Flexibility and flow – using what you have

Yesterday was a mild winter day.  I was facilitating a planning workshop with a group of nine enthusiastic people.  The venue was a room in a beautifully landscaped setting.  The garden was bathed in sun.  There were different (and wonderfully noisy) species of birds feeding in and among the various plants and flowers.  There were spots to sit alone, and step spaces to gather. 

We may never have noticed any of this if not for some limitations with the allocated room.  The room’s walls were out of bounds as it was a gallery space.  The best part of the floor was also out of bounds.  It was a public gallery – and visitors came through as we worked.  Some of the furnishings required special care.  After rethinking how processes and activities might roll out, the group seized on two words as their mantra – flexible and flow.  

The garden is where we spent the better part of the day.  We may never have used this creative space to generate wonderful conversations and reflection had it not been for the opportunity presented by the room’s apparent inadequacies.  The grass outside became the gallery for the group creations.  The space, which may have only been explored during lunch and breaks under ‘normal’ circumstances, became an asset to the process.  It was open and warm with good light for most of the day.  The occasional breeze threatened to blow away some of the work which was amusing.

For me, this experience was a reminder

• to use what you’ve got and get on with it, and
• to notice what else is available, even if all needs have apparently been met.

Thanks to the everyone’s good humour and flexibility, the group achieved what they needed to on the day. I’m guessing that they also slept very well last night after a good dose of fresh air and sunshine.