Using nature to help business leaders and future thinkers build resilience, at Meaning Conference
What it is
Meaning conference connects and inspires the people who believe in better business.
In 2017, Meaning expanded their Fringe, a smörgåsbord of independently organised events happening around Meaning’s core conference, in order to add value and offer more events for attendees.
In 2017, Meaning expanded their Fringe, a smörgåsbord of independently organised events happening around Meaning’s core conference, in order to add value and offer more events for attendees.
What we did there
Meaning were pleased to include two School of the Wild events in Meaning Fringe 2017:
- Surfing the Unpredictable
- Find Meaning in Nature
photo: Clive Andrews / Meaning
Surfing the Unpredictable
The morning of the conference, eight business leaders, innovators and future thinkers braved a cold November sunrise to take on the elements with a facilitated embodied sea swim. The aim of the session: to use the sea to help us be braver and more outward-thinking, overcome fear, and expand our headspace for the day ahead.
Participants came from Dublin, London, Brighton, and East Sussex.
Before going in, our lead facilitator Vicky led a facilitated discussion around individual relationships to the sea, how each person felt about it, then using visualisation techniques to turn the sea into a resource for building resilience, and dealing with unpredictability and uncertainty.
The sea was calm, but very cold. We went in as a group for a guided swim with Vicky leading the way and making sure we knew how to deal with the icy water, and to make sure we were safe.
Most were unsure about going in, but as the soft grey sea blended with the open sky, we swam out alongside the West Pier, for an embodied wake-up call. Overcoming our fears was liberating, and we all felt euphoric and invigorated afterwards, and it brought us together as a group.
Participants came from Dublin, London, Brighton, and East Sussex.
Before going in, our lead facilitator Vicky led a facilitated discussion around individual relationships to the sea, how each person felt about it, then using visualisation techniques to turn the sea into a resource for building resilience, and dealing with unpredictability and uncertainty.
The sea was calm, but very cold. We went in as a group for a guided swim with Vicky leading the way and making sure we knew how to deal with the icy water, and to make sure we were safe.
Most were unsure about going in, but as the soft grey sea blended with the open sky, we swam out alongside the West Pier, for an embodied wake-up call. Overcoming our fears was liberating, and we all felt euphoric and invigorated afterwards, and it brought us together as a group.
I thoroughly enjoyed the swim. And that experience just before the conference meant that if I ever needed to I could find a ‘buddy’ during the day. It made me feel more at ease and more at home.
Find Meaning in Nature
The day after the conference, seven business leaders and creative consultants were sitting around a fire in Stanmer Park on a gorgeous sunny afternoon, for Find Meaning in Nature, a workshop designed to introduce a way of learning from the landscape, by sharing and listening.
Starting with a facilitated fireside discussion and some peer-to-peer sharing on a theme – personal and business – the participants then spent time walking and wandering, on their own, soaking up the land and the trees, in conversation with natural world.
This kind of walk is special, it turns the land into a reflection of what's going on inside. Returning to the fire, they each told the story of their walks, and using reflective listening, were helped to gain an understanding of their journeys, and what insights from it that could be applied to their life.
The aim of Find Meaning in Nature is to use a new way of learning, that comes from being in nature and the experiences and reflections that you have there. It creates the space to find new and useful perspective on personal challenges, in a dynamic and volatile world.
Starting with a facilitated fireside discussion and some peer-to-peer sharing on a theme – personal and business – the participants then spent time walking and wandering, on their own, soaking up the land and the trees, in conversation with natural world.
This kind of walk is special, it turns the land into a reflection of what's going on inside. Returning to the fire, they each told the story of their walks, and using reflective listening, were helped to gain an understanding of their journeys, and what insights from it that could be applied to their life.
The aim of Find Meaning in Nature is to use a new way of learning, that comes from being in nature and the experiences and reflections that you have there. It creates the space to find new and useful perspective on personal challenges, in a dynamic and volatile world.
An extremely liberating experience and I came away feeling lighter.
