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[Juanita Brown]

Hi everyone...

I've been "listening" to the conversation intently as it has unfolded, 
both the earlier conversation on the Open Space Listserv which several 
European folks referred us to, as well as to the most recent sequence 
following the wonderful Evolutionary Salon that Peggy and I (and 
others) helped to host.  I'm hopeful, Harrison, that you have by now 
received the gift copy of our recent book (also published by Berrett 
Koehler!)  which helps to frame the living systems underpinnings of the 
World Cafe and honors the incredible contribution that Open Space has 
made over the last two decades. I offer these reflections in the spirit 
of learning with and from others on this listserv about the unique 
individual and combined contributions of the World Cafe and Open Space.

I think, as do many of our other colleagues who use a variety of 
conversational and collaborative learning approaches, that the World 
Cafe and Open Space are extremely compatible.  I completely understand 
Harrison's concerns with "structure" and "control"--wanting to offer 
participants the full freedom to self-organize from the get go.  At the 
same time, even self-organization requires "initiatiing conditions" to 
be successful, which, as I have seen with Open Space over the years, 
are extremely carefully set and followed throughout an Open Space 
gathering.  Peggy Holman beautifully exercised these during the 
Evolutionary Salon, creating both the physical spaces, the 
expectations, the sign-ups, the clarity of the "laws/principles," and 
the discipline of the reporting  processes (both written in terms of 
the report back sheets and oral in the reflection circles).

Each of these processes, as well as others which have been discussed on 
the list, have their strengths and limitations, depending on their 
purpose.  The World Cafe is especially useful when:

1) you have a limited amount of time (ie as little as 1 1/2 to 2 hours)
2) a lot of people (we've worked with 1200)
3) questions that matter to the people gathered, that they either they 
frame themselves or that a representative sub-group has helped to shape 
(at least initially)
4)  the intention to build community, strengthen relationships and 
engage everyone's unique contribution and voice using both verbal and 
visual modalities (even the timid or less verbal ones).
5) you want to access collective intelligence based on discovering 
patterns of meaning in emergent, unexpected ways that come from the 
intentional rapid cross-pollination of diverse perspectives and ideas.

While World Cafe and Open Space share many, although not all, of these 
intentions in common, the design of the World Cafe creates what we'd 
call a "conversational greenhouse" focused on the  extremely rapid 
propagation of actionable knowledge (we consider inquiry as integral to 
actionable knowledge ).  The World Cafe design intentionally fosters 
people's rapid capacity to see patterns and  "sense the whole" rather 
than be focused primarily on the part of the whole that their personal 
passion initially leads them to.    Once people have this awareness, 
they begin so see how their own passion (taking responsibility for what 
you love) might connect to the larger whole in a very embodied way. We 
find that the World Cafe intentionally creates an  "inquiring system"  
through the disciplined use of questions (not topics or issues) as well 
as creatively cross-pollinating ideas in varied ways that enable people 
to feel, literally, the "whole system thinking together" in a very 
short period of time.

We find that World Cafe helps to ease the "freedom shock" that Harrison 
and others describe, while still giving the space for emergence and 
surprise.  I have to admit that perhaps my "nurturing side" welcomes 
the opportunity to support people in feeling comfortable in the early 
phases of a gathering, which is why we create the Cafe ambiance when 
that is possible and appropriate.   We find that the combination of 
focus (carefully setting the context, the disciplined use of questions 
and  the intentional patterns of cross-pollination) create a different 
(not better, just different) type of collaborative learning that many 
people seem to find useful as they enter this world of emergence--and 
even more useful when combined with complimentary approaches like Open 
Space and an appreciative stance.

Our goal in Cafe conversations is for people to experience themselves 
being an integral part of a living web/network of relational thinking 
and of experiencing conversation itself as a co-evolutionary force for 
accessing co-intelligence on behalf of life affirming futures and the 
conscious evolution of social systems.  So, perhaps the key learning 
goals of World Cafe and Open Space are somewhat different....but still 
complimentary in my humble opinion.

I'd love to learn about others experiences when they've designed 
meetings or gatherings in which both Open Space and the World Cafe were 
effectively engaged together to create generative outcomes.

I've responded to Alan's questions below in caps...and welcome our 
exploring  these questions together among colleagues who are using both 
approaches and want to learn with and from each other.

Fondly,
Juanita


On May 31, 2005, at 5:08 PM, Alan Stewart wrote:

> G'day Peggy and All
>  
> It's wonderful indeed to have the comprehensive account of your 
> observations and experience to complement Tom's enthralling report.  
> Maybe Juanita would wish to add her's too ...
>  
> Several queries for you Peggy:
>  
> . At what stage were the OS principles and law introduced to the 
> participants? Was this at the first evening circle or at the Open 
> Space the following afternoon?   AT THE OPEN SPACE THE FOLLOWING 
> AFTERNOON
>  
> . Did you have any sense that issues/questions posted in Open Space 
> were related to those which emerged in the opening Cafe session? I 
> THINK THE WORLD CAFE SET A BROAD "FRAME" FOR THE INQUIRY IN A MUTUALLY 
> COMPASSIONATE WAY WHICH HONORED ALL OF THE DISCIPLINES AND 
> PERSPECTIVES BEING BROUGHT INTO THE ROOM--WHICH THEN ENABLED WHAT WE 
> CALL THE "MAGIC" TO BEGIN RIGHT FROM THE START AND "HOLD" THROUGHOUT 
> THE THREE DAYS.  SINCE WE DID IT THE WAY WE DID, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER 
> THAT WOULD OR WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AS EASILY IN A SOLEY OPEN SPACE 
> FORMAT.
>   
> . You mentioned that you got to participate in the Cafe. I wonder if 
> Juanita did likewise in the Open Space?  (I CERTAINLY DID AND LOVED 
> IT!)
>   
> . I wonder too if what you interpreted as 'freedom shock' was related 
> to the fact that participants did not know each other, whether or not 
> they came from different backgrounds.  I ACTUALLY DIDN'T EXPERIENCE 
> THE PARTICIPANTS AS HAVING THE INTENSITY OF FREEDOM SHOCK I'VE 
> EXPERIENCED IN OTHER SETTINGS WHERE A NEW AND DIVERSE GROUP SIMPLY 
> JUMPED INTO AN OPEN SPACE EXPEERIENCE-USUALLY THE MORE LOUD OR 
> OUTGOING FOLKS ARE THE ONES WHO JUMP OUT FIRST IN OPEN SPACE--BUT WHEN 
> WE'VE COMBINED WORLD CAFE WITH OPEN SPACE THERE SEEMS TO BE A MORE 
> EVEN DISTRIBUTION IN THIS REGARD WHICH HAPPENS QUITE NATURALLY--AND 
> MAY (I'M NOT SURE) TAKE A SOMEWHAT LONGER TIME (FOR THE LESS 
> TALKATIVE/OUTGOING FOLKS WHO ARE RETICENT IN LARGE 
> GROUPS--PARTICULARLY IN OTHER CULTURES)  IN OTHER OPEN SPACE SETTINGS 
> WHERE THE COMBINATION IS NOT USED.

>   
> I ask this because I have used the two processes in combination - in 
> the same order - with people from very diverse backgrounds and who had 
> encountered each other previously (they were members of a leadership 
> program). They did not manifest this kind of distress, at least in my 
> observation. Mind you some of them were quite taken aback initially by 
> the very notion of turning to face each other rather than their 
> accustomed experience of someone speaking to them!
>   
> With love
>  
> Alan
>  Hong Kong
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: Peggy Holman
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 2:04 PM
> Subject: The World Cafe meets Open Space
>
> You've seen Tom Atlee's description of the recent "Evolutionary 
> Salon".  Here are my reflections, mostly on the partnership between 
> TWC and OS.
>  
>  
> We began our first evening in a circle with a check in, people 
> speaking to what attracted them to the Evolutionary Salon.  We 
> described the process that we'd be using for the conference as a 
> living experiment in being an evolutionary social system.  This let us 
> use our real time experience as a mirror for our learning.
>  
> The next morning, Juanita Brown took us into a World Cafe.  I got to 
> participate.  We focused on a question about our burning questions.  I 
> think I had the honor of experiencing TWC at its very best.  Juanita 
> is a master of her craft.  When reflections were harvested at the end 
> of the session, people said they were touched by the experience, 
> discovering the feeling of connection to each other, the synergy among 
> their burning questions.  They expressed excitement at the sense of 
> intimacy and kinship they felt. 
>   
> I have to admit that as a participant, I felt as I did the last time I 
> experienced TWC: constrained by the expectation of staying at the 
> table.  It was quite a contrast for me to hear the excitement of 
> others in the room! 
>   
>  
> We began the Open Space in the afternoon.  Of course, people jumped in 
> with their sessions.  They seemed to be doing just fine.  Come the 
> closing circle, several people expressed distress at their 
> experience.  One went so far as to ask if we could go back to the 
> comfort and intimacy of a cafe-like format.  I thought to myself, 
> "freedom shock" is alive and well.  The mix of people at the 
> conference included scientists and people of spirit.  It seems there 
> was something of a clash of cultures going on in many of the 
> sessions.  I just listened -- no defending, no fixing.
>  
> As is my practice in multiple day events (learned from Spirited Work), 
> the convening group met to reflect on how things were going after the 
> evening circle.  The meeting was open to any who wished to join us.  A 
> few people did.  One wondered if we needed to do something to "push 
> the group" in the direction we wished them to go (as if we knew what 
> direction that was!).   We discussed the fact that the discomfort 
> people experienced wasn't necessarily a bad thing, that it provided an 
> opportunity for something new to emerge.  I encouraged my nervous 
> sponsors to trust that things were going just fine.
>  
>
> That evening I found myself in a butterfly conversation with a couple 
> of people distressed by the "yang" energy they ran into, feeling 
> unsafe to express their "yin" selves.  We talked at length about what 
> it means to take responsibility for what you love.  They left the 
> conversation thinking about how to come fully present tomorrow in all 
> their "yin" glory.  
>  
> The next morning, someone announced 3 new "yin" meeting spaces.  There 
> was much laughter as people bantered about yin-ness and yang-ness and 
> its intersection.  Turns out there had been LOTS of butterfly 
> conversations and those who had felt distressed, found their way, 
> dissipating the angst before it became a real issue.  In fact, from 
> that point forward, the OS just flowed.
>  
>  
> A reflection on how TWC affected the dynamic.
>  It was clear that people had a felt sense of community very quickly 
> through TWC.  I think that the move into OS created that condition 
> that Harrison calls "freedom shock".  It's possible that the contrast 
> heightened the shock.  That said, I believe the sense of connection 
> created during TWC enabled those who were distressed to seek out the 
> friends they had made rather than completely check out (of course, 
> being in a remote location would have made it difficult to leave!).  I 
> wonder if that is a benefit of a cafe prior to OS -- to create 
> relationships that might support people to stay engaged if they have a 
> tendency towards freedom shock?
>  
>  
> THE TWC MEETS OS EXPERIMENT
> The OS continued as usual over the next couple days.  During our 
> preparation for the conference, the planning team (Tom Atlee, Michael 
> Dowd and myself) discussed the possibility of convening evening 
> sessions on "what are we learning?"  On the third evening, Tom and I 
> decided that it would be useful to do so and that we'd do it using 
> "TWC meets the law of two feet".
>  
> Our session question: what patterns do you see emerging?  About 12 
> people came.  We started in groups of 4 with an agreement that we'd 
> come together as a whole to see what we'd uncovered in about an hour.  
> In the meantime, people were invited to stay or move as they wished.  
> As context, I said that we knew from the cafe experience that patterns 
> become visible quickly when people move around periodically, so moving 
> is useful.  At Juanita's suggestion, we had blank cards in the 
> clusters so that groups could send an idea to another group if they 
> wanted.  They could also send an emissary. 
>   
> That was it.  Basically, it was OS with groups of four discussing the 
> session topic.  What happened was a kick.  Two groups were quite 
> intent in their conversations, clearly not moving, just going deeper 
> and deeper.  The third group eventually dissipated, a couple people 
> going to sleep, the others joining the two hot groups.  And then 
> others started arriving.  They just opted for one or the other of the 
> groups.  The conversations were animated and intense.  At one point, 
> the group I was in sent a card with an idea to the other group.  In 
> all, I think about 20 people were there by the end of the evening.
>  
> After about an hour, we came together as one.  First one group 
> described what they'd learned, then the other group did the same.  The 
> second group mentioned that they used the idea they'd received on the 
> card.  The remains of the original third group added their thoughts 
> into the mix.  Llyn Peabody, new to graphic recording, but clearly in 
> her element, took notes, drawing an incredible visual map of the weave 
> of our stories.  The result was electrifying and became the basis for 
> some breakthrough ideas the last day!
>  
> One side note -- someone said during the session that they often 
> looked for what was missing to understand a situation.  I pointed out 
> that the yin/yang laughter in the morning signaled something rather 
> remarkable that was missing from our living experiment of an evolving 
> social system: angst.  Rather than fragmenting into conflict, people 
> had transcended it.  That drew a raised eyebrow or two as people 
> digested how the space had made room for conflict to be embraced with 
> grace.
>  
>  
> A reflection on the TWC meets OS experiment
> Next time I'm a participant in an OS and have a large group, I'd 
> likely split up again in this way.  It was a great way to reflect on 
> our question when the group was large.
>  
>  
> THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE
> Juanita and I talked the next morning about our impressions of the 
> intersection of TWC and OS.  We discussed several strengths of TWC -- 
> creating a sense of community and uncovering patterns quickly. 
>   
> Given my own biases, I wouldn't use TWC as an opener unless the client 
> had some specific situation that moved things that way. 
>   
> I can imagine experimenting with doing an evening reflection with 
> people beginning in small groups.  I can see this as a natural flow of 
> the energy as people wander in, talking together before coming into a 
> single circle.  I think this could be a low key transition that 
> actually makes it easier to convene the evening circle.  By following 
> the energy of people arriving for the close, inviting them into 
> reflection as they arrive rather than waiting for everyone before 
> beginning, I think something simple and useful could occur. 
>  
>  
> Juanita suggested explicitly encouraging people post their sessions in 
> the form of questions.  It made me smile when Harrison recently 
> posted:
>  I  think of every Open Space gathering as a (potentially) question 
> rich environment. That is why I always suggest to people that they 
> phrase the theme as a question, as opposed to a statement.
>  
> Questions are certainly a place of coming together.
>  
> So, that's about all of my musings on this subject.
>  
> yours, on a warm evening in Seattle,
> Peggy
>  
>  

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