I felt the format of the conference was dynamic and cooperative – democratic in the widest sense of the word. And I felt empowered without the necessarily having to speak. I was enabled to listen more effectively than I had been ‘talked at’ or ‘talked to’. I had a sense that ordinary people (ie the non-expert) with the will can effect change, possibly with much more impact that when we are driven by outside agency or force.

I find it interesting that at the end of the day I feel as, if not more, energised, than when I arrived, and I am a morning rather than an afternoon person.

I know I am going to act on an initiative and I am interested in waiting to see how many people from this conference will eventually be involved. This is exciting. Margaret Davidson

 

First time I’ve experienced this format which I found very enjoyable, rather than the traditional ‘expert lecture’ format. The four sessions I attended were interesting although nothing came out of them which was in any sense revelatory.

 

There was a good flow of information in the groups with people’s personal experiences adding to the colour and vibrancy of the discussions. Good natured and inclusiveness meant inhibitions were absent. A good event. Dave Stephen.

 

Very useful, relaxing and positive; seek to find knowledge and expertise from unusual places; look further a field to work with new organisations; attend other events/conferences with a different mindset (more listening!); I will organise meeting in a different way; look forward to reading the collection of comments about further work. Nicola McGonnell.

 

It was a very interesting day. The process encouraged the development of a lot of ideas that perhaps would not have occurred in a formal conference setting. It also seemed to encourage people to be open and receptive to other points of view. Although the discussion drifted a bit in some sessions, the necessity to provide a summary led it back to the point. It was striking how often the same themes emerged in different sessions:

1. the importance of education (in the wider sense) enabling people to see themselves in a wider social/environmental context
2. the role of empowering individuals/communities to take action/make a difference.

 

Group discussions tended to be disjointed rather than structured and not really related to each other. It might have helped if we could have had a few brief and well prepared addresses to provide the basis for the days discussions.

Nevertheless I liked the informality of the day’s programme and felt that it had real value even though it may not have yielded any clear ideas for further action.

I hope that the pattern of the conference may be repeated occasionally in other RSA events. Alan Jarvis

 

What I got from the day. Process – a format which is new to me, a definite benefit that I was free to choose to join discussion groups that were of interest to me, the result was that each group was made up of people who genuinely wanted to be there.

People – made a number of useful contacts.  D Watson

 

Wasn’t certain how the process would work but impressed at the simplicity of it and it’s effectiveness. Useful contacts made on matters useful to both work and personal interests.

Noticed how the same two or three people attended through out of the four groups that I attended. Great minds thinking alike or fools……

Would have more confidence another time in proposing my own question. I should have offered ‘Sharing success stories’ as a topic as I guessed from the groups I attended there were talented people here who had imaginative solutions to practical problems it would have been worth hearing.

 

Fun process, interesting not boring, although I had the opportunity to be a bee, chose not to be a bee. Day went very quick. Anthony

 

Interesting to discuss issues with which, in the main, I am fairly familiar, with people from a variety of different backgrounds.

Perhaps due to the breadth of these – essentially, sustainable development – discussion in the groups tended to come back to the same issues irrespective of the ‘specialist’ topic  David B…………..

 

Very interesting. Lovely venue. Good to hear other people’s views (from a large variety of backgrounds and experiences) on topics I know nothing or little about.

 

An interesting day and an opportunity to explore some useful ideas. Groups varied according to the topic: some were an exchange of well founded, informed views; others and exchange of mutual ignorance.

We were all too ‘nice’. Perhaps it could be made compulsory for at least two people to lead each group after 10-15 minutes.

As with other days, the best bits were the conversations outside the sessions. Peter Allott.

I enjoyed the whole process and opportunities to express ‘my’ opinions rather than those of the organisation I represent. But also useful for new contacts which may be taken up later for work related issues.

Good to hear others knowledge and opinions in a supportive and empowering environment.

 

What did I get out of the day?  A surprise! The format was refreshing, but responsible with the freedom to express opinions and ideas with strangers in an open friendly non-confrontational way.

 

We just don’t know enough to isolate the answers to those massive interconnected topics let alone decide on how to implement, fund and resource. We don’t have a reliable way to measure the result. Without these how can we hope to encourage others/governments/organisations to agree to join in.

But if we don’t talk…..

 

Enjoyable and stimulating day. Thank you. It has encouraged and helped me to take forward some issues (co-housing and village wind turbines) that I feel strongly about but felt isolated in my views.

Delightful venue and good food which I hope/assume you specified should be locally sourced.

The process worked very well; I was in discussion about topics that really interested me. An interesting group of people. Kathryn Potts

 

Everyone’s willingness to participate in the process and the richness of the discussions. Feeling of not being alone and having others to share with.

 

Very enjoyable day; educational and interesting but also reveals how polarising some issues can be! Good process. Should be repeated.

 

I found the process to be very inclusive. Whilst I would never volunteer to facilitate a workshop at any ‘normal’ conference, I was happy to be a convener for a group discussion.

Was concerned there would be no discussion around my subject but participants were open minded and forthcoming.

Great networking opportunity. Got to mention the energy saving trust to a few new people. Got lots of good ideas of how to facilitate discussion at conferences in the future.  Laura Thompson

 

Stimulating and enjoying – a very inclusive way of involving people and exploring new ideas. Lots of contacts and ideas have been generated which will be useful to both my work and personal life.

 

I was quite apprehensive and unsure of what today’s event would be like/what I would be expected to do and if it would be relevant.

However, I have thoroughly enjoyed it and have found it really useful and interesting way of learning and meeting people. Gaynor Western.

 

I shall in the future:

•  Drive slower
•  Fill my car with passengers
•  Not live in the SE quadrant
•  Increase the thickness of my cylinder jacket
•  Support wind farms
•  Avoid buying goods from distant locations
•  Switch of electric/electronic goods when not in use
•  By cars that can be recycled

 

Interesting, particularly to see the degree of agreement or diversity of opinion between those with some expertise and those with general opinions.

The maximum size of the group would seem to be eight for full discussion opportunities and it was useful to have a mixture of situations so that in so that in some we learn a good deal and in others made relevant contributions.

 

The process or the people delivered a mass of thoughtful discussion on potentially controversial subjects without dissention. We may not have fully developed solutions but the sharing of ideas brings them nearer.

 

A very useful opportunity to network with some like-minded as well as complementary ideas. A good spacious environment to play with ideas in.

Generally a good level of engagement and debate…. Of the nature of such short sessions that outcomes were light in terms of action.

Some of the more generalised, very broad and complex topics suffered from not being able to cut into the topic enough and through not being able to engage sufficient knowledge – with this level of complexity passion was not enough!

In one session convenor suffered from negativities which got in the way of finding positive outcomes. Another time I would want to be more actively engaged as a convener.

 

Liked the idea of having first names and no ‘company’ names so there was no preconceived ideas of what folks stood for.

Workshops interesting and lively. Made me things about topics again and what is close to my heart.

Diverse group of folks.

…… me asking too many questions, particularly how to take on the likes of Tescos and bring effective change! Thank you.  Jayne Brettell

 

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