Dining with a difference: How we’re nurturing relationships one conversation at a time.

by Rachel Musson

Last night I hosted a Jeffersonian dinner for a visiting group of education ministers and leaders.

During the 1800s when Thomas Jefferson was the US President, he used to host dinners to bring diverse people together around a shared meal with the intention of simply listening.

There is only one rule: there is just one conversation around the dinner table at any time.

I've been hosting these dinners for the past few years now, and find them so nourishing - for body, mind and soul. The format I use is three courses and three questions - allowing an ever-greater deepening of connection and conversation to flow as the night unfolds.

Normally I bring six strangers together and cook myself, but last night was held in a hotel with a group who have known each other for a few months but who hold very diverse views, backgrounds and experiences.

The questions we explored together last night around our tables (we had four tables of 8 on each table) were:

1. Share an education story which has shaped your life
2. What is learning?
3. What are some of the wolves in the education system?

NB: the last question makes no sense out of context, but if you've ever seen the short film 'How Wolves Change Rivers', we used this metaphor during a workshop earlier in the day to look at systems transformation in education.

A reflection and a feeling that I appreciate every time I hold one of these dinners is the magic of food, listening and inclusivity to shift folks into a completely different space of connection.

Who might you invite to a dinner? What sort of conversations might flow? What questions could you ask?