Evening and Morning news

[Steve Brigham]

Birgitt, thanks for your helpful distinctions and your quick response. As a
well-conditioned westerner, I definitely think about/worry about the time
an open-ended closing circle might take, especially after the end of a very
long day. Most meetings (of any kind) that I either facilitate or are apart
of I find that people want to head out that door at the scheduled closing
time (or before). Sounds like I might just need a little more patience ...
people do like to reflect and hear thoughtful reflections after
particularly important/engaging/powerful experiences. Thanks for your
perspective!

Steve


Please respond to OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>

To:   OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
cc:    (bcc: Steve Brigham/Kaludis Consulting Group)
Subject:  Re: Evening and Morning news



I try to keep morning announcements as short as absolutely possible yet
with
respecting the new topics that go up and require their time to be worked up
and announced. As soon as I have the first likely pause to say, let's get
on
with it, I do.
With the evening news, I think it is very important to let that go as long
as it has energy--often more than an hour as community experiences what it
needs to at that time. I use a "talking stick" in the centre and people go
to it as they feel moved to speak and others are the respectful
listeners--or at times are called to participate in song, dance, other
movement--whatever shows up. Sometimes what happens is very much feel good
stuff. Sometimes it is the very necessary expressions of pain, frustration,
anger, etc that all also seems to be within community as high learning
grows.
With the closing circle, different from evening news, I use the talking
stick to go around the circle and whoever has it, speaks or not as per
their
choice. Whoever doesn't is the respectful listener, including the
facilitator. I NEVER use a guided question. Nor direct with any control
means regarding length of what is said and so on, precisely because it is
not my right to remove from the group the opportunity to go deeply or where
they need to go. I do playfully suggest that people might want to be
mindful
of the amount of time just so we can get out on time, and in an
invitational
way suggest no speeches---but always also say that if someone is so
inclined, it is after all a "talking stick" ceremony. Please remember that
we use these means that come from indiginous peoples of the world and they
did not go in accordance with the clock. Sometimes it could take 3 days for
the talking stick to make its round. And sometimes it was held in silence
for a very long time by someone moved to do so. There is no rushing or
directing. However, my experience is that most groups manage this quite
well
timewise with no direction to do so.
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
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Steve
Brigham
Sent: Friday, June 18, 1999 9:29 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Evening and Morning news

Robert, you talked yesterday (below) that the evening news and morning
announcements are key sessions. I'd be curious to hear how you AND others
facilitate these segments of Open Space. In my own experience of doing two
Open Space sessions that run longer than a day I have found each of these
segments to be fairly short and sweet. And, when doing it with large groups
-- more than 100 -- the substantive reflections get held back because I
tend to just ask for relective comments of no more than a few words or at
most a sentence.
With morning announcements, often its not much more than four or five new
topics and a few reflective comments. What are others' experiences ??

As for electronic follow-up, I don't think it has as much to do about skill
or confidence but lack of intimacy. On-line web sites are a far cry from
intense face to face interaction.
Steve

Please respond to OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
To:   OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
cc:    (bcc: Steve Brigham/Kaludis Consulting Group)
Subject:  Re: evening & morning news


Yes Barbara,
The evening news and Morning announcements are key sessions for allowing
all participants (not just the few outspoken ones) to express their "new"
issue or to tell a story that will allow them to grow in the community.  I
think this is very hard work because the way I behave sends the messages
that the group responds to.
After three days in March people were saying I wish we were not going home
as I have just got used to the system and I have a number of issues to
discuss.   We provided the post event "virtual Forum" on the world wide web
to encourage unfinished conversations but again the world wide web is new
and different and does require a different set of skills and knowledge (may
be confidence) to use.  The reality is that not many took up the
invitation.   Yet another challenge for the facilitator to construct an
environment that breaks down these barriers.
<snip>
Robert