AW: interactive organizations gathering in istanbul-the story-my story

Mon Dec 4 00:51:23 PST 2006

Dear Funda

My friend Irena, a supervisor and coach, and myself planned to hold an OS
for female managers in Switzerland last September. We have invested 5200
Euro, one year of our time (between other projects and family), have found a
wonderfully feminine place, had a logo and stationary, business cards, as
well as a webpage designed, sent posters and invitation letters to more than
1000 addresses we had collected from our networks, and have developed great
ideas and surprises around the event. The website is
www.open-space-konferenz.ch <http://www.open-space-konferenz.ch/> . 

We got 2 inscriptions, and in the week before the (then already cancelled)
event, 2 more. Another 2 might have come if we had been more insisting. But
6 plus the 2 of us was not the think tank we had promised, and with 2
inscriptions by the deadline of the hotel, we decided not to go for it.

We learned that we should have done more market-research with female manager
friends (is this really a need, to develop new ideas with women only?); to
have published the "program" sooner (it was irritating to some that there
was no "program" on our website); to have gone to the media much sooner (we
were too late in the end to have something published); and to find sponsors
as the first thing - in Switzerland, it is as if you were nobody if you
don't have sponsors on your invitation.

We also learned that we really like to work together. Irena has become my
personal coach in a large OS I held for people living with HIV/AIDS this
last October, and her support was so valuable for me! This means she has
seen me work in OS then and has seen how I do things and how I am. Now I
have asked her to coach me with further events (the set-up of the time
structure, the roles in the event) whenever I need it. On the other hand,
she will do a presentation for me about her skills as a systemic coach and
supervisor next week (we might have been too focused on OST in the first go)
- this will make our potential more visible to both of us. This will allow
us to develop our concept further. Step by step, one at a time, as Raffi had
put it.

So, after all, this has been a good experience with much learning involved.
Our decision to allow for time whenever we felt stressed was helpful - also
in order for the learning to emerge after the cancellation. And it is still
emerging, an ongoing process which we both enjoy!

So do stay open and with it - and be prepared to be surprised. Love,
Catherine

Catherine Pfaehler Senn

Lic.oec.HSG

Open Space Begleitung & Coaching

Kellersriedweg 8

CH - 2503 Biel

+41-(0)32 - 365 68 41

c.pfaehler at bluewin.ch

  _____  

Von: Funda Oral [mailto:fundaoral at ttnet.net.tr] 
Gesendet: Sonntag, 3. Dezember 2006 17:55
Betreff: interactive organizations gathering in istanbul-the story-my story

Here is the story-MY story of Interactive Organizations Gathering in
Istanbul.

Jo and Michael had asked me if i would like to host 3rd IAO gathering in
November 2005,

i had accepted and started thinking about it.

I had been exchanging thoughts, ideas, suggestions with many friends from
the OSlist 

in and outside the list and with many friends around me since January 2006.

In April 2006  i started preparing the invitation. Can Uludag made the
pictures.

You can still have a look at the invitation on the turkish ost web site :
www.acikalanteknolojisi.com

Starting from June and until September 2006 i worked on the text of
invitation, exchanging ideas

with various friends.

In September 1000 invitations have been printed.

>From september till the event ( 24-26 nov.) i disributed invitations by post
and by e-mail. 

I sent invitations by post to everybody who heard about the event and/ or
who heard about ost 

from me. I distributed them to cafees, to universities, to friends,
relatives etc. In total

i distributed around 700 printed invitations and more then 1000 invitations
including the ones i sent by e-mail.

A school friend who runs a public relations company helped me to announce
the event through the

media. An interview with me about ost was published in a business newspaper.
In adddition, an annoucement

about IAO event has been published on several news web sites, magazines and
newspapers.

In september i visited the multinational company that Gail also was
referring to in her message. I knew how much

OST contributed to their work ( i didn't work there with ost but i knew
someone who was in charge of the use of ost).

I asked them to be the sponsor of this event and/ or to paticipate in the
event.

Unfortunately they couldn't support the event financially, they couldn't
participate in the event neither.

1 week ago from the event i heard that mmp and jo couldn't participate.

There were few people who had registered to the gathering.

I extended a final invitation to all my close friends saying 

" I gave you too much headache with my obsession to this thing called ost,
now i invite you to take part in iao istanbul 

so that you can experience it. I owe you this invitation as i took your time
and energy. Moreover i need your

support. The door will be open come whenever you want to. It's better if you
are there at least for the opening.

Please feel free to join us and don't worry if you can not"

Around 50 people were confirmed they would be there at least for the
opening.

25 showed up at the opening. The others: someome had forgetten, some had
crises at work, some had other things to do,

some couldn't come because of  traffic.....whatever

I just said few words as the sponsor. Mia opened the space wonderfully.

Then perfect!.....they started raising up issues so quickly and such deep
issues and questions!

There is no word to describe my feelings about being with all these people
who are very important to me and to my life in an

ost meeting. 

We were 13 at the closing session. Everbody came up with many projects and
ideas.      

At the closing, i told about YOUR support , i told them how much i felt your
eyes

were watching us and your hearts were beating with ours during the event.

I invested one year of time for the event. 

I invested around 3500 euro.

I did this because i believe in OST and i aslo believe in the power and use
of  the 

"InterActive Organizations" as a concept.

The pictures will be uploaded to some web site, i will later share them with
you.

Thanks,

All the best,

Funda

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