Integration Training trainer Chris Treo tells us more.
Stories hold our attention more than any PowerPoint presentation ever can. They draw people into conversation 
and collaboration. They appeal to the imagination and inspire creativity. We personally identify with universal themes, which encourage us to take ownership of our own individual and collective responsibility.
‘We seem to spend all our time searching for meaning, when what it is we’re really after is a heightened physical experience of our lives’
Joseph Campbell ‘The Power of Myth’
We live in a downloading culture. We have so much information thrown at us from the moment we wake up, that it becomes increasingly difficult to stay grounded, focused and present in the Here and Now. In an increasingly virtual world, we are becoming more disembodied from the physical realm, which profoundly effects how we relate and communicate with each other.
Sometimes it seems that our bodies are merely taxis, which ferry our brains from one meeting to another. The predominance of email, social media and tele-conferencing only help to compound this view, when left unchecked. Combine this with a mindset which is driven by facts, results and ever increasing profits, it’s not surprising that apathy, dissatisfaction and stress rule the day.
We are all connected, but only on a virtual level; what’s missing is an embodied sense of genuine community ‘on the ground’.
So why a StoryCircle?
A typical StoryCircle experience works on a number of different levels.
Firstly, it provides participants with an opportunity to actually physically construct a circular outside meeting space for a school or community centre for social networking of the face to face kind; this is teambuilding with purpose!
Secondly, the intensely physical nature of this experience has the effect of turning the mind’s attention towards the body; you can’t build these things with your brain and a laptop! By tuning into our Physical Intelligence, we begin to see things from a more integrated perspective. The combination of intention (purpose) and attention (energy) provides a powerful backdrop for developing personal awareness and group cohesion. The ‘doing’ aspect of this exercise ensures genuine engagement and ownership of the underlying values. When this is combined with the underlying theme of ‘Story’ (Where are we coming from? Where are we now? Where are we going?) a potent chemistry is unleashed.
Third, the session offers a highly effective context for exploring different leadership styles; this is not a classroom exercise in ‘how to be a leader’. There is real purpose behind this task and consequently leadership must be authentic, agile and courageous in order to achieve set goals.
Looking at the Big Picture, it’s clear that we all need to ‘walk our talk’ and reconnect with our common purpose and humanity. We need to ‘re-member’ who we are and why we’re here, and we can’t do it on our own. That’s where Common Ground can help can help!
For more information please contact Chris Tero on 0758 5150324 or email christero@live.co.uk
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