facilitation questions

Tue Mar 15 10:54:54 PST 2005

I've done it too, on a number of occaisions, probably 15 times or so.
It generally comes off as a refreshing session, more interactive than
all the others, but still not really transformational.  Mostly people
like it because it allows them to connect with each other peer to peer
instead of through a keynote or some other kind of workshop.  That's
where I have used it: to enhance connections at the conference around
ideas that are already working and creating a marketplace where those
people might meet,  In the end you end up hosting a bunch of
self-organized mini-workshops which can be surprisingly engaging.  The
trick is to have enough time to have deep dialogue, and you rarely
have that in a conference setting.  But if you can get a 3 or 3.5 hour
time slot, it can work to foster dialogue.

Be careful though...in most conference settings you really don't have
the conditions for a good Open Space, and that WILL affect how well
the session goes.  It will also give people a poor idea of what a real
OST meeting is like, and I have had numerous people tell me, when I
suggested OST, that they have experienced it before, in a conference
setting, and they didn't like it.

Chris

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:21:43 +0000, Michael Herman <mjherman at gmail.com> wrote:
> i did a concurrent thing with agile software conference a few years
> ago.  yes, not as amazing as it could have been if it were the main
> line, but still many good things happened.  the writeup is listed
> toward the bottom of this ost resources archive page of links:
> http://www.globalchicago.net/ost ...look for "agile" in the links.  we
> had not only a traditional conf, but also lunches where somebody ran
> 'birds of a feather' groups.  two things made the ost stand out:  (1)
> i got to address the whole group, about 300, in the first morning,
> right before lunch, after a morning of keynoters and before we opened
> after lunch for anyone who wanted to join us.  the contrast with the
> keynoters was helpful, i think.  and (2) we made the theme about the
> future that nobody was presenting on, so the birds-of-a-feather groups
> were issues so well known that participants could lead, presentations
> were new things where experts were bringing their studies out for the
> masses, and the ost was for the future of software, stuff that even
> the experts weren't yet certain about.  positioning this way helped
> dodge some of the 'useless' labelling.
>
>
> On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 11:54:22 -0500, Harrison Owen <hhowen at comcast.net> wrote:
> > The problem with the "demonstration" OS had nothing to do with fear,
> > hostility, or anything like that. Actually if both fear and hostility had
> > been present, thing might have been more fun. As it was, the real issue was
> > total, unabated, lack of anything meaningful to talk about. As I said, there
> > was no passion, no responsibility, and nobody cared. The only thing I know
> > to do in a situation like that is not to get into it in the first place.
> >
> > Harrison
> >
> > Harrison Owen
> > 7808 River Falls Drive
> > Potomac, Maryland   20845
> > Phone 301-365-2093
> >
> > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> > Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
> > OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit:
> > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Steve
> > Gawron
> > Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 11:23 AM
> > To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > Subject: Re: facilitation questions
> >
> > Hello All,
> >
> > Has anyone pursued the Six Sigma "Voice of the Customer" concepts into an
> > Open Space facilitation?  It seems that if the topics introduced into an
> > open space discussion do not concern the participants, they will not
> > respond.  There is also a 'fear factor' in this equation.  If the
> > participants include members of adversarial groups, they may be unwilling to
> > "Open" the discussion.  Perhaps a brainstorming session might surface common
> > ground where a discussion might occur in the situation Harrison describes
> > here..
> >
> > Steve Gawron
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at comcast.net>
> > To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> > Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 7:22 AM
> > Subject: Re: facilitation questions
> >
> > > Ah -- A little bit of Open Space! I have tried what you are suggesting
> > > several times (concurrent Open and closed space) and it never seemed to
> > work
> > > very well. But I have to admit, that is a personal judgment based on what
> > I
> > > knew could have happened had it all been in Open Space. I also have to
> > admit
> > > that some of the folks in the "Open Space Track" were delighted. The basic
> > > problem was that the majority of people loved the sound of Open Space, but
> > > given a choice in the moment opted for sitting in rows being talked at. I
> > > think I understand that reaction, but at the end of the day, I really felt
> > > uncomfortable. Part of my discomfort came from overhearing several
> > > conversations from folks who had not opted for Open Space -- who said
> > > something like -- that Open Space seems pretty useless. Now of course they
> > > just had "seen it," and not really been a part. But the reaction had been
> > > formed. It was not unlike several other situations where I had been asked
> > to
> > > "demonstrate Open Space." I tried -- (sit in circle, create bulletin
> > > board...) and when I finished they were all just sitting there looking at
> > me
> > > until somebody said "Is that all there is?" Right! No passion, no
> > > responsibility, not much at all.
> > >
> > > Personally, I just won't do that sort of thing again. But there are some
> > > alternatives. Some friends have done Open Spaces in the evenings around
> > > really hot issues and those who cared to come seemed to get a lot out of
> > the
> > > experience. Another -- if this is a multi-day conference -- Do the last
> > day
> > > in Open Space (for everybody) as a way of synthesizing the experience and
> > > building the common knowledge base. That does work.
> > >
> > > Good luck!
> > >
> > > Harrison
> > >
> > > Harrison Owen
> > > 7808 River Falls Drive
> > > Potomac, Maryland   20845
> > > Phone 301-365-2093
> > >
> > > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> > > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> > > Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
> > > OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit:
> > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Sue
> > Scott
> > > Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 8:18 PM
> > > To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > > Subject: facilitation questions
> > >
> > > Hi Everyone,
> > >
> > > I seek your wisdom and experience. I am a volunteer in an international
> > > volunteer organization that is beginning to experiment with open space. In
> > > my local area, we are planning a conference that will being together our
> > > volunteers, professionals, other volunteers, and the people we serve. We
> > > generally have a pretty traditional conference, i.e., presentations,
> > > lectures, continuing education credits, registration for time slots in
> > > advance. I had hoped and asked for completely open space for this
> > conference
> > > and it appears that we are not ready for that yet. However, the interest
> > to
> > > learn more is there.  Now some of us have the idea that we could offer
> > open
> > > space at the same time as the rest of the conference. The conference
> > > organizers are fine with this idea. It would be in the same building. We
> > > would like to give people the option to attend the whole regular
> > conference
> > > as is, move in and out of the conference, or spend all the time in open
> > > space. We would have a convening question, marketplace, space to post the
> > > sessions and space to hold sessions, etc.
> > >
> > > My questions: Have any of you been part of this sort of thing? If so, any
> > > advice on how to explain to people on the reg form? How would we open
> > space?
> > > To the whole conference? Just to those who showed up in the OS room for
> > > opening? How does it work if some people do not attend opening and then
> > > attend the posted OS sessions? I know I have more questions inside but
> > just
> > > am too inexperienced to know how to ask.
> > >
> > > Also, if I am part of this organization, I guess you call it a
> > stakeholder,
> > > is it wise for *me* to be the facilitator? I am fine with not
> > participating
> > > in any sessions that might ensue, if that is what is needed.
> > >
> > > Many thanks for your assistance,
> > >
> > > Sue Scott in Oregon USA
> > >
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> --
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> http://www.michaelherman.com
> ...inviting people and whole organizations into movement
>
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--
-------------------------
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

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