AM

I've realised that my panic over Rosario's tutorial was unfounded. My project is about discussion and debate, how this creates 'newness', a broadening of horizons and how the friction of discussions leads to increased creativity.

If you have non-participants in a discussion or people who hang back or equally if you have people who dominate, you lose part of the richness as there is a limited input. As Emily said when I spoke to her about it, sometimes she thinks she has a good point but can't say it, so it's about the how not the what.

I found this website called ChangingMinds.org which has a section on how to interrupt people.

This is one:

"Description
Interrupt by clarifying what they have said, testing your understanding.

Tell them that you do not quite understand what they are saying and repeat what they have said -- then move to what you want to say.

It is usually better to paraphrase what they have said, rather than exactly mirror them, although using their words is often effective.

After you have clarified, you can pause to let them agree, but beware of them taking control again.

Example
Ah! So you want to open a new store? Is that right? Well I have been thinking about that too, and I was wondering...

Can I just check something? -- it seems like you are saying that we should leave tomorrow. Well, I've been thinking about this and...

Sorry, I don't understand, do you mean that Simon is responsible? Well, to some extent he may be, but...

Discussion
Expressing confusion effectively says 'I haven't a clue what you are saying, so you might as well stop.'

Clarifying what they say shows respect for the person and interest in what they are saying. This sets up an exchange dynamic whereby they feel obliged to show respect in return by listening to you."

It mentions an "exchange dynamic" which is something that I'm quite intrigued by, how people form an exchange through balance i.e. you listen to me, I'll listen to you or even conversely, you interrupt me, I can interrupt you. I think I touched on this with in the podium ideas and the toffee or there was an element of it anyway. In the case of my project direction it's about how the quiet, shyer people balance the louder, forceful ones, so I guess it becomes two fold in encouraging quiter people to interrupt and louder people to take a step back. Or working from one angle; giving the shyer people tools/objects/techniques/spaces to feel as though they have control and a stake in the discussion.

I really need to properly start making though, instead of just jumping around between areas of research and thinking.