The absolute patience of OS

[Jack Ricchiuto]

This was my blog from an Open Space event tonight.


I did an Open Space event tonight with 60 community people, generating over
70 ideas in a short timeframe. What did people like? They loved choosing
their own agenda, choosing their own conversations, and yes there were ample
butterflies and bumblebees following the law of two feet, including those
with 4 feet (walkers).

The focus: How can we make this a more elder-friendly community?

What was the most interesting exchange of the night? This was a civic event,
and at the end the senior government official pulled me aside and asked: How
do you do it? What's that, I asked. To which he painfully says, How do you
keep from having your head blow up? He's talking about the role of
facilitator in open space.

As we talk, I understand that he has absolutely no patience for people's
stories. I empathize and segue to the point: The key is to listen and to
keep reminding the community about the invitation to express their wants.

Opening space is always authentic engagement. It is, as I mentioned to this
government official, nothing about being defensive or quick to take power
away. It's about opening space and being non-anxious about the questions
that take who-knows-how-long to love into realization.


Jack


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jack ricchiuto
two.one.six/three.seven.three/seven.four.seven.five
www.designinglife.com / www.appreciativeleadership.com


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