FACILITATOR AS PARTICIPANT

[Harrison Owen]

I have found myself in exactly the situation you describe on a number of
occasions, and the only problem (a real one) is that it is sometimes
difficult to maintain the role of "Space Holder" when the discussion
becomes hot and heavy in an area of particular interest to you. It is so
easy to get sucked in. I found, however, that it is possible to do two
things at the same time IF you remember which one is the most important,
at least most important in terms of your participation in the Open
Space. If you are the facilitator - that is job 1. Frankly I find it
easier, more pleasant and productive to look for an "outsider" to do the
facilitation so that I have complete license to play. However it does
work either way, particularly in a situation where the group has had
some prior experience with Open Space. It seems that the group pretty
quickly figures out how to hold its own space, and then everybody is
free to follow their druthers.

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20845
Phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
<http://www.openspaceworld.com/>
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Marks
& Margaret McAvity
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 10:31 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: FACILITATOR AS PARTICIPANT

Hi folks;

And Happy New Year.

I would appreciate a little advice. I am part of a well knit "Christian"
community of 13 persons that steward the life of a wonderful little
Retreat Centre called Rivendell on Bowen Island near Vancouver (just
down the road from Chris Corrigan). We have been developing the centre's
philosophy, offering spiritual hospitality and companionship as well as
being available as facilitators to the wide variety of groups that come
here. In a way we are the centre's staff, though it is a non-stipendiary
service. As a community we have a community retreat ourselves three
times a year ( normally there are only 2 or 3 here hosting the centre at
any one time).

Our next retreat is early next week. And we have just decided that for
the "content" of this retreat that we would like to explore developing a
covenant for ourselves to both deepen our commitment to each other, and
to state clearly who we are and what we are endeavouring to do.

Now here is the "rub" and the challenge. I have volunteered to
facilitate an Open Space for this exploration- something I have done
about half a dozen times over the past 3 years, with much satisfaction
and seeming success. However, in this case, I want to be able to "open"
and "hold" space, AND to be a full participant. Has anyone had any
experience of doing this? In our case, it seems necessary to do this
exploration totally "in house", but it ought to include us all.

Any advice you might have for me as I prepare for this venture would be
much appreciated- short of telling me I shouldn't do it as I am now
committed.

Cheers and thanks in advance.

Marks
of
Margaret & Marks McAvity
S50, C16
Galiano, BC
Canada V0N 1P0
mcavity at primus.ca
604-616-7260(cell-Marks),250-539-2881(Galiano)
604-328-4406(cell-Marg), 604-947-0077(Bowen-us)



* * ==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To
subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html


*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu,
Visit:

http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20031231/d561fceb/attachment-0016.htm>