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PORTER’S  PURPOSEFUL  PLENARY  PLANNING  PRINCIPLES

 

These are not in any particular order, as all work in synergy throughout the process of conceptualizing, implementing, and following-through with the Plenary. I have added a few illustrations that came out of our working meeting.

 

1. ACCESSIBILITY

How do I get in?  Is this (old boys’) club an exclusive or welcoming place?  Do I need an invitation or can anyone attend?  How will I get to meet or know others there? How can I get desired doors to open for me? Where are the doors/gatekeepers?

 

2. TRANSPARENCY

What is going on? What kinds of reports, benchmarks exist and commissions are responsible?  What kinds of information are (supposed to be) public? Have realistic purposes been set forth and are there open, accountable processes transpiring? 

 

3. CONSEQUENCE

What is this all going to amount to? Is this event for show and an end in itself or the means to something even more significant? What are the reasonable expectations that I should have for a follow-up? What are the institutional bodies that could act on this?  What is PACWAC anyway and how do you pronounce the acronym?

 

4. COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION

Who else is in this with me?  With whom dare I be candid and open? How can I connect to a mentor?  What are commonalities across Schools and disciplines? Who else are our allies who can mentor and work across areas to address complex, institutionalized issues?

 

5. HUMOR

How AM I going to get through this?  What kinds of progress shave we made that we can look back on and feel good about?  What is just too outrageous and needs to be ridiculed?

How can attending this event lower versus raise my stress level? How can I come away refreshed and lifted up?

 

6. SERIOUS RECOGNITION

Who is taking me seriously and respecting my experiences? How can I express and channel my anger? Can I expect a candid versus self-congratulatory response and exchange? Can I rely on the information that I am given? Who needs to respond to us?

 

7. PERSECTIVE AND CONTEXT

What else is going on around the country and world?  How do our issues, policies, and strategies stack up?  Where have we been? How can we learn from and benefit by others’ struggles? How can this work impact or draw on benchmarking goals? What areas should we celebrate (and then keep on going!)? What kind of retrospective should we plan?

 

 

12/15/03 Maureen K. Porter

 

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