Critique of "VISTAR method of communication"

VISTAR is claimed to be a revolutionary way of "accessing the Collective Consciousness" in group meetings. You can pay them heaps of money to learn this amazing new technique. The below is from a summary they published on Master Facilitator Journal. VISTAR Foundation is at http://www.vistarfoundation.org/

Here's what they say, with my thoughts appended:

1. Bring some elegance and beauty into the meeting environment. Surroundings have a way of affecting people’s attitudes.

Well, we never knew that! For goodness' sake, if facilitators need to be told that pleasant surroundings lead to pleasant meetings...

2. Is there alignment in the purpose and significance of the meeting? This cannot be taken for granted and left in the “Grey Zone.” Review the purpose of the meeting with everyone at the beginning.

Another obvious point. A basic rule of normal communication re-stated in hippy language.

3. Review the basic VMC rules, their meaning and vision, and get agreement that they will be followed. For example, the rule that states “No questions while the meeting is in progress” is challenging to the ego and needs to be understood in light of the importance of the momentum of upward spiraling group energy.

Agree the meeting process rules; one of VMCs rules is "Contributions though the chair" but once again re-worded in their own vocabulary.

4. The Leader should choose an individual or individuals to act as support for the direction and purpose of the meeting. Every meeting has a natural centrifugal force away from its original direction. The support person should have communicated with the leader in advance and be fully aware of the contents of the meeting and its intended direction. Support in this sense is not a question of personal agreement or disagreement; it is a commitment to the rule of order in the meeting and to supporting the leader in staying on the topic and goal of the meeting. Just as in a physical structure, the number of supports depends on the size of the meeting.

One facilitator may need assistants to help govern the meeting. Duh!

5. Stress the importance of contributions by each participant. Contributions are an essential energetic input to a meeting. These may be verbal in the physical realm, or be evidenced by the quality of presence of each participant. Attention and intention are energy fields which determine the atmosphere and frequency of a meeting and are crucial ingredients in accessing the Field of Collective Consciousness.

If someone wasn't going to contribute why would they be at the meeting? Something basic like the Think-Write-Share process is highly effective at getting everyone's contribution.

6. Plan your meeting according to the three sections of the VMC, called the enunciation, development, and recapitulation.
Enunciation is the statement of the purpose of the meeting and exploring its larger significance. In the VMC, the theme of the meeting is called “the thread.” This takes up about one quarter of the time. The Development section takes up about one half of the time and explores the ramifications and consequences of applying the thread in everyday experience. The Recapitulation section brings back the thread, which is now matured through the considerations of the development section. New understanding and new directions for follow-up have hopefully emerged and can be compared to the original intention of the meeting.

Call it Exposition (Enunciation obviously designed to sound a bit mystical!) and you have Sonata Form - not new, but about 250 years old. Also echoes the "Tell them what you're going to tell them..." formula older guys love to trot out.

7. At the start of a meeting and at the very end, the VMC practice is to have a moment of silence. This space is for centering in the present moment and internally and quietly posing such questions as “why am I here,” ”what do I want,” “what do I have to contribute,” ”what have I experienced?”

Again not unique - but few seem to practise this consistently.

8. Using aspects of the VMC outlined above, bring into the light of consciousness the individual and group experience. What are the factors that facilitate or obstruct access to higher levels of group energy and communication? Have elements of Collective Consciousness been present?

They talk about Collective Consciousness like it's God or The Universe or something. They seem to be playing on the term Collective Unconscious, which was coined by Jung and it's the hard-wired stuff that's in our brains due to evolution. Human beings work well when they connect openly and communicate freely and the above techniques are all well-established ways of doing that. Trying to wrap it up in pseudo-mystical hippy terminology to make yourself sound amazing (and worth spending money on!) is just a bit cynical in my book.

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About the Author

Steve Davis, M.A., M.S., is an Facilitator's Coach, Infoprenuer, and free-lance human, helping facilitators, organizational leaders, educators, trainers, coaches and consultants present themselves confidently, access their creativity, empower their under-performing groups, enhance their facilitation skills, and build their business online and offline. Does leading or participating in groups frustrate you? Subscribe to his free weekly ezine at www.MasterFacilitatorJournal.com and contact him here to schedule a free exploratory coaching session.

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