people coming and going at OS

Birgitt Bolton birgitt at worldchat.com
Mon Dec 28 11:18:42 PST 1998


Hello Oliver,
And welcome to the list and good luck in pulling your first OS together. In
response to your questions, I believe that underneath all of that which is
done in OS there are strong and important values including a belief in
people, a belief in the power of passion and of responsibility. A belief
that the way of Spirit is for a person to show up and be present, pay
attention to what has heart and meaning, tell the truth without blame or
judgement, and let it all go (the four fold way). In trying to answer
questions about the practicalities of OS, I always look to these and other
values that I feel go with being an OS facilitator. And then I answer. For
me, in response to your questions it means 1. be clear in the INVITATION
that it is best if a person stays for the whole process and that the times
of the collective (beginning, evening and morning news, closing) are very
important to attend. So...the invitation is there. And then just trust
people to do whatever is right for them (because you believe in them) and
they will. If the theme and the givens are clear and something that inspires
their passion, they will likely stay for much of what is happening. If not,
it is your job to let go of worrying about it and let them do what they need
to do. Trust, respect, and love.

Hope this helps.
Warmest regards,
Birgitt

Birgitt Bolton of Dalar Associates
www.openspacetechnology.com
55 Ravina Cres., Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
 L9G 2E8
phone: 905-648-5775  fax: 905-648-2262

I`m rather new in this list, just having participated in my first
OS. Having been a  facilitator (or moderator as we call it) with a
basically similar approach to people for ten years I'm most
intrigued by this way to really make selforganization possible. So I
will organize an OS soon, but in preparing this event I stumbled over
the question, whether somebody who wants to come, has to commit
himself for the whole time (in this case two days, in an volunteers
organization, with about 80 to 120 people possibly being interested
enough).

As I understand the opening proces is a very important
happening of coming together and opening the space. So how about
people who (think they) can't stay all the time, either coming late
or leaving early? How to integrate them in the proces? Do the
principles of openspace also apply to OS as a whole, or is it
necessary that everybody or at least a vast mayority commit
themselves to be present the whole time, or at least at the
beginning?

Anybody got answers to this or experiences with people
coming and going? How do you deal with this? Is there a critical
mass, that should commit themselves, so its possible for some people
not to be present all the time, or is it necessary for almost
everybody  to be there all the time? Or isn't it a problem anyway?

looking forward to answers,  happy new year to everybody

Oliver Schrader, Vienna



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