogue

How do the values within our society affect dialogue?

Yuko posed this very thought-provoking question to us.

At the core of Yuko’s work is the creation of “fair dialogue spaces”.

By this she means:

creating spaces for dialogue while questioning social norms - what is considered “normal” or “obvious” - based on the premise that each participant has a different level of ease in speaking.

We understand a dialogue space as a “small society”.

Therefore, we believe that the issues and values present in society also appear within the dialogue space.

(This is quoted from the SNUG website, translated by me.)

Looking at the SNUG website, it becomes clear why, at the beginning of the Dialogue Salon this time, Yuko invited us first to reflect on the “unconscious assumptions” each of us carries.

In a fair dialogue space, the proposal was that each participant first looks at the social values that influence them - values they may not normally notice but are nonetheless shaped by - and asks what that influence actually is, in other words, what unconscious assumptions they hold.

The idea, it seems, is to recognise that we all have such unconscious assumptions, and to begin simply by spending time together from that awareness.

“Fear” and “anxiety” for facilitators

It was shared that one source of anxiety is wondering what to do when a participant makes a comment different from what we as facilitator had anticipated, or an unexpected remark arises - how to respond, and how to facilitate in that moment.

There was also reflection on the desire, as a professional facilitator, to be seen as “skilled”, alongside the question of whether what feels “good facilitation” to oneself is actually the same for participants. In any case, there can be a sense of anxiety about being judged or evaluated for one’s competence as a facilitator.

We also discussed how it can become a source of fear or anxiety when participants in the room are not fully engaging with the space - for example, someone showing indifference through their attitude, or closing themselves off.

One possible approach is to frame the event in advance, for example by announcing, “Those who are interested in the theme are warmly welcome”.

On the other hand, in learning environments (such as school workshops), not all participants necessarily gather with a strong interest in the topic. Even in such cases, the facilitator’s role is to hold the space, which brings a different kind of difficulty. With that comes an unavoidable sense of fear and anxiety - something I found myself reflecting on in my own role as a university lecturer.

What does it mean for facilitation to “go well”?

It seemed that a shared view among participants this time was that you can tell whether facilitation is going well from the atmosphere in the room.

Personally, I felt that if I prepare the space in a way I am satisfied with, and can facilitate naturally - without pretending and in a way that feels true to myself - then whatever kind of space emerges could be considered successful facilitation.

Yuko Hasegawa, thank you very much for facilitating the Dialogue Salon this time!

Invitation

You are welcome to register for the Japanese-language dialogue salon here.

The next session will be held on Thursday, 5 March, starting at 21:00 Japan time / 13:00 Central European Time.

You can register for the English-language dialogue salon here.

Once you register, I will send you the participation link for future sessions as well.

I look forward to another relaxed conversation together around a new theme!

Participants this time