Helloooo

Thu Aug 10 06:10:52 PDT 2006

Just checking how come it´s so silent - sent a message yesterday which did
not get through
Regards

Thomas Herrmann         Phone +46 (0)709-98 97 81
Open Space Consulting   Fax   +46 (0)300-713 89
Pensévägen 4
434 46 Kungsbacka, Sweden
Email: thomas at openspaceconsulting.com
www.openspaceconsulting.com
----------------------------------------------------
Vill du skapa en välmående och effektiv organisation
och ta tillvara hela dess potential?

Open Space Consulting erbjuder dig:
* Lärtillfällen kring hälsa och balans i organisationer
* Analyser av organisatorisk hälsa och balans
* Handledning av effektiva och kreativa möten och konferenser
* Utbildning av mötes- och processhandledare
* Coaching för organisationer i förändring
----------------------------------------------------
Vårt antivirusskydd scannar alla utgående mail. Infekterade mail stoppas
automatiskt.

*
*
==========================================================
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

>From  Thu Aug 10 13:33:08 2006
Message-Id: <THU.10.AUG.2006.133308.0400.>
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 13:33:08 -0400
Reply-To: birgitt at dalarinternational.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Birgitt Williams <birgitt at dalarinternational.com>
Organization: Dalar International Consultancy
Subject: Re: [GenuineContact] (X-posted with OS-list) Some highlights for
 me: OSon OS XIV (LONGISH)
X-To: List for those interested in the Genuine Contact Program
 <genuinecontact at genuinecontact.info>
In-Reply-To: <NOEPIGMAFNFLGJPILKKFMEDAEEAA.thomas at openspaceconsulting.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Dear Thomas,
Thank you for your wonderful summary about the Open Space on Open Space
meeting in Moscow. I too wish to commend Raffi (one of our GCP trainers
in Moscow) and Galina and Michail from InterTraining and the rest of the
team in Moscow for a job well done. Our OST meeting was definitely
Russian style and we all learned a lot in the cross cultural
interchanges. Vera's tea corner was like having a 'fire keeper' to hold
space for those in the conference and I liked very much the feminine
energy of a traditional indigenous fire keeping role done in the
feminine energy way of 'tea ceremony'. Gratitude to so many people, old
friends and new. I personally had so many heart to heart and soul to
soul connections, that I am still processing the many gifts I received
from the conference. You are ahead of us in unpacking your bags.  We, as
you know, headed on to Siberia to check in with some of our friends who
are 'opening space' here. What great pioneers!

Okay, now a little about the Russian way. There was a clear following of
the principles of OST. We got started when we were ready. The calendar
might have called for a 10am start but we usually got to it only when we
were fully satisfied from the coffee break that came first. Coffee is an
understatement...there were so many good foods, and even the occasional
bottle of vodka and homemade Ukrainian wine. We definitely stayed with
'whoever comes are the right people' and the flow of the right people
showing up to each of the session times was great. Sometimes the
convenors of the sessions didn't come, sometimes the sessions met in
unexpected places with no notice but it all worked out. The participants
embodied 'whatever happens is the only thing that could' with divine
non-chalance. And the corollary to 'when it's over, it's over' came into
play daily. The corollary of course is 'when it's not over, it's not
over'. The calendar might have said finish at 6pm, but we didn't, not
even on the last day which went until almost 9pm. The security staff
even came and took our microphones away but we kept deliberating about
matters important to us, and those that could, stayed. 

The decision making process of where to hold the next International
OSONOS got a little complicated as we contended with the fact that this
year, for the first time, there are two International OSONOS's. Over the
years, regional meetings have sprung up, but with Harrison Owen's
announcement to the OS list that it might now be time to have more than
one annual event, and his sponsoring of a second International OSONOS in
2006, we struggled with whether or not we still needed to follow the
pattern of meeting locations that have been on a three year
cycle...North America, Europe, somewhere else, and back to North
America. So, although the Ukraine is close geographically to this year's
event in Moscow, it was chosen. This year, there were only three
participants from North America..Ward and I from the USA and Wendy
Farmer O'Neil from Canada. We are very much hoping that we are not at
the beginning of an annual European International Conference, and an
annual North American conference, and missing the wonderful
international blending we have had in the past. International
gatherings, in my experience, are the best for greatest learning.

I am deeply grateful to all of the wonderful people that I had the
chance to have interactions with.

Blessings,
Birgitt

Birgitt Williams

-----Original Message-----
From: genuinecontact-bounces at genuinecontact.info
[mailto:genuinecontact-bounces at genuinecontact.info] On Behalf Of Thomas
Herrmann
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 7:57 AM
To: genuinecontact at genuinecontact.info
Subject: [GenuineContact] (X-posted with OS-list) Some highlights for
me: OSon OS XIV (LONGISH) 

Dear friends in Open Space
I´ve now unpacked my bags and thought I´d share a few of my
experiences/highlights that I had during my stay in Moscow. I'm sure
there
will be lots of stories as well as photos available soon.

TRAVEL AND THE CITY OF MOSCOW
The journey from Sweden was not very expensive, visa-procedures were not
that difficult for me as soon as I understood some key-questions. For me
Moscow seemed to be a friendly, safe and very clean city with lots and
lots
to see and do. A couple of times I asked people in the Metro about the
way,
although they seemed to be in a hurry rushing along, they were always
looking back to see I was doing alright, pointing me to the right place.

Learning the russian alphabet and learning to say some basic things was
hard
work. I felt like a child again when I was happy every time I managed to
read a sign or find the subwaystation/streetname I was looking for.

WHALEWATCHING SAFARI
Before I left for Russia I received an invitation from Vera to visit her
and
go whalewatching with her. An invitation I could not resist! So I took
the
metro to a suburb of Moscow where I met her. We had a walk and finally
came
to a park. Hmm do they have whales in the parks here? Walking through
the
park I saw that the Moscow river was at the other end...and all of a
sudden
I saw something huge black at the river bank...could this really be
true...?
We sneaked up to it through the trees of the park. And there it was - a
great big old submarine! I guess that´s as close one can get to a whale
in
Moscow. So thanks Vera for taking me on this whale-safari.

OSonOS
On thursday evening about 20 of the participants gathered for a
tram-trip on
the Moscow river, passing many interesting sites such as the Kremlin as
well
as monuments and Cathedrals. So Friday morning it started. The site for
OSonOS consisted of a large room and space around for break-outs.
Coffee/Thé
and things to eat were always available and the last day it was spiced
with
a buffé/smörgåsbord that the participants had brought.
Lunch was served downstairs and there was always a wide choice of
russian
dishes. I think these basics were very well organized.

As usual lots of issues were raised spanning all over the space of open
space. Lots and lots of good conversations in and between groups. I'm
happy
for all the new and old friends that I met and all the wisdome they
shared.

Interpreters bridged between English-Russian speaking participants in an
extra-ordinary way. In the big circle as well as in every small group
there
was always someone willing to help out - and it worked beautifully and
was
lots of fun.

I enjoyed Veras Thé-corner where everyone was invited to sit down, have
a
cup of thé, relax, talk, sit in silence or whatever. The drumming
session
conducted on day 2 was great fun and good learning - bridging between
cultures and languages. The artists workshop on day 3 was also inspiring
for
many of us.

The decision about the 15th International OSonOS was a long process.
There
were three offers from Ukraine/Kiev, San Francisco and Paris. For me the
physical presence and the energy shown by the Ukraine team as well as
the
opportunity to support the growing community of OS-facilitators over
there
was the main reasons for me to support going there. Lots of passion and
willingness to take responsibility there!

I am greatful to Raffi, Michail and Galina + everyone else in the
organizing
team + all participants who together made this OSonOS so successful!

I wish the best to the Ukrainan team and will do my best to support in
any
way possible to me.

So holidays are being rounded up over here and there will be lots of
space
opened for the coming month. Better start working...
Warmest regards
Thomas Herrmann

_______________________________________________
Genuinecontact mailing list
Genuinecontact at genuinecontact.info
http://lists.genuinecontact.info/mailman/listinfo/genuinecontact

-- 
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.7/409 - Release Date: 8/4/2006

-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.7/409 - Release Date: 8/4/2006

*
*
==========================================================
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