Feelings and Thoughts on OSonOS Berlin

Sun Nov 5 03:42:20 PST 2000

Feelings and Thoughts on OSonOS Berlin
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Francis Gastmans 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 12:08 PM
  Subject: Feelings and Thoughts on OSonOS Berlin

  Hi Francis,
  Thank you for your open hearted thoughts and feelings. I agree with much of what you said. I have a few comments to it.

  Feelings and Thoughts on OSonOS Berlin
  I am very thankfull I could be in Berlin. It was a great experience for me. But this doesn't mean I always had a fine feeling during the Open Space. There were many moments I felt puzzled. Things that happened also gave me thoughts on what I felt was good and what I experienced as obstacles to a real Open Space. 1. 

  B. Give also food for the Spirit, for example: some spirit-thoughts on the wall, or real art, or poetry, or tables with a landscape made of flowers and leaves, or a silence-room for meditation (as counterpart of a video-room), ...

  <A room for meditation ina large event like this and even in asmaller setting, a great idea.>
  2.
  I had the feeling of a well organised event. No it was more,  I had the feeling of an over-organised event. For me there was too much control. There was also too much "talking" and much too less "asking" from the part of the organisers. It all made it not enough open for me.
  My lessons:
  A. "Keep it simple!", "Less is more"
  B. Do not organise what need not to be. Dare to let things be unorganised.
  C. Don't try to be perfect, don't try to organise the one and only good Open Space, don't try to organise the Open Space other Open Spacers talk about. 

  < I like that, be where the energy is. Follow the process. I normally plan down to the very minute and detail. that gives me a security and something to hold on to, and then I can let go when something else wants to happen The art of improvisation is especially needed when you work with school children in Open SPace.> 

  4.
  I experienced little Open Space in the small groups. At home and at school we didn't learn to listen carefully, we learned to debate, to discuss, to fight for our opinion. We are not grown up with an open mind and an open heart, as adults we still have to learn it. Open Space gives us the opportunity to leave old habits and to open ourselves for the others. But it is difficult.  When we meet eachother our old habits tend to come in the meeting.
  Another observation: people talked and talked, just a few persons asked, gave me an inspiring question. I somethimes had the feeling that some of the participants liked to hear themselves talking. For me this attidude closes the mind, closes the circle. A good question opens the mind.
  My lessons: 
  A. Together with the Law of the Two Feet maybe its necessary to tell the Law of the Two Ears: the more you listen the more important words are exchanged, the less you listen (= the more you talk) the less important words are exchanged. ..."The Spirit will come to you by listening not by talking" ... "Questions are more open than answers"
  B. When I organise an OS, shall I tell people about a few pitfalls or shall I leave it all open to the dynamics of the group?

  < When I do Open SPace I usually tell people of what makes up a good dialogue,(different from discussion) that is: start with a round, use the talking stick (which I place in the middle of the circle together with these rules of thumb), listen with 100% attention to the one who is talking, share the time, don´t gossip, talk in I-statements (at least in Sweden we tend to use the impersonal word one or man, when we actually talk about ourselves). and end with a round to have the subject and process completed.
  I have wondered about this, if it is to impose things on people, knowing that Harrison have taken away all that is unnecessary. THese are of course recommendations, I really stress that it is voluntary but recommend people to try them if they want to achieve another quality in their circle and that it should be a joint decision. Just sitting in a circle, doesn´t necessarily change peoples pattern of domination or passive behaviour.>

  In each room there was a box with the right tools to write. Excellent. There were no tools, no instruments, no materials to draw, to paint, to model, ... to express in a more creative way. Our northern cultures are so fixed on words. And I am one of the northern side of the earth.
  My lessons:
  A. As a facilitator I shall also give instruments, materials, ... for creative expressions.
  B. Next time as a participant I shall try to use less words an to use more my hands, my feet, my body ... for creating images, express tales, touch people, ..

  <I like your idea of the Law of two ears and like to add, that there must be a reason why we were created with two ears, but only one mouth.>

  So I suggest: first listen to the wise man/woman in yourself, feel what he/she tells you and then act accordenly. Your feet are the servants of your wise man/woman. Stay in close contact with your own wise man/woman and try to have contact with the wise man/woman of the other participants.
  Let it all happen more slowly! Open Space is not a race to meet as many people as possible in a short time, but to meet that one or two persons that are the right people for you at this moment ... and then do what you have to do.

  With appreciation
   Agneta Falk

  Francis Gastmans
  STP
  Spiraal Training en Procesbegeleiding
  Spillemansstraat 18 - 2140  Borgerhout
  Tel. 0032/(0)3 235 39 99 € Fax 0032/(0)3 271 19 27 € E-mail stp at online.be

  Amateurs practice until they can get it right; professionals practice until they can't get it wrong.

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