====== How to find firmer common ground ====== ==== Surfacing & aligning our hidden maps of reality ==== [[2025-05]]-05 This was just a first draft following up my earlier piece of [[2025-03-17]] called "Imagining new stories", where I have drafted a general methodology for [[t:ontological commoning]]. Thanks to much interest from various (most appreciated!) people, I have been moved to offer a clear and concise structure for trying out ontological commoning; **[[o:90-minute exercise| Please look there for the latest formulation]]**! ---- //OLDER VERSION FOLLOWS// ---- === People numbers: === * 4 is absolute minimum, barely adequate * 6 practical minimum * 12 comfortable maximum: if more, split into separate sessions Time: allow 90 minutes: numbers given below are guessed guidelines ==== 1. Find one pair of story-tellers ==== Time: up to 5 minutes * People mix and talk freely, to find the best pairings where they: - share a topic of common practical interest (important) - may not agree on detail, strategy, tactics, values (likely in any case) - would like a better understanding of each other (vital attitude) - could imagine working/being together around this topic (for motivation) * As long as one pair emerges, no matter if more do not * If there are over 12 people, this would best be done all together, then the pairs would divide. * ALTERNATIVELY: the pair may be pre-arranged ==== 2. Divide into teams for each story-teller ==== Time: 2 minutes * If more than one pair in one group, quick straw poll vote on which pair to proceed with * The pair of story-tellers separate, taking half the remainder with each of them * The others are participant-listeners The next 3 steps are done in the two separate teams ==== 3. Let the stories be told and heard ==== Time: 10 minutes * Each story-teller tells their listening team a story relevant to the topic * Listeners note what they hear of the belief system and ontology * Interruptions are ONLY if the story-teller cannot be heard or is not understood ==== 4. Fill in the belief systems ==== Time: 20 minutes * A scribe may be chosen from the listening team * Listeners ask questions to elicit and fill in story-teller's belief system * Listeners MAY ONLY USE TERMS ALREADY USED BY THE STORY-TELLER when asking questions * Listeners may: - ask the story-teller "Do you believe … ?" - ask story-teller to expand on part of the story - ask "could you say more about X" (where X is a term already mentioned) * this may bring up other terms or beliefs, BUT MUST NOT BE FORCED! * When story-teller acknowledges a belief, scribe notes it for the team * The belief system records are NOT shared between the two teams ==== 5. Document the ontologies ==== Time: 10 minutes * In a separate place that can be shared, each team lists the terms used in the belief system * entities, with optional attributes * relationship terms — BUT NOT beliefs about the actual relationships ==== 6. Relate the ontologies into a commons ==== Time: as required within time available — this is the actual ontological commoning * Teams rejoin and look at each other's ontologies * Both story-tellers, supported by their teams: * ask questions about the mapping of terms in each ontology * may ask for examples from the other story-teller or team * Scribes and/or listeners note mappings * The aim is to find and document common ontological ground * to be common ground, it must be confirmed by the story-tellers * common ground could be found at the domain level, and/or at meta-levels ==== 7. Reflect on the process ==== Time: whatever remains, or arranged as follow-up * Story-tellers celebrate common ground, and may * identify and confirm shared beliefs * describe how their own ontology or beliefs have shifted * arrange to meet later to co-create shared stories * Other participants: * describe their experience * comment on potential usefulness and possible contexts of use * suggest improvements or added details ---- === terms or themes === * [[t:ontological commoning]] === backlinks === {{backlinks>.}}