Unusual design for OST event

[uwe.weissflog]

Jeff,
in my work with OS in engineering and development organisations I often face the
same situatuan - being rushed and being asked to combine OS with more
traditional meeting approaches. My experience is as follows:

- I set clear boundaries between being in OS and the "other activities". By this
I mean a separation specifically in time. The traditional goes first and OS is
reserved for the rest of the time. No interference of the two!

- Inbetween I offer a break to center and enter an different state od being in
preparation for the OS (you evening session might provide such an opening).
During this "intermezzo" I often invite the participants to a dialogue session,
with varying questions to reflect upon. My favorite questions are always around
someting like: Tell us what you really care about and what you are afraid of? It
depends on the group how I actually phrase the questions.

- Regarding being rushed: Lately I try to slow the groups down, at least I offer
the space for it. It is my emerging insight, that people actually don't want to
be rushed (in the sense of getting lots of things done in the least amount of
time). It seems to me that people actually want to stay with a theme until it is
naturally "digested" (when its over it is over), but that they (we) follow a
myth that tells us otherwise. One can't tell a flower to grow faster, it just
grows - that's all

Good luck
Uwe Weissflog
Pathway Guidance, Rinnengaerten 1, 34516 Voehl-Marienhagen, Germany
email: uwe.weissflog at pathwayguidance.com
email (personal): uwe.weissflog at t-online.de
phone: 49-5635-991197; fax: 49-5635-993934

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