Going Away Roasts

Two of my colleagues were leaving our department, so we organized a going-away party for them.  I decided that it would be nice to assemble a little roast for each of them.  It didn't take much - I just printed out a few embarrassing photos, solicited some stories from the group, and tied everything together based on a vaguely plausible theme.

And it went over really quite well - both of my colleagues really appreciated the gesture.  What I realize is that it wasn't the words or the pictures or the funniness of the stories.  Those were just structure for the group to collectively express their sentiments.  As I told the stories, people would interject funny comments or ribbings.  And everyone was laughing.  My job wasn't to regale the group, my job was merely to give prompt the group and help focus its energy.

It's a wonderful thing to witness communication between individuals and groups.  There's so much between the lines.  And I'm happy to have been a part of making that happen.