| Articles |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
The Importance of Communication in the Jinenkan
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to attend Unsui Sensei’s Belgium
seminar in May, 2007 that was hosted by Mario De Mol. During that seminar I took
part in the usual meeting between Sensei and the Dojo Cho, and several topics on
the agenda were communications-oriented. At the end of the meeting I suggested
that I could share some of what was discussed at that meeting with you all. Sensei
agreed that this would be beneficial and asked me to do so.
The first issue we addressed was in relation to the etiquette of long distance
communications and being culturally sensitive when dealing with other members of
the Jinenkan. Sensei stated that both he and Kato-san had sent e-mails and snail
mail to Jinenkan members, only to receive no response. He said that he was
extremely disappointed with this lack of acknowledgement. Sensei wants to make it
clear to all Dojo Cho, and through us to the rest of the Jinenkan membership, that
in Japanese culture the failure to respond to a piece of communication is extremely
rude and disrespectful. Be it a letter, an e-mail, or a phone call, failure to
acknowledge receipt of such efforts indicates either the addressee did not receive
it, or that they are in disagreement with the content of the communication. With the
rise in reliability of electronic media, the latter assumption is more frequent. Sensei
stated that a long response is not expected, but a simple thank you and affirmation
that the e-mail had been received is sufficient. Sensei said that an immediate
response to communications from the Honbu, Dojo Cho and other Jinenkan
members, and those seeking training opportunities in the Jinenkan is both
appropriate and expected. I hope that everyone understands the importance
Sensei places on this request and that everyone of us complies with his
expectations.
Another topic of discussion at the meeting was the importance of communication
between all members of the Jinenkan. Sensei has clearly stated it is responsibility
of all Jinenkan members to build a family atmosphere amongst the widely dispersed
members of the organization, and to foster strong bonds with our fellow members. I
feel very strongly that regular and sustained communication amongst the members
of the Jinenkan is vital to growth and health of the organization. This includes
physical interactions between members of different dojo and training groups, as
well as contacts via email and phone as well. At the Dojo Cho meeting Sensei
asked us to work harder to keep the level of communication high and to continue to
work with each other to make Sensei’s wishes come true. With that goal in mind, I
would encourage all Jinenkan members, not just Dojo Cho, to reach out to your
fellow members. Seek out new opportunities at train with members of other dojo
and work to not be isolated in your training. The easiest method to achieve this
goal is to attend a Jinenkan seminar outside your own dojo or to invite other
members to train at yours. However, this is only the first step you need to take. If
you have attended a seminar, but stayed in one corner and only trained with your
own dojo-mates, you’ve done yourself and the Jinenkan a disservice. Please try to
circulate throughout the room and work with people you’ve never met, talk to them
during breaks, and try to build bridges which can enrich your training and the
organization. I know that for some this is a difficult thing to do, but I can assure you
that it is not only important to the Jinenkan, but to your own training as well. I am
fortunate to have regular training opportunities with members of other dojo and I
never cease to be amazed by what I can learn by training with new people and
making new friends. People at every level can learn from one another, if you have
not had this experience, you owe it to yourself to do so.
Sensei also has offered us another excellent avenue to expand our feeling of
community, through our own Seiryu newsletter. In case you are unaware,
everyone is welcome to submit articles to Seiryu. You do not need to be invited to
submit an article, and everyone is encouraged to submit their writings on relevant
issues. Please consider sharing your thoughts and stories with us. All
submissions can be sent to Kato-san at info@jinenkan.com.
Finally, I’d like to add a communications-related topic which was not discussed at
the dojo Cho meeting, but that I feel is very important. In the last issue of Seiryu,
Unsui Sensei wrote about how it was important for Dojo Cho to speak to each other
regarding individuals who had applied to for their Dojo Cho license. In that article
he asked Dojo Cho who did not know the candidate to speak to a fellow Dojo Cho
who has familiarity with them before responding to Sensei with their vote. I have no
problem whatsoever with this request. However, I personally would like to go a step
further and request that potential candidates for Dojo Cho make themselves known
to as many current Dojo Cho as possible well before their sandan test. I feel
strongly that it is the responsibility of those seeking the position of Dojo Cho to
demonstrate a desire and ability to communicate with others in the organization.
We as Dojo Cho need to make sure that the individuals who are expected to fulfill
Sensei’s directives are not just good at Budo, but also can communicate well with
others in the organization. I would put the burden upon the candidates to reach
out and make sure we know who you are, who you train with, and any other aspect
of yourselves you believe are relevant. I expect to hear from many of you in the
future.
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to attend Unsui Sensei’s Belgium
seminar in May, 2007 that was hosted by Mario De Mol. During that seminar I took
part in the usual meeting between Sensei and the Dojo Cho, and several topics on
the agenda were communications-oriented. At the end of the meeting I suggested
that I could share some of what was discussed at that meeting with you all. Sensei
agreed that this would be beneficial and asked me to do so.
The first issue we addressed was in relation to the etiquette of long distance
communications and being culturally sensitive when dealing with other members of
the Jinenkan. Sensei stated that both he and Kato-san had sent e-mails and snail
mail to Jinenkan members, only to receive no response. He said that he was
extremely disappointed with this lack of acknowledgement. Sensei wants to make it
clear to all Dojo Cho, and through us to the rest of the Jinenkan membership, that
in Japanese culture the failure to respond to a piece of communication is extremely
rude and disrespectful. Be it a letter, an e-mail, or a phone call, failure to
acknowledge receipt of such efforts indicates either the addressee did not receive
it, or that they are in disagreement with the content of the communication. With the
rise in reliability of electronic media, the latter assumption is more frequent. Sensei
stated that a long response is not expected, but a simple thank you and affirmation
that the e-mail had been received is sufficient. Sensei said that an immediate
response to communications from the Honbu, Dojo Cho and other Jinenkan
members, and those seeking training opportunities in the Jinenkan is both
appropriate and expected. I hope that everyone understands the importance
Sensei places on this request and that everyone of us complies with his
expectations.
Another topic of discussion at the meeting was the importance of communication
between all members of the Jinenkan. Sensei has clearly stated it is responsibility
of all Jinenkan members to build a family atmosphere amongst the widely dispersed
members of the organization, and to foster strong bonds with our fellow members. I
feel very strongly that regular and sustained communication amongst the members
of the Jinenkan is vital to growth and health of the organization. This includes
physical interactions between members of different dojo and training groups, as
well as contacts via email and phone as well. At the Dojo Cho meeting Sensei
asked us to work harder to keep the level of communication high and to continue to
work with each other to make Sensei’s wishes come true. With that goal in mind, I
would encourage all Jinenkan members, not just Dojo Cho, to reach out to your
fellow members. Seek out new opportunities at train with members of other dojo
and work to not be isolated in your training. The easiest method to achieve this
goal is to attend a Jinenkan seminar outside your own dojo or to invite other
members to train at yours. However, this is only the first step you need to take. If
you have attended a seminar, but stayed in one corner and only trained with your
own dojo-mates, you’ve done yourself and the Jinenkan a disservice. Please try to
circulate throughout the room and work with people you’ve never met, talk to them
during breaks, and try to build bridges which can enrich your training and the
organization. I know that for some this is a difficult thing to do, but I can assure you
that it is not only important to the Jinenkan, but to your own training as well. I am
fortunate to have regular training opportunities with members of other dojo and I
never cease to be amazed by what I can learn by training with new people and
making new friends. People at every level can learn from one another, if you have
not had this experience, you owe it to yourself to do so.
Sensei also has offered us another excellent avenue to expand our feeling of
community, through our own Seiryu newsletter. In case you are unaware,
everyone is welcome to submit articles to Seiryu. You do not need to be invited to
submit an article, and everyone is encouraged to submit their writings on relevant
issues. Please consider sharing your thoughts and stories with us. All
submissions can be sent to Kato-san at info@jinenkan.com.
Finally, I’d like to add a communications-related topic which was not discussed at
the dojo Cho meeting, but that I feel is very important. In the last issue of Seiryu,
Unsui Sensei wrote about how it was important for Dojo Cho to speak to each other
regarding individuals who had applied to for their Dojo Cho license. In that article
he asked Dojo Cho who did not know the candidate to speak to a fellow Dojo Cho
who has familiarity with them before responding to Sensei with their vote. I have no
problem whatsoever with this request. However, I personally would like to go a step
further and request that potential candidates for Dojo Cho make themselves known
to as many current Dojo Cho as possible well before their sandan test. I feel
strongly that it is the responsibility of those seeking the position of Dojo Cho to
demonstrate a desire and ability to communicate with others in the organization.
We as Dojo Cho need to make sure that the individuals who are expected to fulfill
Sensei’s directives are not just good at Budo, but also can communicate well with
others in the organization. I would put the burden upon the candidates to reach
out and make sure we know who you are, who you train with, and any other aspect
of yourselves you believe are relevant. I expect to hear from many of you in the
future.
