What is the largest group size for OS-role of facilitator

Michael M Pannwitz mmpanne at boscop.de
Mon Nov 20 02:24:34 PST 2006


Dear Christine, dear Peggy H.,
on my erratic facilitator-journey on trying out ways to in some manner 
approach the seemingly impossible mode of "totally present and 
absolutely invisible"
I have asked myself in which way my perception of my role as facilitator 
of OST events influences this and especially how my practice as 
facilitator is congruent with that perception.
This has been and keeps being a tough excercise for me even though I 
have been in the open space business for a decade now but on top of 30 
years of being a consultant with entirely different agendas and views.
Ok, here are two things I have been trying and practicing which came to 
my mind when Peggy said in a recent mail
"I brought together about 2100 as well-..."
and you said in your mail below
"I opened the space....":
-whenever the opportunity arises, I point out to myself and to the 
sponsor,the planning group, the team, etc. that it is the sponsor who 
invites people to come to an event (that often leads to having my name 
move way down in the invitation, making me a little less visible)and 
does everything possible to make it inviting and attractive, in other 
words, the sponsor "brings" people together
-similarly, the information that it is the sponsor that opens the space 
and that I come in to introduce the technology and contribute to keep 
the open space open and holding the time....
Now, this stuff keeps me busy and I am very interested to hear how you 
and all you others on the list have fared with being "totally present 
and absolutely invisible". What has worked for you, what not in holding 
time and space? Especially under the consideration that from my 
experience to date the function of "creating time and space" is not my 
part but rather that of the sponsor and the participants who created 
time and space by showing up.
Greetings from Berlin
mmp



Christine Whitney Sanchez wrote:
> Deb,
> 
> At the 2005 Girl Scout National Convention, I opened the space on the topic
> of governance for over 1,600 delegates.  The report for this project can be
> found at http://i.b5z.net/i/u/540396/i/GSUSAfinalreport06.ppt 
> 
> Thanks for asking and good luck with your article.
> 
> Christine
>  
> Christine Whitney Sanchez
> KAIROS Alliance Inc.
> 2717 E. Mountain Sky Avenue
> Phoenix, AZ  85048
> 480.759.0262
> www.kairosalliance.com
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Deborah
> Hartmann
> Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 11:31 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: What is the largest group size for OS?
> 
> I'm wondering: what is the largest group size, as experienced by the people
> on this list?
> 
> I'm writing an article and wanted to say "up to 500 people or more" 
> thinking of a series of OS sessions run in Ontario, Canada.
> But I'm curious... has it been used with bigger organizations or
> conferences?
> 
> Thanks
> deb
> 

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>From  Mon Nov 20 05:46:12 2006
Message-Id: <MON.20.NOV.2006.054612.0600.>
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 05:46:12 -0600
Reply-To: owengroup at comcast.net
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: The Owen Group <owengroup at comcast.net>
Organization: The Owen Group
Subject: Re: What is the largest group size for OS-role of facilitator
In-Reply-To: <45618262.80309 at boscop.de>
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Michael,

Interesting you would mention this. I was pondering this yesterday. In my
most recent Open Space adventure with our company, I intentionally omitted
my name from ALL materials related to the retreat . . . The invitation as
well as all other correspondence to the group. EVERYTHING came directly from
the Sponsor (the Team Leader).

A few thoughts as to how this affected the actual flow of the event:

- Prior to the event, I did not have bunches of people approaching me to
find out what they should expect
- EVERYONE came with the same "expectations" - That they were coming to an
event to "Create the Future"
- No-one knew anything about what was going to happen - The process, agenda,
facilitator etc
- The group went right to work without hesitation when the light turned
green (Marketplace opened)
- I was completely invisible until the closing . . . Even when people saw me
in the passing, they were too busy doing what they came to do to engage me
in side conversations about the process.
- The proceedings also do not have my name ANYWHERE on them . . . It is THE
ORGANIZATION'S book . . . They OWN it completely.

This was my first Go at doing it this way, and I like it. I am aware that
many of the OST events I have facilitated in the past were ones in which my
name was front and center in all communications . . . sort of as a
validation for the process and/or worth of attending the meeting - and
perhaps an ego trip of sorts of my own. The flavor of the event is different
when the folks come because they have great passion for the THEME and less
interest in witnessing an unusual process or a professional opening space.

The ego aspect of it is something I have pondered for years. I think it
falls under the category of marketing. "If I don't market myself in all of
the materials and make my contact information known, how will they know who
to refer to other people? How will I get future business if I don't have my
personal imprint/signature on my successes?" Truth is . . . If folks are
stirred by the process and/or my presentation and presence, they will
discover themselves who I am and how to find me without me having to feed it
to them in THEIR invitation, correspondence and proceedings.

So I feel my role is along the lines of staying out of the way from start to
finish . . . so the entire thing is more about the organization and their
passion for the theme and ONLY THAT! There is no room for any other
"agendas"   

Best,

B
 
Website www.theowengroup.net
Visit my BLOG @ http://creatingspaces.blogspot.com/

Barry Owen
Principal Broker
The Owen Group
Keller Williams Realty - Green Hills Market Center
30 Burton Hills Blvd Ste 175
Nashville, TN 37215
Direct - 615.568.2123
Toll Free 866.375.0965
Fax - 615.523.2462
 
Keller Williams Realty is a learning-based Training & Consulting Company
supporting our Real Estate Professionals by offering business models,
systems, tools, & support to Build Careers Worth Having, Businesses Worth
Owning, and Lives worth living . . . We are THE fastest growing, most
innovative real estate company in America. Check us out @
www.theowengroup.net OR www.homselrs.com 


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>From  Mon Nov 20 07:15:03 2006
Message-Id: <MON.20.NOV.2006.071503.0500.>
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 07:15:03 -0500
Reply-To: hhowen at verizon.net
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
Organization: HH Owen and Co.
Subject: Re: What is the largest group size for OS-role of facilitator
In-Reply-To: <45618262.80309 at boscop.de>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Opening Space? I can certainly understand what Michael is talking about. For
sure the sponsor(s) invites the people, and with this invitation, space is
open(ing). But there is moment when you as facilitator enter the circle for
the first time when (it seems to me) it is all in your hands. For a group's
first time in Open Space this is a scary, strange, weird moment. Not a shred
of evidence about what will happen, where they will go -- Just some person
out there saying something like, "Welcome to Open Space." Even the sponsor
(perhaps most especially the sponsor) is in some real state of confusion,
not to say profoundly nervous. For that moment, and for the next 10 - 15
minutes, it is all in your hands. I don't think it is stretching a point to
say that you hold their lives in your hands -- and in some cases I have been
in, that is literally true. I would guess that at that point you are just
about as visible as a person can get. For sure there is nobody else out
there with you. But then things change, and I think they radically change.
After a brief few words of introduction, the participants are invited to
take over the circle, and with a large group, you (the facilitator) are
reduced to the role of microphone stand. And not long after that, you
basically disappear. I see this as a dance which models essential behavior.
At least central behavior for life in Open Space. When I enter the circle, I
enter it with real passion, usually not for the issues themselves, but for
the people's potential. And I know I am very visible with my passion. But
then I get out of the way, making room for the even larger passions of the
people. So I see all this as a progression from central visibility to
invisibility. And that progression effectively creates a vacuum (I think)
which draws the people in. But then they too will disappear -- at least
disappear to the several groups or out on the lawn as butterflies.  In/Out,
In/Out -- breathing so to speak. Or something.

And Michael, I have watched you do the thing on multiple occasions. And I
can tell you that when you enter the circle you are really there, really
Michael, and anything but invisible. Good show. And then you leave. . . 

Harrison 

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com 
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.ho-image.com 
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael M
Pannwitz
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 5:25 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: What is the largest group size for OS-role of facilitator

Dear Christine, dear Peggy H.,
on my erratic facilitator-journey on trying out ways to in some manner 
approach the seemingly impossible mode of "totally present and 
absolutely invisible"
I have asked myself in which way my perception of my role as facilitator 
of OST events influences this and especially how my practice as 
facilitator is congruent with that perception.
This has been and keeps being a tough excercise for me even though I 
have been in the open space business for a decade now but on top of 30 
years of being a consultant with entirely different agendas and views.
Ok, here are two things I have been trying and practicing which came to 
my mind when Peggy said in a recent mail
"I brought together about 2100 as well-..."
and you said in your mail below
"I opened the space....":
-whenever the opportunity arises, I point out to myself and to the 
sponsor,the planning group, the team, etc. that it is the sponsor who 
invites people to come to an event (that often leads to having my name 
move way down in the invitation, making me a little less visible)and 
does everything possible to make it inviting and attractive, in other 
words, the sponsor "brings" people together
-similarly, the information that it is the sponsor that opens the space 
and that I come in to introduce the technology and contribute to keep 
the open space open and holding the time....
Now, this stuff keeps me busy and I am very interested to hear how you 
and all you others on the list have fared with being "totally present 
and absolutely invisible". What has worked for you, what not in holding 
time and space? Especially under the consideration that from my 
experience to date the function of "creating time and space" is not my 
part but rather that of the sponsor and the participants who created 
time and space by showing up.
Greetings from Berlin
mmp



Christine Whitney Sanchez wrote:
> Deb,
> 
> At the 2005 Girl Scout National Convention, I opened the space on the
topic
> of governance for over 1,600 delegates.  The report for this project can
be
> found at http://i.b5z.net/i/u/540396/i/GSUSAfinalreport06.ppt 
> 
> Thanks for asking and good luck with your article.
> 
> Christine
>  
> Christine Whitney Sanchez
> KAIROS Alliance Inc.
> 2717 E. Mountain Sky Avenue
> Phoenix, AZ  85048
> 480.759.0262
> www.kairosalliance.com
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Deborah
> Hartmann
> Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 11:31 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: What is the largest group size for OS?
> 
> I'm wondering: what is the largest group size, as experienced by the
people
> on this list?
> 
> I'm writing an article and wanted to say "up to 500 people or more" 
> thinking of a series of OS sessions run in Ontario, Canada.
> But I'm curious... has it been used with bigger organizations or
> conferences?
> 
> Thanks
> deb
> 

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
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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

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