Open Space for small groups

[Harrison Owen]

Justin -- just remember "personal responsibility" and "passion" -- and make sure there is plenty of room for both. Honestly, the rest will take care of itself, regardless of group size. And I say a word in your note that troubled me. "Table." Probably a holdover from your pre-os days. But get rid of all the tables. Circles of chairs only. Especially with small groups. Tables anchor people in a set configuration to particular spots. Chairs move around (at least they can).

Harrison


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD  20854
USA
301-365-2093
207-763-3261 (summer)
website www.openspaceworld.com
Personal Website www.ho-image.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Justin T. Sampson 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 1:40 AM
  Subject: Re: Open Space for small groups


  Thank you all so much for your thoughtful comments!

  I'm hearing two major points --

  1. A small group may be more likely to stay together instead of
  splitting into separate parallel sessions, but the structure of
  the Open Space is the same as for a larger group, with the same
  opportunity/"permission" to split as appropriate. I was
  wondering/worrying about this, whether splitting would be awkward;
  but of course during every meeting there are several side
  conversations anyway! Occasionally the people around the table
  will divide evenly in half with some diving deeper into an issue
  while others continue with the business of the meeting, or two or
  three people at the end of the table will talk amongst themselves
  about something else entirely. As chair of the meeting I often
  want to follow that energy, and also to make sure no one gets left
  out of something they could contribute to, but also not dragged
  along in something they're not interested in; and I haven't been
  sure how to accomplish that.

  2. The biggest challenge is holding space while being an active
  member of the organization myself. I definitely see my most
  important role for the group being the creating and holding of
  space, and I tend not to be the one championing any of our
  particular projects anyway, so I hope this will be a natural, but
  still challenging and learning-inducing, fit for me. I like the
  reminder of hats -- the sitting/standing method may be just right
  in this case.

  Another issue for this group is making decisions on behalf of the
  organization, which is a local political party (a county central
  committee, for those who know anything about USA party politics),
  and requires a proper vote for something like endorsement of a
  candidate. So I'm also looking forward to learning how to keep the
  space open while meeting our formal obligations as a party.

  I'll go ahead and ask the group for their indulgence in giving
  Open Space a shot at an upcoming meeting and see how it goes!

  Cheers,
  Justin

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