One Day OS Training

[Harrison Owen]

At 02:23 AM 5/8/01 -0400, you wrote:
>After much discussion my partner (Bruce Craig) and I have decided to
>offer a one day "Intro to OST" training.  We are both enamoured by
>this thing called Open Space and want to increase it's presence in our
>own lives and in the world.

I think this is a wonderful idea, and would encourage you to do it and let
us all learn from your experience. And if others choose to follow, so much
the better. I have no question that in a single day, folks will get the
idea and be reasonably comfortable with the mechanics. After all OS is not
Rocket Science, and since they have copies of The User's Guide, what they
don't get in the program, they can pick up later. After all most people
(probably) never come to a training program -- just read the book and do it!

I do have one concern, however. The "hardest part" of effectively
facilitating an Open Space is NOT the mechanics (words, motions, logistics)
it is all about letting go. Over the years, I have found that in the longer
programs, the central issue that is worked, and reworked is just that --
Letting Go. And indeed, Letting Go is an on-going lesson for all of us. My
suggestion is that -- at the very least -- you verbally alert folks to this
most critical element, and further suggest that learning to Let Go of
outcome is a life long undertaking. There is no magic bullet here (that I
know of) -- but continuing support can be very helpful. Especially on the
First Time Out.  Switching gears from a mindset that most of us have which
says that our job is to "do it, fix it, and make it work" into one which
seeks to be "totally present and absolutely invisible" can be (usually is)
very nervous making. So keeping in contact with the group can be very
important. And at the very least, encourage your folks to join this
LISTSERVE so all the rest of us can help out.

Harrison

>Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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