Day 2: Listening Workshop
Part 2 of the report on BAGN's training camp at WORK101.
In the first part , we explained how the training camp was decided and reported on the first day of the camp. In the second part, we will talk about the second day of the camp and what changes occurred after the camp.
On the morning of the second day, the temperature was below freezing and the windshield of the car was frozen. We started the engine and warmed up the car for a while before setting off. The location was WORK101, just like the first day.
The facilitator for the second day of the camp was Yoshiaki Nishimura. Nishimura is a "work style researcher" whose main activities are "creating, writing, and teaching."
(For more on his involvement with Monosus, see this article.)
Nishimura's first question was, "How are you feeling right now?" Before getting into the main topic, he checked the condition of everyone present.
Some people are feeling better than they have this year, some people haven't been feeling so good since the morning, some people woke up early in the morning because of the sound of a mokugyo (wooden fish) ringing near their accommodation... etc. Naturally, everyone's condition at that time is different. By putting their own condition into words and communicating it here, they can understand their own and the other person's condition, and I feel that they gradually become more comfortable.
The workshop began with us splitting into small groups of three.
The theme is "listening."
According to Nishimura, communication cannot take place without a listener. The speaker, who may seem superior at first glance, is actually supported by the listener.
How does listening connect to thinking about the future of companies?
The four keywords in the "listening" workshop are "pay attention," "don't get in the way," "feel together," and "don't understand easily." What does it mean to "listen"? We tried various ways of listening and slowly trained and practiced while checking how it felt.
Here is an example of one of the training sessions I did.
First, split into pairs and choose a speaker and listener. After that, the listener closes his or her eyes, and only the speaker can see the topic projected on the slide. The topic for the speaker at this time is "Tell someone about something good that happened recently."
Once the topic has been passed on to the speaker, the speaker closes his or her eyes and the topic is given to the listeners alone. The topic for the listeners is to "listen as if you are not interested on purpose."
Once both participants were given a topic, the conversation began.
As the listener, I would listen to what the other person was happily telling me with an attitude of "Oh, I see," without even making eye contact. During that time, I just felt uncomfortable or uneasy. The person in front of me was trying hard to talk to me, but I was the listener and looked uninterested. I was worried the other person would be offended and not want to talk.
By trying out different ways of listening, I felt that even the smallest things could change my relationship with others.
By being conscious of small things that you don't notice because you're working with the same people every day, and trying to change them, your relationships can improve or worsen. I think that if communication changes, your team and your company will change significantly.
Along the way, the BAGN members stretch to loosen up their bodies.
Dinner and surprise gift
Dinner on this day was provided by Kamaya's manager, Mr. Hosoi. The event was attended by the management staff and members of the Food Hub Project, and was a very lively affair.
While everyone was enjoying the delicious food and conversation, the lights suddenly went out, the room became dark, and cheerful music started to play. Even I, a member of the event staff, had not been notified, so I was a little nervous.
A surprise gift from all of us at BAGN has been presented to two members who got married at the same time this year!
Shimoide and Hashiguchi got married at the same time this year.
The surprise gift was a travel voucher disguised as a stack of bills. Sakaguchi sent a loving message saying, "This is to celebrate the addition of a new member to our family."
In that space where everyone celebrated after loosening their relationships, there was a sense of unity and it felt as if happiness was bringing more happiness, which made me very happy.
Kamiyama Lecture
On the morning of the last day, we will all gather at Kamaya and enjoy a morning buffet.
Apparently they continued having fun until late into the night after the party broke up last night, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits.
"I want to buy bread!" With baker Sasagawa in front of Kamapan & Store.
After breakfast, there was a lecture by Mr. Takeuchi from the NPO Green Valley about Kamiyama's urban development and creative depopulation. He spoke about the efforts that Kamiyama has made together with the local community.
Next, we spoke to Food Hub Project's agricultural director, Hakuto, and food education specialist, Higuchi, about the social value they feel, and the "landscape" that is protected by the presence of agricultural workers.
Both Green Valley and the Food Hub Project continue to ask the world what they believe to be right. This lecture further conveyed the charm of this town, where a seemingly extraordinary initiative to "create a cycle" for the town and food is gradually being cultivated.
I have listened to this lecture several times, and each time I discover something new. It is a wonderful experience as I somehow feel the changes in the town and in myself.
Review of the training camp
The three-day training camp is drawing to a close. We will conclude the day with a reflection session in the Monosas test kitchen.
During this reflection time, everyone gathered around a large table and took their time to share their thoughts with each other.
One member said he had an epiphany during the "Listening" workshop on the second day.
"I felt anxious and impatient when I thought about continuing to work in the future, but I felt that communicating with people made me feel better. I learned that if you take an interest, clues to solutions are lying around. I was anxious about having to do something about it myself, but I felt relieved to know that I could just ask."
I think everyone feels anxiety while working and living in relation to others. This camp made me realize that this anxiety can change shape little by little by listening to what the other person has to say. This camp was very rewarding for me, as I was involved in running it. Change your location and think carefully about how you work, how you interact with others, and how you live. By doing so, you can realize something. Each realization may be small, but as they accumulate, I believe that our "way of working" will change little by little, and ultimately our "way of living" will change.
What will the future of work be like?
It was a rainy day in Tokyo, a week had passed since the training camp ended.
After receiving a call from Mr. Sakaguchi, I went to the BAGN office in Sendagaya for a meeting.
When I knocked on the office door, I found the members who had been with me at the Kamiyama training camp there. Even though it was only a few days, I felt really happy when I exchanged smiles and words with the members who had spent time together in the same place, saying "Oh! It's been a while!" and "Thank you for the other day."
It's because of that time we shared in Kamiyama that we naturally smile when we meet. Even in the meeting afterwards, I felt like I was able to speak and act with more consideration for the other person than usual.
"Time spent together" has an intangible value, which is why we don't notice it unless we look closely. I feel that in these small details, there is a path to thinking about our future "work styles."
“You can copy tasks, but you can’t copy culture. If you have culture, you can handle more people.”
These are the words that Mr. Sakaguchi said at the end of the training camp.
How do we interact with others, and how do we build relationships? What kind of culture is created? Working may in fact be about creating "culture."
Although WORK101's efforts have only just begun, we will continue to explore the future of "work styles." We hope to continue exploring the future of "work styles" by interacting with and living together with various people living in the local community.
HARASAWA Shogo