magic can be messy

[Raffi Aftandelian]

Dear friends and colleagues,

I just finished doing another Open Space here in Moscow with a local NGO
that works with teenagers with substance abuse issues as well as at-risk
youth. This was a 1.5 day strategic planning session preceded by an
evening of storytelling.

It was the first time I'd ever gotten to conduct an evening of
storytelling prior to the OS. It was great to see, feel the power of story
prior to an OS.

The OS itself left almost all participants rather sad and disillusioned
and some I heard felt that this seemed a little strange that the
facilitator walks in, opens space, hangs around, and then closes it. As if
the facilitator does nothing. I had written before that I had struggled
with this feeling that in conducting OS, I have the sense of the Emperor
who wears no clothes, that I felt like a fraud. While I may never hope to
really understand what OS is, I feel it more. And feel confident enough in
what happened in the last OS to say that right now at least the unpleasant
truths that came up in OS with the organization I worked with were what
was necessary at that moment. That this will take them further. They came
face to face like never before with the difficulties people have in taking
responsibility. They began thinking more about what it would take to "grow
up" as an organization, to set more rules, be a little tougher on each
other.

So, as I slowly make my way into consulting work, it's so good to know
that this is something I get satisfaction from, something I believe in
(and my doubt alongside the faith in OS is the force that gets me more
excited about OS!). Enchantment, mesmorized.

And as always questions:

1. Training of participants pre-OS in facilitation skills and other
important skills.

I wonder how much, if at all, do other OS facilitators train the client
(or potential participants of an OS) in basic facilitation skills and
other skills that might come handy in an OS (report writing, writing
action plans, project development) prior to the OS as a means of helping
the OS itself bear more fruit.

I noticed that the groups did not really develop action plans at all.
After convergence I explained that they were to work out action plans and
answer the detailed questions in the report form (I did not read out the
questions). Neither group did that, instead they further discussed the
question, which probably is fine, too. Maybe that's what was needed at the
moment.

2. How much time do you spend establishing what the client will do to
ensure the participation of all the people they intend to invite? Do you
encourage, work with the client to ensure that participants commit to the
whole Open Space? We had participants come and go (one person was there
for storytelling and then showed up at the closing circle...for example!),
which of course is fine. But I wonder if I should've worked with the
client to think through what exactly they could do to get as strong a
commitment on participation from invitees as possible.

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but that's all for now!
Thanks,
Raffi

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