Feedback and comments to OpenSpace-Online (long)

Tue Jan 21 02:56:49 PST 2003

Dear Lisa, dear David, dear colleagues!

last Friday / Saturday we have had a  follow-up (OSonOS in Australia) by using the OpenSpace-Online real-time software. Open Space Colleagues from all continents participated, everybody (other than Thomas Herrmann - it was his third OS-Online) was new in that online method. Thomas and his colleagues decided in Australia to have a four hour conference, and the goal and title leaded us to choose the CLASSIC variant (without a convergence phase). Thank you so much Thomas for your great work as an OpenSpace-Online Organizer!

>From our view it was very good. The technique run again very stabil and fast. In front of the event during the preparation time, and during the real-time event we had nothing to do with serious support. There was only a misunderstanding in using the right version. Unfortunately three of the participants wanted to use the version from June, 2002. As we found the reason, they installed the new one and could log-in and participate quickly. (Sorry to Peggy, Helen, and Larry - we learned from that!) In front of the conference David from Australia wrote to us:

"Gabriela, I just wanted to congratulate you on the clarity and attention to detail in your instruction sheets for the online conference. Extremely clear and logical and with all the appropriate information you need (such as the url) clearly present and visually linked. Great work! David"

This feedback is very helpful, because English is not our first language, and for us it is very important, that we don´t produce misunderstandings, and that "normal" users can manage everything alone. We were really happy about this feedback, and about the fact, that it is from "all" over the world easy to find access to the conference.

In the meanwhile many colleagues gave us feedback regarding their first impressions (conference and documentation). Thank you so, so much for all your compliments, and also for the tips. We collecting every tip and suggestion. THANK YOU! Some of you asked me to write about some experiences with OpenSpace-Online in the OSList. If you are interested in general news, and invitation to public OpenSpace-Online conferences I think it would be better to sign-in in our mailing-list, and to have single conversations about details beside the OSList. But sometimes it could be good to share special discussions with other OST colleagues. Lisa Heft asked me to write something about an interesting question. Lisa, thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and for your question:

"Gabriella and Colleagues - I l-o-v-e-d participating in the recent online OS!  Even though I am a kinetic+graphic learner and need all those other senses working to do my best work.  You sure did well with the graphics, with \'facilitation\', with designing a very OS-like conferencing method! .... I have a question for you, Gabriella -- you know how a \'live\' facilitator \'holds space\' during an event -- can you share with us on OSLIST or directly to me (whatever is preferable) how you hold space in this method / format?"

I want to make it short - but that would be in my own language easier ;-) Sorry for the long text!

When I got my deep flash with a real-time conference software in 1999 - I saw this software in a very complex way. I saw, that the "space holder" has to be at the same time the virtual conference center, the real-time process (between 2,5 to 8 hours), the graphics, the ongoing orientation (for each single person and for the whole group), the principles and process of OST, the goal-oriented leaded structure, the freedom for each participant, the virtual facilitaor COMOSO, a comfortable and fast technique, a good access for many "normal" computer users. All that BASED on the philosophy and values of "passion and responsibilty"! 

It was my goal, that nobody (organizers and participants) must know OST, that nobody needs a special methodological background or introduction in front of such online conference. AND it was my goal, that each organizer is free from third parties - also from internal or external, or special trained online moderators. From my view and inner feeling it was impossible to create such software with the permanent need of online moderators. I felt that this would bring me away from my vision, which should support freedom, independence, selforganization, passion, equal democrazy, and self-responsibility. I felt that online-moderators would / could "sabotage" (unconsious or consious) the selforganized group work on issues and themes. I felt, that in the future I/we never will be able to control the quality of online moderators, and how they would/could "manipulate, controll, and intervene". So, I decided to take care in front of all by developing a tool - a space - in which groups are free and safe to explore their own ressources, to be able to take responsibilty for passion and interest. PLEASE know, that my thougths about online-moderators regarding other online tools is very different. I also see, that it can make verry much sense(!) to have online moderators, e.g. in so many asynchron online spaces, which are more open for many days, weeks, or month. But it was not my goal to create an asynchron tool.

I felt from the first second, that the biggest challenge of all will be the successful integration of a such virtual facilitation. I had the deep, deep believe, that it will work. That task took most of our time - that made this project in the background so very complex. In the front all seems to be so easy - that is good! In the meanwhile I/we/others KNOW - it works - everytime! And that makes me, and my team really happy! 

AND if there would be the case, that no or very low energy will be in an OpenSpace-Online - that can have many reasons. Who invited? How did he/she invited? Did the participants came voluntary? Was the sponsor/organizer really open for new results? Was the title of the event still a current topic? Did the organizer choosed the right variant (with or without convergence)? What was the bigger frame? What were/are the givens? With all that questions I want to tell you, that I see bigger new tasks for Change Facilitators and Leadership people. OpenSpace-Online works very fine with that virtual facilitation. Our tool is "only" a "few-hour-event". The main question is, how people are using this little, but powerful tool. In worst case you will have no passion and low energy during that few hours. But if people use that tool, because they are really interested in working together - it works very good. The experts are the participants - for example the CEO, or the consultant is during this time one of the others. He/she is also free to say this or that. It is up to them, who and in which way they pay attention for single person or the whole group. Otherwise it depends on the application field. It makes a big difference, if it is an internal group of a company, a community, a network, or a public online conference.

Lisa, your question is a good in order to explain my view from future process facilitatings and the future role of change facilitators. The challenges regarding communication in general became bigger and bigger. One big task will be to build bridges between offline and online communication, between different cultures, to create individuell designs of collaboration, learning and change processes, to combine online and offline methods, and to support clients to find their best own architectures, and to help them to became more and more independent with that all! 

Hope, that was a bit interesting for some of us. 

I am sending Love and Peace to all of you! 
Gabriela Ender

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OpenSpace-Online GmbH - The Power of People
Resselsteig 30, 12209 Berlin, Germany  
eMail: contact at OpenSpace-Online.com  
website: http://www.OpenSpace-Online.com 
phone:  +49-(0)30-772 31 69    
fax:  +49-(0)30-77 39 20 21    

OpenSpace-Online® Real-Time Conference System
Coaching, Consulting & Change Facilitation
Open Change Network / List of Change Facilitators Worldwide
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