Open Space intro at Google Headquarters--I'm looking for intro ideas

Sun Apr 23 11:02:13 PDT 2006

hi matt.

sounds like a great opportunity! great work!

below is a story i put on the oslist about five years ago. i just  found it 
by searching archives.

i'd definitely follow Eva's advice of putting up the signs indicating that 
this is a taste, etc.

i'd probably approach the theme as something like

Google's future: Issues and Opportunities

i've done other similar experiences since then. sometimes the group decides 
to break out into small groups for short discussions. other times they have 
opted to all stay together and have discussion and questions and answers. 
the key is to give people the option to do what they want ; ) surprise, 
surprise.

here is my first time open space in 60 minute story:

I want to share a first time experience for me that occured yesterday. 
During my time here in Georgia, my friend who is Chair of Anthropology at 
Berry College arranged for me to come speak with her students and anyone 
else interested. Yesterday at 5:00 pm, I had one hour to explore the theme, 
"How can North Americans help meet the needs of today's world?" People came 
because they were interested in the subject. No credits would be received. 
It was not replacing a regular class. My friend and I thought it might draw 
10 maybe 20 people.

60 came and crowded into a relatively small room. Participants, which 
included students, the College's provost, the dean of students, and several 
department chairs sat in a circle. I shared that I had two objectives for 
the time: help them have an idea about my work in Haiti, and provide them 
with a powerful tool for organizing and empowering people. I asked them to 
imagine that our group was going to be spending one or two days together 
instead of one hour. The room was set up with all the normal open space 
props.

By 5:35, the group had responded to my invitation and 12 subjects were 
posted on the bulletin board by students and two department chairs. I had 
created the possibility for a session to last from 5:30 to 5:50, and one to 
be dealt with in cyberspace using Beyond Borders' discussion forum.

Someone present proposed that instead of breaking up into groups, with such 
limited time, people would have the opportunity to ask about results using 
Open Space, and be able to discuss in a large group, how subjects which were 
posted might be dealt with after the group dispersed.

Students, the provost, professors asked good questions. People also asked 
questions of the people who posted subjects. It was determined that another 
open space meeting lasting a half to a full day would be organized to treat 
the subjects. My friend, the Anthropology chair, who has never done an open 
space, volunteered to facilitate.

At 6:00 pm, when I closed the meeting, I received an energetic applause. 
Numerous people stayed after to express their intrigue and satisfaction in 
learning about Open Space.

As Brian Bainbridge and others have expressed to me, "You open space however 
you can and in whatever circumstances you can and normally it will lead to 
the creation of more open space."

http://circlesofchange.com participatory learning & leadership in Haiti
http://johnengle.net Open Space facilitation

email: john at johnengle.net
telephone: 202-236-6532

P.O. Box 337
Hershey, PA 17033

>From: Matthew Blom <learnbyliving at yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
>To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>Subject: Open Space intro at Google Headquarters--I'm looking for intro 
>ideas
>Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:13:28 -0500
>
>Dear people who open space,
>
>  My name is Matthew, and I'm new to the list and a half-year new to open 
>space facilitation (trained by the bunny lovable Lisa Heft).  I've been so 
>jazzed by the idea of getting open space to Google, a place which already 
>explores many new ways of behaving in the business world.
>
>  Yesterday, I got an in.
>
>  I'll be doing a "tech talk" on May 3rd, and I am now running multiple 
>scenarios through my head about how to introduce open space there.  These 
>talks are usually an hour, and I imagine it being rather boring to talk 
>"about" open space, and I'm unsure how to go about actually experiencing it 
>in that short a time frame.
>
>  Ideas I've had thus far--kick, bite, and scream for more time (what's an 
>ideal intro. time frame?  3 hours? How long should the sessions be?)
>
>  Try an experience of it with very short sessions--like 10 minutes long?
>
>  I'm also wondering about a theme.  I'll need to talk more with someone 
>out there about that piece.
>
>  Any ideas and/or experiences from those who have done something like this 
>would be very helpful!
>
>  peace,
>  Matthew
>
>
>************************************************
>"Once man begins to think about the mystery of his life and the links
>connecting him with the life that fills the world, he cannot but accept,
>for his own life and all other life that surrounds him, the principle of
>Reverence for Life.
>
>He will act according to this principle of the ethical affirmation of life
>in everything he does.  His life will become in every respect more
>difficult that if he lived for himself, but at the same time it will be 
>richer, more beautiful, and happier.
>
>It will become, instead of mere living, a genuine experience of life."
>
>-Albert Schweitzer
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