elevator speech

Wed Mar 9 11:48:42 PST 2005

Christine,  I concocted this to email to a banking executive this week.  It
is a combination of words from Michael Hermann and Chris Corrigan (from and
some of Harrison's recent musings.  Hope it is helpful.  I also welcome
feedback from anyone.  Regards, Robyn.

What is Open Space Technology?

Open Space Technology is a simple and highly effective meeting method that
enables groups of people to deal with issues constructively and speedily. 

Five Preconditions for Open Space

.         Real issues of concern   

.         Diversity of players

.         Complexity of elements

.         Presence of passion

.         Decision time was yesterday.

In Open Space meetings, participants create and manage their own agenda of
parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance.

There are Four Principles of Open Space

.         Whoever comes is the right people

.         Whatever happens is the only thing that could have  

.         Whenever it starts is the right time

.         When it's over, it's over.

There is One Law of Open Space

.         The Law of Two Feet -  if you find yourself in a situation where
you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet.     

Open Space meeting is highly structured through the capacity of self
organization.  Those who care, and are prepared to take responsibility for
change, step up and drive the change agenda with an energy and commitment
that no imposed management-driven design could prescribe. 

What will happen? 

We never know exactly what will happen when we open the space for people to
do their most important work, but we can guarantee these results when any
group gets into Open Space: 

.         All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will
be raised. 

.         All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants
most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them. 

.         In a time as short as one or two days, all of inputs and plans for
immediate action will be documented in one comprehensive report -- finished,
printed and in the hands of participants when they leave. 

.         The meeting duration depends on the number of people and issues
they put on the agenda.   With groups of 5 to 2000 one-day workshops or,
three-day conferences, the results are powerful and effective

Impact of Open Space

It all begins with an invitation

.         Palpable passion 

.         Voluntary responsibility and accountability for issues of concern

.         Connection at all levels across all divides

.         Opening of the mind and heart

.         Energy for change and action

"In the 20 year period since 1985 when I created Open Space, it has been
used in excess of 60,000 times in 108 countries with groups ranging in size
from 5 - 2000.  Typical applications have included such things as strategic
and tactical planning for Rockport Shoes Inc - in which some 400 employees
established goals and directions for their company in addition to developing
a totally new product and redesigning their inventory system. All of this
was accomplished in 2 days, and except for the opening and closing of the
event there was absolutely no intervention by the facilitator (me) at any
time. The people did it all by themselves. 

In another case, some 2008 German Psychiatrists gathered for a single day's
event intended to synthesize their collective learning at the conclusion of
their biannual conference and further build the common body of knowledge. In
all they created 236 working groups in about half an hour, self-managed the
entire process and produced a book of proceedings as a record of their
effort. 

In the United States, a much smaller group (23) of architects, technicians,
and executives completely re-designed the AT&T Olympic Pavilion for the 1996
Olympics. They essentially started with a blank sheet of paper, and at the
conclusion of 2 days had a totally new design down to the level of working
architectural drawings for the $200,000,000(US) project. Once again the
group did it all without outside intervention."

Harrison Owen, esteemed creator of Open Space

 <http://www.litglobal.com/> 

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Christine
Whitney Sanchez
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 1:58 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: elevator speech

Hi Everyone,  

I have been given 5 minutes, at a meeting next week, to "brief" 300 CEO's
about Open Space.  Do you have a favorite elevator speech that has helped
people understand the essence and application of OS?  I'm especially eager
for any thoughts about the relationship between OS and governance.

Thanks in advance, for anything you can share. 

Christine

Christine Whitney Sanchez
Triune Milagro, LTD
480.759.0262  
VISIT OUR WEBSITE:   <http://www.triunemilagro.com/> www.triunemilagro.com 

Invoking the wisdom and capacity of the human spirit! 

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