My business card for Third Space Tokyo identifies me as our "Chief English Co-Creator" and co-creation is our foundational principle. Like Lorrae van Kerkhoff, we have been thinking about how best to "operationalize" this trendy term for creating value together. I'm starting to realize that Caitlin Walker's Systemic Modelling can be thought of as a set of routines and habits that make meaningful co-creation doable. 

With so much interest globally in collaboration and so many methods for fostering it available, what is different and valuable about Systemic Modelling? As I understand it, the biggest difference is the emphasis on moving fluidly and with awareness among three different types of thinking: sensory, conceptual, and metaphoric. All three types are welcome, and group members learn to help one another express their thinking in each of the three ways. Because emphasis on sensory and conceptual are more common in school and business, the inclusion of metaphoric and the use of Clean Language questions as a technique stands out. In fact, Systemic Modelling is often described simply as an application of Clean Language to groups. Based on the limited amount of training that I have had so far, I think of it more as a package of models, routines, and tools that helps people to direct their attention and move with awareness from one type of thinking to another. Including all three types gives the group more information than it would have than with one or two types alone and maximizes the group's potential to identify and reach desired outcomes.

I've made myself the following chart based on this article by James Lawley (experts: yes, I know that this is about Symbolic Modelling), other reading, and all that I've experienced so far in Clean for Teams, Drama Free, and online systemic modelling practice groups.  

Because most of us have only worked with "metaphor" in a language arts class, the experience of asking and being asked Clean Language questions can give rise to a wide range of emotions. Anyone can quickly learn and ask the questions, but being able to use them with intent as a tool requires many hours of practice. For this reason, at first, I thought that I should set out to learn "Clean Language." The more that I learn, however, the more that I am interested in Caitlin's Systemic Modelling and in being able to teach people explicitly about moving with awareness and intent among sensory, conceptual, and metaphoric thinking. Part of this will, of course, involve developing facility with Clean Language questions, but when I tell myself what I am trying to learn, it will be "Systemic Modelling," not "Clean Language." 

In November, I will attend a next level of Systemic Modelling training in Washington DC. I will need groups to practice with in order to improve as a facilitator, and so soon I will be offering free and low-cost sessions. Eventually, my work and that of Third Space Tokyo may move away from directly co-creating content and events with clients and toward being a facilitator for groups seeking to operate as a co-creative team. I look forward to sharing more about Systemic Modelling as I learn, and if you are interested already, please get in touch for a virtual or in-person chat.

- Lisa

UPDATE:
Unfortunately, this event has been cancelled because of a low number of registrations. We are sorry to disappoint anyone who was hoping to attend. At Third Space Tokyo, we believe in the philosophy behind Women Talk Design and the Design Your Talk Topic. We will continue to support all people to craft stories of value for themselves and others. Thank you, Tomomi Sasaki, for your willingness to share the WTD process with us, and we hope to benefit from your expertise at another time in the future.

Women Talk Design (https://womentalkdesign.com) is on a mission to see diverse speakers on stage, and we want to help you design your talk topic.

Do you want to start speaking at conferences? Maybe public speaking terrifies you but you know it’s good for your career. But where do you start? You have a lot of ideas, but what are you actually qualified to speak about?

Join us for a workshop to learn how to get started. You'll get practice identifying:

• your personal ‘why’
• your audience
• what topics you can speak about

Walk away with ideas you can start building into a talk!

The workshop will be conducted in English and Japanese.
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Recently, we received the happy news that ELC wants to try a Death Over Dinner in a new venue with Third Space Tokyo (Lisa) brought in for consultation and language support. This time, the venue will be in Ginza.
ELC and their venue partner, Tegami-dera, want to include people of a wide range of backgrounds to encourage more open conversations about dying.

We are excited that our event at Shibaura House has catalyzed this new initiative, and we hope that you will consider joining us on March 7.
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Further details and sign-up via Peatix: https://deathoverdinner20190307.peatix.com

On Sunday, February 17, 2019, Third Space Tokyo (TST) co-hosted a #meetup with Social Innovation Japan (SIJ). Despite losing one of our speakers at the last minute to influenza, more than the expected number of people joined and we had an energetic and inspiring afternoon. 

We were happy to discover that for some participants, a #meetup wasn't enough. They are hungry for opportunities to tackle real problems on cross-functional teams. Take note Tokyo-based organizations! These people have skills and are eager to contribute. On this afternoon, the themes that people were most eager to discuss included the environment, education, flexible work arrangements (especially for working mothers), community, diversity, technology, healthcare, and CSR (corporate social responsibility).

As part of the event, Third Space Tokyo's co-founder, Kenji Hosokawa, made a presentation about Social Venture Partners, a venture philanthropy organization that started in the United States. Kenji is a partner in SVP Tokyo and a board member of SVP International. He was hoping to dig deep into the pros and cons of different collaboration models, but learned that a #meetup format probably is not the best way to do this. He's grateful for the attention that he was given during his presentation, and he hopes that anyone wishing to discuss further about the financial and collaborative sides of social issue problem-solving will get in touch.

Social Innovation Japan aims to build "Japan's largest and most diverse platform of change-makers." On this day, we could feel the value of this bold mission. First we have to meet one another; then we can collaborate. At Third Space Tokyo, we are very much looking forward to working with Mariko, Robin, and Keiko of Social Innovation Japan again. Now that we've confirmed some social innovation energy through a #meetup, we are eager to satisfy hunger for problem-solving experiences with a #socialhack. Stay tuned!  - Lisa

Lisa Hosokawa
Co-Founder and Chief English Co-Creator at Third Space Tokyo
Member of Shibaura House Relations co-working program
http://www.thirdspacetokyo.com

Save the date! Four speakers will share their experiences with providing English language educational opportunities to children in Tokyo. If you've ever thought of buying or renting a space to offer classes, this event is for you.

Registration details coming soon.