OST Facilitator Training

[Leon R De King]

Date:    Tue, 6 Jan 1998 10:09:16 -0800
From:    "Peggy Holman, Open Space Institute" <osi at tmn.com>
Subject: Fw: training

To the Open Space List,

Please send any thoughts to FMHagerty.

Thanks,
Peg
-----Original Message-----
From: FMHAGERTY <FMHAGERTY at aol.com>
To: osi at tmn.com <osi at tmn.com>
Date: Monday, January 05, 1998 12:27 PM
Subject: training


>Hi - I am looking to get some insights from someone about training others
>to plan and facilitate Open Space.  I tried the e-mail "chat group" adress
>given on the OST web page but had no luck reachig the site (was told it did'nt
>exist).  Can you help?  Either with ideas or with a new e-mail adress or
>names or....?
     Dear FM:  You've found the chat group.  You and I are using it.
>What I would like to discuss is how best to train people that are not
>professional facilitators to use OST.  I have planned and facilitated a
>number of community Open Spaces and now many others want to use it.
>The organization that I work for (a large Catholic health care system) and
>myself would like to offer some sort of training for people in the non-profit
>sector who are interested.  So .... how best to train?  Also,  should we be
>concerned that folks receiving the training are not professional facilitators?
     No!, we should not  be concerned that folks receiving the training are
     not professional facilitators.  (See OST Principle 1 - "Whoever comes
     is/are the right people").
>Would love some guidance.  Thanks!
     Who is this Leon R De King [aka "ol' dad" (OD) and "el profe" (EP)],
that presumes to offer "guidance?"  He is:
     **a resident of Prescott, AZ;
     **an experienced educator of "professonals"(*);
     **an experienced facilitator of OST events; and
     **collaborating with Peggy Holman in her Open Space Institute (OSI)
development efforts.
     Ol' dad has also agreed to "manage" the OST Research Phase of
the OSI.  [This means, right now, that I'm upgrading my computer hard-
ware, software, and skills so that I can make the intent into actuality.
(All ideas, questions and suggestions gratefully accepted.)].

    (*) Professionals = people who get paid for helping other individuals or
groups cope with problems, e.g., lawyers, accountants, MDs, teachers,
soldiers, and are recognized as competent by their lawyer, MD, etc.
peers.

 <So .... how best to train?> (from ol' dad's perspective).
Point #1.  I agree with Harrison Owen, that institution based training
is NOT the way to go.  Institutions, like universities, churches etc.,
are too apt to need to stabilize and control things.  However well
intentioned they might be, their programs would quickly become
fixed in time and ossified, by comparison with what OST field
practitioners are doing.
Point #2.  I also agree with John Dewey.  People learn best by doing.
Telling people doesn't work.  You can tell people often but you can't
tell'm much.
Point #3.  There are any number of levels of OST involvement, from
participants, who know how to apply the four principles and one
law, to converts, like you and I, who have accepted Harrison's charge
that we share the wealth and enhance the vision.

     What does this all mean?  It means that the first step is to get'm
into an OST event.  The second step is to be alert for and receptive to
those who would go deeper and further with OST.
-----------
Please forgive my cutting off at this point, but I've a Church Long
Range Planning Meeting that I'm facilitating in one hour.
I can continue if you'd like.
RSVP, with name and location

Yours Aye,

Leon