Is this still open-space- or what?

[Birgitt Bolton]

Hi Erich,
Some of us have wrestled with the question of what is open space and what is
it not. In my opinion, when space is opened, and really open, it doesn't
matter if it is a teeny tiny little space because an organization has so
many "givens" like the police, or a large space like at OT. It is still open
space if it is a short time or a long time. However, it must be truly open.
For me, that means that the opening is done including the circle, reminder
of the breath and the wisdom in the circle,  the theme, the givens, the four
principles and one law (by the way--what are humbles?). The agenda gets
built and the bulletin board created. The marketplace gets opened for
choice. And it all is closed with a closing circle. Whenever I have left out
any of these ingredients, for example because I am with a group that has
participated in many open spaces, they always conclude that I should do all
of the parts each time or it just doesn't feel safe and open. An opening
including choice of topics can be done in less than 30 minutes. A closing
could be about the same. One session time is all you have, so it will have
to do. The shortest ones I have done have had two session times and it
worked just fine. Handwritten reports will have to do, although this has its
own problems. I always use guide sheets for people to fill out--I think
Harrison's "user's guide" has an example of a report form. So, the leaders
pick one of these up and fill it out and get it back to you. You need to
figure out how everyone can have a copy of the report after the fact--get
names and do a mailing maybe. I recommend that a book of proceedings come of
it. This is important work you are doing and there may just be some very
important treasures that surface.

I have done open space work outside to work with street youth. People
floating in and out, some curious and joining in. No problem---it worked
just fine.

Good luck to you. And I hope that people will be so pleased by the process
that when the meetings move inside, there will be a request for more open
space :-)

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

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Mag.
Erich Kolenaty
Sent: Monday, September 20, 1999 5:00 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Is this still open-space- or what?


Hi list,

my name is Erich Kolenaty, I live and work in Austria (there are no
cangoroohs in Austria) as a consultant and LGI' facilitator. I was joining
the list so far as a reading member, but now I would like to ask for your
experiences:

The background situation:
Imagine a european city (Vienna in Austria). A peaceful country, but the war
is nearby (Bosnia, Kosovo), less than 1000km apart. It turns out the
difficult question how to keep in a peaceful way and how to support while
war with and without weapons at the same time.

In Vienna a NPO was running a weekly programme "bridges to peace" from June
up to now in a park right at the city center with different kinds of
discussions, presentations, workshops, music performances etc. to find
different points of views, to keeps things in awareness, to find maybe
solutions.  Now in September the weather it is getting ugly over here,
anyway too cold to maintain an open-air thing. So they will change inside
and have their closing event next week. And this will include an 2-hours OS
to approach the question

An collegue of mine will accompany the OS and invited me to join. And I know
very well, this is not an OS like we all use to do it.

So there are two important questions I would like you to share with me:

1. OS on open air right in between the public: though there might me a lot
of every weeks costumers, we will not have a common setting with regular
participants etc. Let's say the humbles and the bees are the standard
population.What are the special effect of an OS on open air in an evening
session like this?
2. It is a micro-OS with only one working-round. Does this make sense? How
do you operate the beginning in that case? And whats about the reports ?

Does anyone of you have experiences with this kinds of setting?Or better
leave that all? Is this still open-space- or what?

my best greetings from Vienna

Erich Kolenaty

****************************
Mag. Erich Kolenaty
TRAIN Management Trainings- und
Organisationsberatungs GesmbH
A-1070 Wien, Zollerg.7/6

Tel:  +43-1/526 07 40
Fax: +43-1/526 07 409
www.train.at
e-mail: e.kolenaty at train.at