Phase I—Engagement with Others

Goal

“I have facilitated new avenues of classroom, workplace, and public participation.”

Background

By moving your research and writing towards completion (Phase H), you have established an invaluable basis for further engagement. That is, your writing is a basis for taking action to change your work, life, or wider social arrangements and building relationships with others in such action. In short, for taking action that combines head, heart, hands, and human connections. (Of course, the opportunity to reach out to others based on what you have been learning may arise at any time during your project. This phase is inserted after Compelling Communication because, with the end of writing in sight, you may be ready to pay more attention to outreach.)

Tools and Processes

Pilot run of activities and other group processes
Revision of activities and other group processes in light of feedback or evaluation
Plan for future development of activities or group processes
Plan future written and spoken presentations
Explore avenues of public participation
Define proposals for further engagement and action

Follow up

No elaboration or sequencing is given for the processes for Phase I, which are simply listed above to remind you of possibilities to start exploring even when your research and writing are not yet complete. A systematic framework to keep attention on engagement at every step of your research is provided by the Cycles and Epicycles of Action Research. A framework for group processes is given in CPR Spaces. Almost all the think-pieces in Part 4, Passages, are intended to inform and stimulate your building a toolbox for engagement along with further inquiry or research.