AW: an open space for around 1500 people ?

[Harrison Owen]

At 01:34 PM 11/15/01 +0000, you wrote:
>hi toke,
>
>so many participants produce a lot of results - if they are careful and
>write their reports, that could result in a lot of paper.
>
>we had the chance to accompany several open space sessions and to gather
>results with handdrawn pictures, which we edited as picture protocolls
>later. in German we call that VISUELLE PROTOKOLLE, in English you can name
>it graphic recording, group graphics, vision painting ...and if you take
>some more responsibility, visual facilitation.

The use of visuals is great -- for it does add a whole new level to the
communication. But every time I have used (or seen used) "facilitators" for
the process, I have been less than impressed. If you have 30 concurrent
groups, you will need 30 trained facilitators -- and good ones are very
hard to come by. More to the point, the addition of facilitators for any
purpose takes the process out of the hands of the participants -- and once
again puts them in the role of recipients -- having things done to or for
them. So not only does the addition of facilitators complicate the process
(or at least your headaches in "managing" the process) it also, in my
experience, impedes the process. What I have found to be tremendously
effect is to put up large sheets of paper and invite the creation of a
graffiti wall. or multiple Graffiti Walls. The creativity can be
overwhelming -- and most important -- the people did it all by themselves.
So by all means use Group Graphics -- but let the Graphics be the creation
of the group. I think. David Sibbet from SFO started a lot of this, and he
is an old friend. In a continuing conversation I kept saying to David --
come on, Walk Your Talk. Let the group do the artistry. Needless to say, he
never listened to me, and he and his colleagues/students do do great
pictures. But there you are.

Harrison

>Harrison Owen

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

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