Unintend Consequences, Collateral Damage and Truth Telling

[Lisa Heft]

Hmmm.

I have reopened the circle the next morning with a bit of a challenge to
participants ('you can spend today telling the story as it has been, or
you can tell the new story beginning today' or 'if you want to spend
today describing the problem, as you did yesterday, feel free - if you
want to move towards solution thinking, realize this is our last day
together') once or twice, in times of very high conflict and the feeling
that the air was being sucked out of the space.  I do not know if it was
helpful to do this or not - though the energy shifted each time to
re-invigorated engagement and spirit.  It could have just been me
needing to feel better; me needing to feel I could fix something.  And
not necessary at all.  Hard to say.  But again, it worked.

Once I also did a consensus process before priority setting rather than
just go from Open Space to read the proceedings to priority setting -
because there was so much tension in the room and people spoke out about
mistrust of what would happen with the results and so on.

I have also 'spoken truths' before I reopen space (Funda and others - a
way of instead of prioritizing/converging ideas, opening it up again for
people to champion actions and next steps they wish to identify) and
also before convergence (the group's prioritizing / highlighting top
issues that came of the Open Space) - as a way to get things out into
the open and name them back to the group (if I feel there is tension
that must be acknowledged).

I could not I don't think walk out of the circle, or the room, at a time
of high conflict.  As the facilitator (and usually as the person from
outside the organization or community I am facilitating for) it would
feel too much to me like a message that I was 'not going to play' and
withdrawing my energy until people figured it out without me.  Even
though of course I would know I was not in any way withdrawing my
energy.  I still feel participants see the facilitator as a
larger-than-life figure when s/he makes a major statement.  So that
there is a power dynamic there.

(This is different than I feel people see a facilitator when s/he is
holding space in the more 'traditional' OS way)

However I do see when you (whomever 'you' is reading this, my
colleagues) as a facilitator might feel your presence IS a big thing and
that they cannot figure things out WITH you in the room.

I don't know if this is what you felt, Harrison, I am just guessing at
what would make me leave the room.

The asking people if they want to re-engage or simply leave is something
I understand - the leaving the room, as you can see by reading this - is
what I question if I might do in your place.  Although there always is a
next time where we do and learn something new about ourselves...

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
 <mailto:lisaheft at openingspace.net> lisaheft at openingspace.net
 <http://www.openingspace.net> www.openingspace.net

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