A question about OS listserv

Therese Fitzpatrick therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.com
Wed Jan 12 19:53:26 PST 2005


I think an important reason that this OS listserv thrives is because
people have to care a bit about the principles of OS at least a bit in
order to subscribe to it. For the most part, I think people subscribed
here care a lot about the principles of OS.  Participating in the list
performs a function akin to the function of prayer or affirmations.
For me, adhereing to the principles of OS is similar to meditation I
believe the list serves to keep its participants a bit more aware of
the principles than they would otherwise be without it.

More and more, I find myself drawn to people who aspire to live in
open space.  People who facilitate open space for a living happen to
have integrated the principles ever more deeply into their lives.  I
believe it is the aspiration to achieve open space, akin to an
aspiration for enlightenment, that keeps this list so alive.  I think
this list is much, much more than an online space to collaborate as
professional OS facilitators.  I think this list is open space and it
works because the people who come here are showing up where they want
to show up and leaving when they want to leave and trusting that what
happens is what could have happened.  Open space is what makes this
space work. . . and the attendant consciousness of its participants to
what open space 'is'.

If I were designing a listserv to create an online space for the World
Cafe to thrive (I know little about World Cafe), I would ask myself if
there were a few principles that distill the essence of World Cafe.
Well, first I would say why the heck not just come over here and join
us here in this list serve.  But if I were determined to lead the
development of a separate space for the World Cafe, I would get clear
about a few common ideas that summarize what World Cafe means, I would
meditate on those ideas, I would ask others to meditate on those ideas
and then I would start a list serv with those people and sit back and
watch it grow.  Set the intention, start the list and see what
happens.  Use open space to create the World Cafe listserv.  Or
consult an OS professional . . . say, I guess that is just what
Juanita did when she consulted Peggy.


On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:46:53 -0800, Chris Corrigan
<chris.corrigan at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'll give this more thought, but for me, OS is all about passion and
> responsibility and so is the list...which makes me ask Juanita why she
> doesn't join us here!
>
> :-)
>
> Chris
>
>
> On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 18:24:24 -0800, Lisa Heft <lisaheft at openingspace.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks for asking these marvelous questions.  And my warm regards to you,
> > Juanita, whom I finally got to meet at the (US) National Dialogue and
> > Deliberation Conference in October.  I LOVED experiencing World Cafe through
> > your kind and thoughtful facilitation.
> >
> >
> >
> > Here are my answers to add to this rich mix of questions and answers:
> >
> >
> >
> > What has enabled the Open Space listserv to flourish?
> >
> >
> >
> > I am thrilled to say that it reflects the principles and law of Open Space
> > and I suspect that our individual understanding of these principles and law
> > help us to thrive on this list and help this list to thrive.  And the fact
> > that we all share this same knowledge and repeat it may indeed help us
> > collectively hold space for this list.  No moderator (one of the most
> > fabulous parts of this list) – all is welcome because one can always
> > exercise the Law of Two Feet (played out here as the Law of Delete).
> > Passion bounded by responsibility.  Again, Open Space has named these things
> > and we all hold these things and many of us live our lives in these ways.
> > So this community, as diverse as it may be, does hold a common language, as
> > it were.
> >
> >
> >
> > Speaking of that (in any tongue), any language is welcome.  Periodically
> > someone pops in with a message in non-English and answers spring forth.
> >
> >
> >
> > Any level is welcome.  From 'gee this is my first help me breathe' to folks
> > who have done many and diverse Open Spaces, all asking for wisdom from the
> > group / all offering wisdom to the group.
> >
> >
> >
> > It's free, with open membership.
> >
> >
> >
> > It offers instant gratification.  Voices in the dark, wee hours of the night
> > get heard by one or some of us somewhere in the world.
> >
> >
> >
> > It's loving.  Really in the truest sense: folks are generous with ideas,
> > materials, support.  People demonstrate open hearts and minds.
> >
> >
> >
> > It doesn't break a lot (rare that it has technical problems).
> >
> >
> >
> > It helps one connect to one's tribe...
> >
> >
> >
> > I don't suspect that anyone feels that it's their 'job' to keep the
> > community going – so that it's up to everyone and has ebbs and flows,
> > breathes in and out with whatever anyone wants to put into it.
> >
> >
> >
> > In what ways has the listserv helped the Open Space community of practice to
> > evolve?
> >
> >
> >
> > New ideas are written out clearly – experiments are shared – so it's easy
> > (with a deep breath sometimes) to try (for example) different forms of
> > convergence, or action planning through reopening space towards the end of
> > an event, or doing OS with people who are more oral (who have greater
> > challenges reading), or documenting OSs in different ways, and so on.
> >
> >
> >
> > Folks generate new ways to gather information, ask new questions, share new
> > information (OS and Appreciative Inquiry, researching the impact of OS on
> > organizations, and so on).
> >
> >
> >
> > Folks get a bit of a sense for each other, so perhaps that helps when some
> > folks want to collaborate with others they've not worked with before –
> > still, they have a sense for style, approach, values they may share (or
> > which may nicely contrast with each other).
> >
> >
> >
> > As we're as experienced as our 'on-the-ground' experience *plus* our shared
> > stories, an OS practitioner of any level or with any specific experience can
> > say to a potential client not 'gee, I've never done OS in that
> > industry/setting/culture/etc.' but instead own the collective experience of
> > the group and say 'yes OS has been done in that
> > industry/setting/culture/etc.' and therefore be invited into a new
> > experience but with client faith and a while tribe of people sharing wisdom
> > if/as needed for that particular instance/variation/approach/situation.  So
> > individual practitioners evolve and share stories and learnings with each
> > other, thus evolving the whole OS community of practice.
> >
> >
> >
> > As a means of communication it's also a means for sharing materials, lesson
> > plans, designs and more.
> >
> >
> >
> > Any question can be asked into cyberspace and answers just come floating in
> > in delightful ways.
> >
> >
> >
> > In what ways has it affected you and your own practice to evolve?
> >
> >
> >
> > I've found (and been found by) event partners, gotten (and given) materials
> > translated into different languages, announced my workshops, met new people
> > who share the same heart, learned about different cultural approaches,
> > wondered out loud, asked, answered and in answering have learned more, built
> > a library of materials and resources to share with others, become a
> > specialist and a member of a world community of professionals, friends,
> > homestay hosts (!), play partners and more.  I am an independent and like
> > Peggy and others mentioned, feel I have the power and support of an
> > international consulting group behind me.  I can refer people to clients if
> > I cannot do a job and know that those clients are in great hands.  I've been
> > able to teach learners of OS and potential clients of OS about this method
> > through the words and pictures of others so that the 'voice' is global and
> > diverse and speaks to everyone.
> >
> >
> >
> > What wishes do you have for the list's future?
> >
> >
> >
> > I would love to see more people sharing their toughest OSs, largest,
> > smallest, strangest, most surprising, what you tried that didn't work and
> > what you learned for next time – I LOVE when you all do that and I learn so
> > much.  I promise to do better at sharing my own stories in the near future –
> > I promise you the story of my toughest OS ever (so far), by the way.  Coming
> > soon to a computer monitor near you...
> >
> >
> >
> > I look forward to it continuing to be loving, changing, rich, diverse, open,
> > shifting.
> >
> >
> >
> > I hope the people who get the Digest form have an easier time of it (seems
> > as if it's awkward at sporadic times for some of you on Digest with lengths
> > of combined messages or switching in or out of Digest, from your periodic
> > emails...)
> >
> >
> >
> > I hope the archive is a bit easier to navigate in future (such as links
> > changing color after you explore them and go back to the list of links) – I
> > build a lot of papers out of our combined words to share with you on my
> > website and elsewhere and it's a challenge during the research phase of
> > these papers.
> >
> >
> >
> > I hope it lives and breathes as nicely as it is and has been doing with
> > co-created community.
> >
> >
> >
> > I hope those of you who listen and do not post feel just fine doing so – any
> > communication has the partnership of voicing and witnessing and both are
> > precious.  I also love it when I see a new voice and hear familiar folks pop
> > back in when they've been gone for awhile.
> >
> >
> >
> > I love the poetry 'contests' (hmm...non-competitive name possible?
> > 'flurries'?)
> >
> >
> >
> > I love all the ways that we continuously hold the principles and law to
> > heart even as we read and write or emails to each other.
> >
> >
> >
> > I love the trust that folks share their thoughts with an unseen community of
> > and with faith toss out butterflies of thought into cyberspace without
> > having to own them.
> >
> >
> >
> > - - -
> >
> > I love that you're so patient with my long messages – or maybe you have
> > already used the Law of Delete !
> >
> >
> >
> > Take care, all, and thanks for asking, Juanita and Peggy.  Cheers to all
> > from rainy Berkeley, California,
> >
> >
> >
> > 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 openingspace.net
> >
> > www.openingspace.net
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >  * * ==========================================================
> > OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe,
> > unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
> > oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
> > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about
> > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist *
> > * ==========================================================
> > OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe,
> > unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
> > oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
> > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about
> > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
>
>
> --
> -------------------------
> CHRIS CORRIGAN
> Consultation - Facilitation
> Open Space Technology
>
> Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
> Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com
>
> *
> *
> ==========================================================
> OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> ------------------------------
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
> view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>
> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
>

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist



More information about the OSList mailing list