The OPUS Listening Post

Convener: John Condon

Location: Online via Zoom

Language: English

Introduction

For the past 40 years, OPUS - An Organisation for Promoting Understanding of Society - has been making sense of society with the Listening Post.

By sharing personal preoccupations and experiences of society, we attempt to identify common themes that may unite us or, on the other hand, keep us divided.

We then use those themes to develop hypotheses that may explain in some small part what is happening in society - beneath the surface - at an unconscious level.

Listening Post Format

Part 1: The sharing of preoccupations and experiences

Task: to share preoccupations and experiences.

Task: to reflect upon the experiences of the large group and enquire (in our minds) what this may be telling us about society.

Part 2: Identification of major themes and tentative hypothesis formation

Task: to reflect upon the experiences of Part 1 and enquire (with others) what this may be telling us about society.

Task: to produce at least one tentative hypothesis ready to feedback in Part 3.

Part 3: Plenary

Task: to feedback at least one tentative hypothesis (and supporting themes) from Part 2.

Task: to reflect upon the hypotheses that are presented and enquire (with others) whether they help deepen our understanding of society.

Listening Post Report

The meeting will be recorded to allow a short report to be written up by the convener(s) and published on the OPUS website. Previous Listening Post reports are available to read here.

About OPUS

If you would like to find out more or support the valuable work of OPUS by becoming a member, please visit our website:

https://www.opus.org.uk/