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[Justin T. Sampson]

On 8/23/06, Tree Fitzpatrick wrote:

> Until I began to live in OS, Justin, I almost never got to say
> what I was thinking in group settings. [...] Now that I live in
> OS, now that I know that I am always one of the right people,
> now that I know that when I speak is the right time, I am open
> and I tend to participate a whole lot more.

This gives me a lot of hope. Thanks. :)

> For me, I learned that it was not a question of what a
> facilitator was doing... but how I saw my own voice/value. I
> can't tell you how the principle "whoever comes are the right
> people" has changed my self-concept, how it has empowered me to
> believe that even when I am not acting right, even when I know I
> am the wild card that a conventional facilitator might dread
> seeing, I am one of the right people. And, gosh golly, the right
> people had better speak up... so I speak up.

What happens in the presence of dominance relationships, such as a
boss in a work setting? I'm thinking in particular of one work
experience, which I left recently (hmm, Law of Two Feet). The CEO
of the company held quarterly company meetings that she called
"design sessions"; I really liked the idea at first, but they were
so strictly structured that not much interesting happened. When
something interesting DID happen -- some of us actually talking
about real issues and opportunities for improving the work of the
company, and straying somewhat from the set agenda -- she got
furious! I just totally shut down at that point and didn't talk
any more after that. This was NOT an Open Space of course; but
what I'm wondering is, if we were to hold an Open Space in such a
situation, would the facilitator perform any kind of intervention
with such a person?

Lisa Heft told a story (in a session on Open Space experiences
during the NCDD Open Space) of a time when she as facilitator
restrained (verbally) the host of an Open Space from intervening
in a heated session. Might that be related to restraining a boss
who wishes to control the course of things? Or would you have some
one-on-one sessions with the boss ahead of time to help her
understand what's going to happen? Are there circumstances where
you would refrain from facilitating an Open Space at all?

> I note that a group experiencing a multi-day OS does not always
> realize that they can do things in the evening, like hold a
> talent show, offer one's juggling or do Playback Theater...

Thanks for your Playback story, and for this tip!

> I regret that I did not get to the NCDD Playback Theater
> session. It must have been held in the evening... how did I miss
> it?! Sigh!

It was during the "Methods Showcase", Friday late-afternoon. It
was structured as five 15-minute sessions (Lisa Heft called it
"speed dating") but I stayed with Playback through it all. I'm now
reading Jonathan Fox's book Acts of Service, all about Playback
Theatre, and I've enrolled in acting and improv classes at the
local City College to learn more!

Cheers,
Justin

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