Acquantence & Reports for 2 days OS in Siberia

[Rhett Hudson/Chris Weaver]

Dear Elena,

Your questions are important and similar to ones I have pondered myself this
very week.


It looks like that my proposal to provide a workshop for meeting of business
people and local government people, who visited US for their professional
exchange, with the idea to discuss

How do they use their experience? and What they can do more together?

It sounds like these two questions are your theme.  It seems like a good
theme.

in a form of OS was heard and it will be held in a week, so there is no
possibility to predict what will be discussed and the name is just used as
Open World (so I think we need to say more about some possible goals at the
beginning?)

"No possibility to predict..." is good.  When I open the space, I do
elaborate about the theme and its importance.  But  I am very careful not to
suggest specific outcomes; I invite individual, private attention on what
the people in the circle care about most related to the theme.

and for more dinamic, and experience (people are not used to such a form at
all), I want to make presentations at the end of the first day with more
proposals for discussions on the second day.

Until this week, I had never used presentations or group reports in Open
Space.  It is not a part of the process.  But this week, in a group of
sixteen, my friend Peter Donaldson facilitated a "working lunch."  Our four
sessions of Open Space were complete.  It was noon on our second day and we
were about to move to convergence and action planning.   We arranged the
eating tables in a big hexagon.  The convenor or reporter from each group
stood with their flip-chart and made a report.  The group asked a few
clarifying questions, and toasted and applauded each reporter.  It was
lovely.  We only had ten or eleven reports.

I know it is very important not to break the flow of Open Space.  Perhaps
others will comment on this related to your idea of making presentations at
the end of the first day.  Can someone share how you do "evening news" and
how it is different from reporting?

The time-tested practice for closing is to hold a talking circle.  People
don't report; they share whatever is on their mind, often a highlight from
the experience.  The written proceedings provide the report.

As I think people need to hear each other!

Yes!  Our group this week, like yours, did not have experience in
interactive processes.  They kept looking to a designated leader for
permission to act.  Sensing their anxiety, there was a moment when I was
tempted to change the process, but I trusted the process instead.  Which was
right.

also 2 more questions:

 1/ If people are not acquanted, will the process of acquantence, even short
one change the atmosphere?
is it better with the process of acquaintance or without? there will be some
45 people.

Introductions can slow a group down.  People get to know one another as they
engage in their work in Open Space.

and

2/ As we are still not used to read reports at the end and I would like to
make presentations, is it better to make it at the first day and then at the
second - the rest, or at the end - before closing session? How do you think?

I would like to hear from others about this.

Best wishes, Elena.  Thank you for your fine questions.

Chris Weaver
Asheville, North Carolina, USA

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