Help! Client's Three Week Worries

Denis Hitchens denisch at alphalink.com.au
Wed Feb 5 20:33:52 PST 2003


I once 'ran interference' for a facilitator at an OS by taking the CEO for
coffee SPE

>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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