Client out of control! #2!

[Jay Vogt]

Hi all:
Not to muddy the waters but I am facing a similar case.  I have always managed
to keep the spaces I have opened clear of contributions that had a "plenary"
feel to them.  My bias has been to dispense with such events before the space
opens, if at all.

My newest assignment is a two day retreat which was initially set up (by
another consultant) as conventional strategic planning retreat.  Four 90
minute presentations of software, supposedly of interest to the entire group,
had been planned at various points throughout the two days, quite literally to
coincide with meals or "breaks".  The organization (a foundation) subsequently
rejected the traditional agenda and approached me instead to lead the event in
open space, along with the four presentations.

First I negotiated these presentations down from 90 minutes to 60.  Next I
thought we could bunch them all at the beginning, and get them over with, but
I encountered two problems.  First, it would start the open space in the
afternoon, after lunch, which I believe is a bad time of day, biorhythmically,
to begin a creative enterprise.  Second, some of the presenters had already
booked flights in to do their presentations on one or the other days.

I thought about just folding them in as one more offering in the normal
discussion rounds, but I don't want folks to have miss out on the work
directly related to the theme just to get this background stuff, should they
really want it.

What I am currently proposing is this:
• Start the open space early on the first day and open things up and hopefully
keep them open.

• Schedule the first demo concurrent with a 60 minute "working break" at
lunch, with two conditions, namely:
1) the law of two feet still applies, and
2) anyone who wants to post and participate in an alternate "working break"
session is free to do so.

• Schedule the second after the closing circle on day one, the third as an
evening affair, and the fourth during the next day's "working break" at lunch.

It is my hope that the openness of the space will be so great that it will
contain these events, rather than be closed down by them.  Of course, I don't
know for sure yet.

Hope this helps.  Feedback welcome.
Jay Vogt