Fw: OS in connection/combination to a serie of lectures

Patrick McAuley patrick.mcauley at sympatico.ca
Thu Jun 1 04:41:59 PDT 2000


For some reason, this response to Thomas Herrmann's message went directly to him, rather than to the OSLIST.  Not sure why, but here is my response, so others can add your thoughts if you feel the urge.

Patrick McAuley

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Patrick McAuley 
To: thomas.herrmann at TELIA.COM 
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2000 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: OS in connection/combination to a serie of lectures


The challenge you are dealing with has similarities to a professional development activity I am helping to plan for the Strategic Leadership Forum in Toronto.  The planners are still in the early stages and we have considered a number of options, but one thing we have agreed on is that an interactive, participative format is much preferable to a presentation format.  
 
We have discussed having "experts" make presentations, then going into Open Space -- very similar to your "very interesting researchers" giving lectures prior to Open Space.  At this point, we are leaning toward not having any SEPARATE presentations by experts.  Instead, we feel that if we frame the theme and purpose well, the "experts" will want to learn as much as to contribute, so they will want to be full participants, recognizing that other participants are "experts" too in their own space.  In other words, make the activity completely Open Space, letting all experts who choose to champion a topic and present their ideas be free to do so.

In our case, we are looking at a single event, whereas you are considering a series of events (lectures). You may want to have a series of Open Space events, advertising in advance the theme and the names of some "very interesting researchers" who have said they are eager to participate.  You could develop some degree of convergence on key ideas/actions to develop business networks at each event. Drawing on some of the discussions that have taken place over the past few months on this list, you could perhaps take the outputs of several events and have a concluding event that further converges these results.

Patrick McAuley

PTM Consulting                   Tel:  (519) 827-9396
20 Magnolia Lane                Fax:  (519) 827-0956
Guelph, ON  N1G 4X7         patrick.mcauley at sympatico.ca
Canada
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Thomas Herrmann 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 3:52 PM
  Subject: OS in connection/combination to a serie of lectures


  A professor of a nearby University (west Sweden) will organize a serie of
  lectures (15) concerned with approaches to build different kinds of networks
  between businesses. The lecturers are very interesting researchers and
  practioners. The aim is to aquire more knowledge in the area and support
  regional development, mainly for businesses. Local officials, politicians,
  enterpreneurs will be invited to attend the whole serie.
  We are discussing how to combine this with OS. His original suggestion is
  that every lecture is followed by an OS. Since the total timeframe for each
  event was planned to last for about three hours there would be too little
  time for OS within that. We discussed some alternatives. 1. To extend the
  timeframe (might be possible) to, say three hours of OS each time. 2.
  Cluster the lectures and have an OS after each cluster. I would suggest a
  whole day, since I don't think longer time will be possible. 3. Have the
  whole serie of lectures followed by an OS for at least one day, hopefully
  two.
  Initially I was also among the lecturers. "OS as a tool for developing
  networks". I think this tool will be visable anyway.
  If anyone has ideas or suggestions, I would appreciate hearing from you!
  Greetings Thomas Herrmann

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