Warm Up

[Chris Weaver]

Viv,

I appreciate and share your question.  There are some groups I have worked
with where it is clear to me that opening the space as quickly as possible
is the best choice.  And in multi-day OS events, the first day becomes a
warm-up for the deeper work of the second day - OS is "self-warming."  But I
am also interested in experimenting with a warm-up for some groups.  For
example, I may be facilitating an opening retreat for a Leadership Education
program in September.  This will be the first meeting of a diverse group of
45 people who will meet monthly over nine months.  So this is not a
"decision time of yesterday" event; this is relationship-building event.  At
present I am interested in beginning the retreat on the first morning with
AI discovery interviews, followed by small group sharing-out, and then a
break to move around & breathe; then to open the space for a day and a half.
I am interested to request feedback from OS participants about their
experience of such a "warm-up" and whether they feel that it was time well
spent.

Chris

----------
>From: Viv McWaters <viv at theReef.com.au>
>To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>Subject: [OSLIST] Warm Up
>Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2001, 9:51 PM
>

> Hello all
>
> I've been following the discussion about OS/AI with great interest and this
> has raised another question for me. Collegaues who are involved in
> psychodrama/sociodrama/action methods are big on warming a group up - and I
> certainly use a lot of different processes to warm a group up before
> launching into facilitated workshops.
>
> I've heard some criticism of open space along the lines of the group not
> being warmed up enough for the bulletin board and market place.
>
> I've never used a specific warm-up immediately before opening the space
> (although I have been involved in or used storytelling the previous night
> as well as playback theatre).
>
> Although I don't know much about AI it sounds like one way of warming a
> group up (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm way off beam!)
>
> I think I believe (that's confidence for you :-) that if the OS theme is
> appropriate and the group are passionate then a warm-up is not needed.
> However my recent research into warm ups for new groups, cohesive groups
> and ending groups has raised the question about a warm-up especially for a
> new group (where the participants don't know each other very much or at
> all). Would such warm-ups (before opening the space) add or detract from
> the experience? I'd be interested in your thoughts and experiences.
>
> Cheers
>
> Viv
>
> Please note NEW telephone number
>
> Viv McWaters
> Beyond the Edge Pty Ltd
> PO Box 665, Torquay 3228
> Victoria Australia
> Ph/Fax: 61 3 5261 9498
> Mobile 0417 135 406
>
> "Thus the task is not so much to see what no-one yet has seen, but to think
> what nobody yet has thought about that which everyone sees." Schopenhauer
>
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