Keepers+of+voices

=Keepers of voices=

The keepers of the voices are tasked with ensuring that forgotten voices and perspectives are present in the workshop in some way and that those in the workshop have a voice and are heard.

But it's not possible to be totally comprehensive in terms of representing identity - the voices that are present or not present will depend on the story being told. What inhibits and what enables certain voices from being heard will depend on the stories, too. We thought that future discussions of this keepers group might look at classifying/developing a taxonomy of the stories; what is the story about? Who is telling the story? Are they at the centre or at the periphery?

A key issue is one of power asymmetry and the unrepresentativeness of the sample in the workshop.

Day 2

Keepers of voices need to be aware of issues relating to the language being used: shared interpretations through discussion help to build a common understanding.

An interesting example is the way a group of hospital doctors when visiting the bedside go into a huddle and speak in medical terms that excludes the patient.

There is an onus on users of jargon (specialist/technical language) to be sensitive to its use and support for those who don't understand it when they ask for clarification.

Meaning can be a negotiated process (if negotiation is allowed rather than a particular discourse being imposed from outside and the internal voice being suppressed).

It's important to understand the discourse and to separate this from the status of the speaker. For example what are the dominant world views being expressed within the voice.

Closing discussion points 4 Jul 09 KoV(s) need to: --Reflect on how the voice is a synthesis of the different voices that have been heard in the trajectory --Be sensitive to the discourse being used and the relationshops between them --Consider how the message is being mediated/translated/filtered/interpreted across the boundary

Roadside verge, Kents Hill, 4 Jul 09
 * Further thoughts**

KoV has to look at 2 levels: --Overall voice --Individual voices Most communities are like impressionist landscapes. You can see the overall impression; but, with the blur, it's less easy to work out what all the little voices are saying because they usually get crowded out by the big voices.