Help! Client's Three Week Worries

[Lisa Heft]

Dear Doug --

Yes, I say that to all the boys...heh...

(unless their names are not Doug)

I say don't go back and forth about explaining the process, just say the
process will allow for that and it's okay, you'll be in charge.  It's
the same as when people start asking questions in the opening circle --
just get them to the *doing* part rather than the asking part.

And no need to assign rooms to anyone or to look at numbers of people --
remember, your client's role should be very clear: are they a full
participant -- in which case they should not direct ANYthing -- or are
they not, in which case they STILL are not to direct anything.  Just let
participants know where the other spaces are  (one sign on / near the
agenda wall with the names of those spaces should do) and either you can
put room numbers/names on the same stickies that have the session times
on them (the ones they pick up and put onto their topics sheets as they
place them on the agenda wall) or use Brian Bainbridge's fabulous title
for other breakout spaces, "SPE 1", "SPE 2", "SPE 3", etc. ("Some Place
Else") and the participants can write where they're going to meet.

Let the client know that not only will the participants work it out on
their own, but that it is *important* for them to do so in this sort of
a meeting, with nobody working it out for them.

Does the client think that people are unable to walk to a discussion
area? Move if they feel squished?  Does the client tell them where to
sit in the lunch room?  Okay, just teasing, but sounds like this client
has to remember that his help is not needed.

Which makes me think that we need to give him a job.  Part of me says
you should have him run the Newsroom, if you have one, but you may not
have one in such a short OS.  Part of me says you should give him an
errand that makes him have to be somewhere across town during the Open
Space... ;0)  ...

Lisa

L i s a   H e f t
Consultant, facilitator, educator
O p e n i n g  S p a c e
2325 Oregon
Berkeley, California
94705-1106   USA
(+01) 510 548-8449
lisaheft at pacbell.net
(coming soon: www.openingspace.net)

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