SV: opening space with very small groups

Thomas Herrmann thomas at openspaceconsulting.com
Wed Sep 20 13:39:30 PDT 2006


Hi Mikk
Good to see you here!
Just wanted to add that I´m in a group of Scandinavian GC-trainers and when
we have our gatherings which mostly last over 2 days we always use an OS
approach to set the agenda together, then we usually stay together as a
group and work through all issues since it usually concerns our continous
cocreation of our group/work. We couldn´t find a better way to have good
meetings and continue our learning journey together.

So I join the chorus - go for it.

Today I facilitated a follow-up meeting with 6 participants, and for part of
the meeting I used OST - 2 sessions á 45 minutes. THey chose to stay
together as a whole group working to continue with the 2 actionplans that
engaged them most. I express this choice (to split up or stay together) more
clearly when I work with small groups as they often tend to stay together as
a whole group (my experience) and maybe that´s not always the preferred way
by all...

Once I had one man who tried to arrange the agenda proposing that the group,
of 12 or so, stay together - talking about 3 issues during the first session
and three on the second (it was short OS-meeting). I was holding to the arms
of my chair - as Harrison teaches - and a woman stepped up and told the
group that this was not what she wished. So the group split up into smaller
groups - which seemed to be just right for that group.
Good luck Esther
Thomas Herrmann, Sweden

> -----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
> Från: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]För Mikk Sarv
> Skickat: den 20 september 2006 07:52
> Till: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Ämne: opening space with very small groups
>
>
> 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
> >
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