Initial Question posed in today’s research group:
How might we design environments—physical, social, and informational—that don’t just transmit knowledge, but create the conditions for deep presence, shared processing, and emergent collective intelligence?
Contextual Thread:
This follows from our recent conference reflections on the “well-structured absence of information”—the gaps, pauses, and unscheduled moments where real insight often emerges. How do we hold these spaces with enough form to invite participation, yet enough openness to allow genuine encounter, including with grief, uncertainty, and divergent ways of knowing?
Towards the latter half of the call we focused more on the question or refinement of ‘what we don’t do(/want)’ in these spaces, to help us shape what we do do(/want). Using more traditional conferences and business networking events as our comparison.
Would love to know people’s thoughts and ideas. Here are some of the captures:
We Don’t Want:
- Networking without co-creation – leads to superficial connections and “dopamine chasing.”
- Credential-chasing and extractive relationships.
- Prescriptive post-networking efforts – lack personalization and adaptability.
- Overstructured events:
- Big rooms
- Long keynotes
- Packed schedules
- Lectures
- Transactional attitudes:
- “What benefit do you have to me?”
- Startup/alpha/silicon pitch vibes
- Overreliance on logic over energy or intuition
- Disembodied knowledge transfer – without shared presence or relationality.
- Exclusion of dissent or opposing views
- Too much gamification – risks “game transfer phenomena”
- Authoritative, extractive learning styles – “beaten by teachers,” control-driven education.
- Blind acceptance of status quo models – copying what’s “in” without critical reflection.
- Strict schedules – that limit space for spontaneity, rest, or deeper reflection.
- Lack of post-event consolidation or reflection
We Want:
- Co-creation & shared values – like “mycelium nodes”
- Spaces that invite deep presence, not just knowledge transfer
- Affinity, learning, and task groups – intentional differentiation of spaces
- Tents (small, flexible gatherings) – in festivals or firesides
- Stories over lectures
- Quiet spaces & talking sticks over mics
- Invitations over instructions
- Spaces to breathe – unstructured time, meditation pods, slow pace
- Room for reflection and emergence
- Shared significance and relevance – across individual and group lenses
- Listening & being seen/felt – relational presence
- Inclusion of opposing perspectives – to embrace complexity
- Balance between discussing and building – potentially through separate but connected guilds
- Space for rituals – grounding and meaning-making
- Post-event integration – to continue the learning and relationships
- Support for “nudging” purpose discovery – before, during, and after events
- Emphasis on relationality first – not utility
- Mindfulness and neuroplasticity – as cultivatable skills
- Events that feel like life – fluid, emotional, reflective