SV: A very exciting "First" in America

[Thomas Herrmann]

Thanks for your reports Diane and Larry.
Hopefully we may start gathering the languages used in OST trainings, soon!
I talked to some of the participant from our training a few days ago. They
are really excited and eager to Open Space and learn more. I also learned
that they felt they had experienced learning at a really deep level.
Warmest regards to you both, hope to see you in Melbourne!
 Thomas Herrmann

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Från: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]För Diane Gibeault
Skickat: den 15 mars 2002 04:04
Till: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Ämne: A very exciting "First" in America


  Two Open Space Trainings in Ottawa Within a Month - Both Different and
Exciting


  And Harrison Owen will bring it to another level next month in Ottawa
again, with over 20 participants joining in the two sessions on
“Organizational Transformation” and “Spirit of Leadership”.


  A FIRST public Open Space training in French - at least in North America -
welcomed 17 participants from different corners of Canada and the Americas:
from Manitoba to Haiti and to the east coast.

  They were avid to learn the thinking behind this novel approach as well as
the how to. Their openness to letting go and doing things differently lead
to a very intense experience. Some of the ha-ha’s sounded like:

  “I will never want to facilitate like I did before!”

  “I feel I just bit in all aspects of this new great way of  facilitating."

  “After 30 years of facilitation, I had lost any desire for it. I’ve
surmounted my resistance and now even feel enthusiastic about trying this
approach.”

   This participant who had never even experienced an Open Space, prepared
in the course of the training to facilitate his first Open Space a day after
returning home. He brought OS in this open community event that had been
planned in a traditional way. As he reported, he had to let go a lot of his
own desire to bring in OS as he had just discovered it. But, understanding
the fundamental principles and philosophy, he was able to open the space
enough for the magic of self-organization to happen.

  The email the whole group received from that participant on the morning
following his event was bursting with excitement - I still feel it as I
recount it - and spoke tons of the growth possibilities OS offers for
everyone who let themselves be  touched by it.

   Needless to say, we as trainers – Jacqueline Pelletier and myself –
continued to feel nourished by this training experience. We had given two
previous trainings in French but they were offered internally in an
organization.  This was the first public one and the diversity among
participants was a valuable element for the quality of the learning, our
included.

   Diane Gibeault

   Second OS Training in Ottawa – a month later

  Eighteen participants took some steps on their learning journey with Open
Space Technology at the February 21-23 English workshop in Ottawa.  For some
of the participants it was their first steps, having not been participants
in an Open Space before and not being able to get Harrison’s “Open Space
Technology: A User’s Guide”.  Some bookstores said it was not longer
available, the publisher says otherwise.  Most were independent consultants
or wanted to soon be one while others were internal consultants or leaders
in business, government and not-for-profit organizations.


  The journey included preparing the group to “sponsor” its own open space
as we would with a client, experiencing Open Space and convergence and
practice in the opening.  There was also lots of conversation and story
telling, based on the groups’ questions, about what facilitators do and don’
t do and about how to “be” in Open Space.

  As in the past, Diane Gibeault and myself as trainer-facilitators provided
materials, both on paper and electronically, that we have found useful in
preparing for successful events.

  We were pleased with the positive feedback on the workshop and to each of
us personally.  Participants liked the sharing of stories about Open Space
events and its possible uses.  People also liked the “implementation of the
principles and law in the training”, “the diversity of approaches in
providing learning….experiential, modeling, role-playing, direct instruction
and story telling”, “excellent resources to go home with”, “the networking”,
“the free flowing atmosphere, high level of participation”, “the practicing
of Opening the Space”,  “bringing spirit into the room openly”.

   We learned again about the relationship between experience and reflection
and how to more intentionally improve both for participants.  We learned
that there are still people out there starting on their journey with Open
Space Technology who want the guidance of those who are a little further
down that particular road.  It is great learning and high play.

  Larry Peterson

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