The central portion of this talk is based on the story
of the transformation of a tough public school. I tell the story to
illustrate why conversation is so important and what makes for those
conversations where people forge new understanding that impacts on how
they work together. The story and principles have significance far
beyond schooling. A few ideas:
1. Communication is sharing already created meaning. Conversation is
creating new shared meaning. Both are important. Innovation and
engagement need conversation.
2. Great questions lead to stories. Pedestrian questions can be answered with bullet points.
3. Great questions are often 'sideways' questions: in this case, not "What's wrong?" but "Why did you become a teacher?"
4. Great questions with great stories and you have conversations that enable people to see themselves afresh and change.
5. One more: 'transformation' and 'cultural change' programs rarely
do any good. Real change needs to be smaller, slower (though ultimately
faster), and grounded in the craft and community of real people.
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