SOS for OS!

[Diane Brandon]

Frank, if there's an email list for the Intentional Communities folks, 
how about sending out one saying something like "anyone else on this 
list have experience with Open Space Technology? I'd like to experiment 
with using OS at an IC gathering. Let's meet for an OS the day before 
(some upcoming planned gathering) on (topic)."

Something like that. If the conversation goes on on the list for a bit, 
and people get interested, and you aren't "taking over" the event, but 
adding an opportunity to it -- who could complain?!

I think back to when I introduced Future Search to our coalition. Right 
now it seems impossible that we got 64 people from 4 towns (it was a 
regional community well-being focused FS) together for 16 hrs over 
three days, including senior citizens, social workers, artists, school 
superintendent, hospital president, elected town officials, physician, 
minister, high school kids, etc. But somehow it worked -- and I'd have 
to give a lot of credit to the strong encouragement of our facilitator, 
John van Deusen, who did it pro bono. With his guidance, all I did was 
get a community leadership group together for a full day meeting with 
him. He guided us through a lot of thinking, showed us a FS video.... 
and at the end of the day, the leadership group was committed to 
bringing in their constituencies, and it rolled on.

Does any of that translate for you working with FIC?

Diane


On Apr 9, 2006, at 12:45 AM, Frank Deitle wrote:

> Thank you OS emergency squad!
>
> Even though I know your advise is true before I even ask, I am 
> reassured by your supportive reminders. You make me laugh Lisa, 
> calling me a crankypants! I can get so crankypants about OS and I hate 
> that. It blocks me from finding creative solutions and making the 
> quality of connections that could lead to productive organizational 
> transformation. I had a good nap today during some of the committee 
> meetings and got some good writing done. I also had a few inspiring 
> side conversations. I've also had some ideas for how I can invite OS 
> into this organization down the line through a more productive kind of 
> long term dialogue and relationship building. I just get so impatient 
> sometimes.
>
> As far as the emergency toolkit is concerned I think it would include 
> some of the things you all wrote: breathing, writing about what you 
> are passionate about, don't try to sell OS, butterflying around, use 
> the law of two feet, etc. I like Harrison's suggestion of an empty box 
> too. Perhaps I will flesh out these ideas and see if I could put 
> together a real emergency toolkit!
>
> I keep wondering though about what happens at that turning point when 
> you identify frustrations with an established way of doing things and 
> are having that dialogue, how do people begin to effectively suggest 
> OS as an option? Here are some entries that have not worked for me: 
> "Well, I know this method that addresses all the things you are 
> talking about..." (seems to generate instant doubt), or using all the 
> traditional elevator plugs for OS hasn't seemed to get me very far 
> either. And perhaps it is just the fact that I am trying to "get 
> somewhere" that gets me nowhere. I'd really like to hear some real 
> world experiences of a working dialogue at that crucial point that 
> generates genuine interest in a new approach.
>
> Thanks again,
> Senior Crankypants (Frank Deitle)
>
>  * * ========================================================== 
> OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To 
> subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of 
> oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu: 
> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about 
> OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: 
> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist