opening space with very small groups

[Communications Esther Matte]

A million thanks to you all for sharing your experience with me!

I had a big surprise from my sponsor this morning, and I now have to 
realign this project a bit. But I see more clearly how OS can work with 
small groups and how I can support their success. I feel honored to have 
received such help, and I will honor it by going there when the time comes 
with confidence in your advice, my heart, the group and the process.

Thanks again, and cheers!

Esther

At 01:52 2006-09-20, you wrote:
>Dear Esther!
>
>I have several times conducted OS with small groups, one of them was only
>with three persons. Two of them had earlier OS experience, so they just used
>the co-created space as usually - posted their topics about what they really
>cared about and then started to write down to flip charts their thoughts
>about it.
>
>When the first outburst of inspiration was over, the time was right to look
>around, what others had done and written down. They walked from one topic to
>another and got wonderful additions to their original ideas. Third day was,
>as usally, for action planning, at it worked the same way.
>
>Just be relaxed and encourage people to select topics they really care
>about. Then remind them, that they have wonderful and rare opportunity to be
>with something, that they really care about, for 90 minutes and possibly
>they can get some enriching comments and additions.
>
>Go and do it!
>With best greetings,
>Mikk Sarv
>Estonia
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Communications Esther Matte" <ematte at excellence.ca>
>To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
>Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 3:29 PM
>Subject: opening space with very small groups
>
>
> > Hello everyone!
> >
> > First, let me say thank you for the wonderful learning I found in the
> > OSList.  I'm new to Open Space, and even though I have yet to make my
> > "first big circle" as Ted put it recently, I feel more confident thanks to
> > you all.
> >
> > I may have two possible projects with very small groups (5-7 people) ­
> > which is what worries me.  I have participated to one OST in my
> > experiential training with Diane Gibeault (fantastic!), and co-facilitated
> > one with 45 people. But I simply cannot visualize how it works with as few
> > as 5 people. How do you do this? Do you have several rounds of
>discussions?
> > In separate rooms? Do people actually work by themselves and team up? Can
> > you do it in approximately 3 hours ? (Maybe 20-30 minutes opening, 2 X
> > 40-minutes rounds of discussion or 3 X 30-minutes, action planning and
> > closing).
> >
> > I'm sure some of you have done this. I'll be meeting with the first
> > possible group next week, and nothing is set in stone yet for the other.
> > Any comments, suggestions, ideas or warnings will be very much
>appreciated.
> >
> > Thank you very much in advance for your time!
> >
> > Esther Matte
> > Communications Esther Matte
> > 1011, Marie-Victorin
> > Verchères (Québec) J0L 2R0
> > www.excellence.ca
> >
> > "L'art de dire"
> >
> > Tél. : (450) 583-5849
> > Téléc. : (450) 583-3513
> >
> > *
> > *
> > ==========================================================
> > 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
> >
>
>*
>*
>==========================================================
>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

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