FW: organizing protests?

[Vliex, Carla (cvl)]

> Ted hi
>
> Just one of my stories; with reluctant people too...
>
> I am working as a consultant for a big dutch consulting firm. Two weeks
> ago we suddenly (?) had a crisis. Our management said that by the end of
> the year some of us would be fired because of the shortage of projects (
> it is said ..., that we are in an economical crisis...).
> So I thought this would be a perfect crisis to deal with in Open Space.
> But than I gave it a second thought. There where some rumours goging on;
> be aware that woman only wants to do Open Space. Which is true. But than
> we decided that we should have a meeting on monday night and that I would
> be the facilitator... but... not in Open Space... (they decided.....). So
> I just used the flow, the energy and the power of Open Space. this is what
> I did.
>
>
> *     I set the central question: what can we do so that nobody gets
> unwillingly fired.
> *     I invited everybody who wanted to come. There where 11 consultants
> and two managers(!) showed up.
> *     Than I asked everybody to put their thought, idea's, wishes,
> expectations, fears, concerns, etc on a large post-itt with a marker. I
> just walked around the round table; I was in the back of the them, and it
> was so silent in the room, amazing, how energy flows. grows and
> concentrates just by walking and breathing in a cadans (thanks Helen and
> Harrison!)
> *     I asked them to put their post-its on the wall and make groups of
> them. We had ten theme's. I asekd everubody if their post-itts where with
> the right theme and if they wanted to add something.
> *     I invited everybody to pick out one ore more theme's to work on the
> next hour. After choosing the theme's one manager got anxious, he wanted
> al the theme's to be adressed (some four where left on the wall). I
> invited him, if he wished so, to adress more theme's for himself....
> *     We worked on the theme's and with some chinese food, shared the
> outcomes, just very quick.
> *     Than I stated the theme again, walked the (behind) circle and asked
> them to think of any kind of action they wanted to take the next two
> weeks.
> *     In the 'closing circel' they annouced their actions and their most
> of them where so full with energy, they started right away (ii was 10.15
> in the night).
>
> And by now; they want a *real* Open Space for two days next couple of
> months.
> Funny how  the guidlines of Open Space work even in an not *real* Open
> Space.....
>
> from Holland, love and sunshine
> Carla
>
> Met vriendelijke groet,
>
> drs. C.J.P. Vliex, Carla
> _______________________________________
> Organisatieadviseur
>
> Twynstra Gudde Management Consultants
> Stationsplein 1, 3818 LE Amersfoort
> Postbus 907, 3800 AX Amersfoort
> Telefoon 033 4677478, Fax 033 4677479
> Mobiel 06 53927407
> E-mail cvl at tg.nl, Internet www.tg.nl
>
>
> ----------
> From:         Ted Ernst[SMTP:ted at chicagohumanist.org]
> Reply To:     ted at chicagohumanist.org
> Sent:         Thursday, 29 May, 2003 01:55
> To:   OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject:      organizing protests?
>
> I haven't read this list in a while, but have over 600 messages in my
> OSlist
> folder.  Wow!  I'm writing now to follow-up on a conversation I had with
> Michael Herman last week which was itself a follow-up to a conversation I
> had with some peace and justice activists earlier last week.  My
> experience
> in all sorts of anti-war organizing meetings is they are horrible, boring,
> inefficient, etc, just like meetings in other setting where people attempt
> to maintain control.  I've never attempted to introduce open space there
> because there has never seemed to be an entry point.  The "players" are
> well
> established and making the proposal would immediately put me in a position
> of co-opting what they've already built and just doesn't feel right.
> Anyway, a smaller group has come together as a network of "affinity
> groups"
> where each group is autonomous but sends a representative to the
> coordinating meeting.  I think this should definitely be done in open
> space,
> but again, how to propose it in a way that doesn't threaten?  Michael
> suggests having a meeting on a different day and time and place and
> inviting
> everyone from the coordinating meeting as well as the members of all the
> groups (if possible).  Any thoughts on how to propose this type of
> meeting?
> Topic?  Invititaion ideas?  All thoughts welcome!  Thanks much!
> peace,
> ted
> ___
> Humanize the Earth! http://www.chicagohumanist.org http://www.tedernst.com
>
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