2108 -- Remember the Number

[Lisa Heft]

Dear Gabriela -

You said:
Background of my present questions is, that I would not have had the
courage to facilitate such big OST. My inner believe system would have
stoped me to do this job - because I would have had the big fear to
"damage the reputation of OST" in any kind.

- - -

With your caring and attentive spirit and understanding of the essence
of OST, I know that you can never damage the reputation (different in
different peoples' minds ;0) of OST.  I have done OST with 1500 people
and I'm doing one that size again this June. I find that the secret is
all in the logistics and planning team and our communication with them
as to how the process typically goes - helping them visualize what the
basic elements are and solving the problem as a team as to how to make
that happen.

With the one I am doing in June we are using a gymnasium (not great for
sound but otherwise a splendid site) and our communication is all about
how big signs should be, should we duplicate them so they can be seen by
all, how to make a materials box for each discussion area, how helpers
can help - as you can see, the same things I would do for a smaller OST.
With larger events I assist people by offering them a blank time/space
matrix sheet if they want to fill in the sessions they'll want to
attend, and a clipboard at all discussion areas with a participant
roster so each notestaker can include a checked-off participant sheet
with their notes.  In my largest OSTs I have not needed convergence as
part of the design.

I agree with Erich's observation that for great distances (once I did an
OST on four floors of a hotel at once) a bit of travel time in-between
sessions might help - although I find that people get there when they
want to so I've ended up eliminating in-between-session time after all.
In a multi-floor / multi-space event I find that good directional
signage to discussion areas is essential.

So you see - it's all very similar.  What does impress me each time on a
large event is the amount of (for pre-event conversation and meeting
time and sign-making time it takes - always good to be prepared for and
schedule in dates for enough meetings and for example sign making
deadlines very much in advance of the event.

- - -
I look forward to hearing more of the conversation about assessing
quality and identifying some standards for placing an OST event in the
body of a conference (though in my experience the simple 'rules' are the
same - best at the end if not used for the whole thing, best with the
whole group of participants rather than a parallel track, etc.).

Let's hear it for huge - though-through-OST-delightfully-intimate - Open
Spaces!

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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