A commitment to and partnership with community and community-based organizations are part of our DNA here at Hampton Consulting. Any and all who are in community-driven work (whether an educator, a non-profit program manager, or the CEO of a foundation) or connected to community in any way know what a busy time of year we are in right now! The school year is here, we are in the last quarter of the year (time is flying and there is so much to be done!), planning for fiscal year 2018 is here, and more.

Through all of this, we are knee-deep here at Hampton Consulting in planning a number of convenings in Detroit as well as other parts of the country. A question to ponder: Are convenings in your fourth quarter plan? What about your 2018 calendar of engagement?

Convening power is priceless and its value is infinite. Not just anyone can convene a collective. It’s even tougher to convene and make progress toward a given goal—versus just getting together for conversation and debate or purely surface level entertainment. If you have convening power, how are you using it to reach your goals? If you do not have convening power, who are you collaborating with and leveraging to make this happen?
Convenings can accomplish more in 4 hours or a couple days than in a month. There is something about creating a space for people to be present, focus, and physically come together that leads to a 15-minute conversation with that person you’ve been playing phone tag with for weeks or aren’t scheduled to meet with for another month. A 15-minute conversation in a place of convening can get more accomplished than a 4-hour meeting in the midst of a day full of other stuff. Can you think of a conference or convening you’ve been at where you accomplished more in that time than you felt you had in a month...or a quarter? How do you make this happen on a consistent basis?
What happens after convening is just as important, if not more, than what actually happens at the convening. Depending on the type of convening and your vision/goals for the space, the follow-up, next steps, and future benchmark touchpoints may be even more important. Do you need a convening catalyst to launch a major project or initiative? To re-spark productivity or collaboration? To what end should this convening be and how do you continue the momentum from this space?

As you think through the power of convenings and how you are hosting or engaging in these spaces to further your purpose and goals, consider Hampton Consulting as a capacity-building partner--whether in a design capacity, as an execution leader, or both. We’d love to connect and partner with your mission-driven organization!

How Are You Using Convenings to Meet Your Q4 Goals?