Unusual design for OST event

[Meg Salter]

Hello All

I support this comment.
I've been doing a fair bit of work lately with a large Canadian Bank, groups
of 10 - 40, doing "planning" or business meeting sessions. They are very
receptive to the idea of "empowering and involviing" their people, but also
want some business  as usual.

I make a clear separation between the two. Day one can be traditional
business update presentations, or guided facilitation (altho here I usually
try to throw in a number of provocative statements that set a different
tone). This often provides people the basis of information they need to do
their "planning" (altho they would have got that in OS anyway!) The last
group of managers did an evening of poetry creation; "I laughed till I
cried!"- involved a whole other aspect of their being. I also try to ensure
that they agree NOT to multi-task - i.e. no e-mail during the meeting, turn
off the cell phone.  ANd we build toward the OS day, e.g. "all these ideas/
potential solutions that you have been discussing can be input to our (OS)
day.

Then the OS day looks and feels different. Chairs in a circle. Funny
hand-written butterflies on the wall. Tibetan bells. A letting go of
facilitator control. Works like a charm!!

I would love to do longer than one day, but so far my experience (or is it
just my projections/ confidence) that when this approach is couched in their
language, it is better received. AND it provides a tremendous uplift to the
people, spreads all kinds of good energy, and provides tremendous momentum
in achieving business results. ("We accomplished more in one hour than we
have in the last 6 months.")

My thoughts for the moment...........


Meg Salter

MegaSpace Consulting
416/486-6660
meg.salter at sympatico.ca

----- Original Message -----
From: "uwe.weissflog" <Uwe.Weissflog at t-online.de>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 3:55 AM
Subject: Re: Unusual design for OST event


> 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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