Thanks for this Georgie! So much to respond about. I particularly resonated with the idea of 'find a role' when in a big group of others you don't know yet. I've often found this useful myself. Having been writing about Host Leadership for a decade and more, it strikes me that what may put some folk off this is the idea that 'someone else ought to be doing it'. Well, if it needs doing and there's no-one else, then get going. Good guests always seek to help their hosts, and getting stuck into making sure something happens, people know where to be, helping move things along, these are all wonderful ways to both participate and also 'scaffold' some interactions with others. Indeed, people have told me that one way into this is to put yourself in the host's shoes and simply start acting to introduce people, point up what's happening, asking about what people are looking forward to and are hoping for, and so on.
Thanks for this Georgie! So much to respond about. I particularly resonated with the idea of 'find a role' when in a big group of others you don't know yet. I've often found this useful myself. Having been writing about Host Leadership for a decade and more, it strikes me that what may put some folk off this is the idea that 'someone else ought to be doing it'. Well, if it needs doing and there's no-one else, then get going. Good guests always seek to help their hosts, and getting stuck into making sure something happens, people know where to be, helping move things along, these are all wonderful ways to both participate and also 'scaffold' some interactions with others. Indeed, people have told me that one way into this is to put yourself in the host's shoes and simply start acting to introduce people, point up what's happening, asking about what people are looking forward to and are hoping for, and so on.