I was privileged to facilitate a “Learn shop” at the 14th annual conference of the Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, targeted primarily at regional leaders working toward environmental sustainability. My own contribution centered on helping learnshop participants use communication theory to engage multiple stakeholders amid the “wicked problems” of environmental sustainability. Drawing from my research, I proposed a Tensions Model centered on recognizing how tensions can be more than just headaches, but can be used constructively once we take the time to appreciate the situation holistically from multiple perspectives. Specifically, the learnshop used four “tension areas” as the starting point to help analyze different problems in small groups.
My learnshop participants were amazing in their enthusiasm, and we ended up with three groups centered on food, community and water sustainability! We also exchanged contact details, and I look forward to learning so much from each of them! I also received some wonderful feedback about how to facilitate future workshops using my Tensions Model! If you’re in SE Michigan, make sure that you attend GLBD next year, because it’s an absolutely amazing conference, and you get to learn SO much from community leaders and members!
You can access the slide deck I used for the learnshop here:
If you would like a copy of my research article in Management Communication Quarterly, which led to this model, please email me at rahul.mitra@wayne.edu
Rahul Mitra 