Theme vs Topics

[Joelle Lyons Everett]

Dave--

I'm not sure the theme is ignored; we unpredictable human beings just go in
different directions from the basic questions.  Of course, there will always
be a certain number who take advantage of OS to bring out all their pet
ideas/complaints/proposals--and there is always the Law of Two Feet if their
colleagues have heard their story one time too many.

Sometimes when I think a session is off-topic, it turns out that I just did
not understand some aspects of the subject as well as those inside the
organization.  I do try to test the proposed question on a few people to see
if I have somehow obscured my meaning with jargon which may be unfamiliar to
participants.

Mostly, I do just what you did--let the meeting take its course.  If
participants are avoiding the hard questions, or going off on by-roads that
really don't relate to the discussion at hand, that is also data about what
is going on in the organization.  And there is nothing to prevent members of
the design team from posting sessions which are on-target, and see who shows
up.

Facilitating OS is, for me, an ongoing struggle to give up what I thought
should happen in favor of what is really emerging.  Some people call that
letting go of attachment to outcome.

Best wishes,

Joelle Everett
jleshelton at aol.com

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