1. Presencing Principles:
Reflections On Practice
Presencing-In-Action Lab
October 27-30, 2010
Cambridge, MA, USA
Otto Scharmer
MIT
Presencing Institute
www.presencing.com

2. Application of Theory U
1. process template
2. principles and practices
3. connecting to what emerges from the NOW

3. 1. Practice the U – don’t preach it.

4. 2. Become a blackbelt observer and listener.

5. 3. Connect to your intention and…
…operate as an instrument.

6. 4. When reality opens up, be fully present with it
– and then act from the NOW.

7. 5. Follow Your Heart:
Do what you love,
love what you do.

8. 6. Always be in dialogue with the universe.

9. 7. Create a level 4 holding space
that supports your journey.

10. 8. Balance your talking-doing ratio.

11. 9. Identify the crack—the opening to the future—
and understand the big picture…
the imperatives for institutional and global change.

12. 10. Use different languages with different stakeholders—
connect to them in terms of what they care about.

13. 11. If you want to change others,
you need to be open to changing yourself first.

14. 12. Co-initiate through local leadership from the heart.

15. 13. Use sensing journeys that help people to see the
system from the edges and use collective sensing
mechanisms to see the system from the whole.

16. 14. Create holding spaces that support the team at the
top (and emerging leaders) to lead their
individual and collective transformation journey.

17. 15. Prototype by being present and acting from the now.

18. 16. Co-evolve the larger system by using the prototypes
as seeds for systemic change through linking microlevel changes with meso- and macro-level leadership.

19. 17. Never give up. Never give up. You are not alone.

20. Resources and Literature
Scharmer, C. Otto (2007). Theory U: Leading from the Emerging
Future As It Emerges. The Social Technology of Presencing,
Cambridge, MA: SoL Press.
Senge, P., C. O. Scharmer, J. Jaworski, and B. S. Flowers. (2004).
Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future,
Cambridge, MA: SoL Press.
www.presencing.com
www.synergos.org
www.sustainablefoodlab.org
www.ottoscharmer.com