Real conversations

Real conversations give energy, regardless of platform

On September 15, Jonsered Manor hosted a full-day seminar on the US presidential election. The seminar was held online with participants from both sides of the Atlantic. – My opinion is that the conversations, the quality of the discussions and the intellectual exchange was as high as when the seminars are held at the manor, Lena Ulrika Rudeke explains.

THE SEMINARS at Jonsered Manor usually begin with lunch. Eating together is important to create the relaxed atmosphere and curiosity that characterizes the subsequent discussions. However, during the pandemic the seminars have been held via Zoom. – Many people see digital platforms as merely a substitute for meetings in real life. But used correctly, an online platform can be a really excellent complement to face-to-face meetings, says Lena Ulrika Rudeke, Operations and Programme Manager at Jonsered Manor.

However, it is important to carefully prepare a digital seminar. – We have listened to advice, discussed what works or does not work, how to work in large and in small groups. The risk you run when holding digital seminars is that they can be a little slow or that participants forget to take a break. The challenge is to maintain a certain pace, while also allowing everyone the time to have their say. As the moderator of a seminar, you must constantly infuse the seminar with energy, in a way that stimulates and promotes the level of engagement and dialogue.

ONE OF A NUMBER of advantages of digital seminars is that you can reach other participants than those who are able to physically get to a certain place, Lena Ulrika Rudeke points out. – It can be difficult for people with a full schedule to find time for a Jonsered seminar. And for people who live out in the country, who do not have an organisation

Face-to-face meetings on site generate a particular presence, but the digital ones create a different kind of proximity.

LENA ULRIKA RUDEKE

behind them, such as artists and writers, a trip to Jonsered can be too expensive.

Another advantage is that participation becomes more egalitarian online, says Lena Ulrika Rudeke.

– SOMETIMES IT CAN be easier to start a digital discussion than a real one. Face-to-face meetings on site generate a particular presence, but the digital ones create a different kind of proximity. The focus is on what the participants have to say, not on anything else. The digital discussions at Jonsered’s Manor have been so interesting that many people did not want to bring them to an end.

Digitalization provides new opportunities that we have only just begun to explore, explains Lena Ulrika Rudeke. – When the pandemic is over, I think we will have learned something, for example how digital meetings could work as a complement to meetings in the physical realm. It might be possible to arrange seminars digitally and then develop and extend them at face-to-face meetings at the manor. In this way, we can create new forms of collaboration while also saving both time and money.

Many people are tired of Zoom and other digital meetings. – Nevertheless, I notice that once a discussion has started, I can see smiles on people’s faces. Real discussions, which are allowed to take time and be probing, are energizing – whether they take place in a manor house or via a computer screen.