Open Space and Circles

Wed Aug 22 07:53:46 PDT 2007

Hi, folks -

I have had the honor of being present for one of Kaliya's facilitations of
an OS conference for tech folks.  So I can say that she really does OS -
'real' OS and is very clear on pre-work, process, principles space-holding
and the whole thing.  I'm not saying this to defend you Kaliya (there is no
defense needed it is just a conversation - and I know you are fully capable
of articulating and tossing about ideas with folks).  I just say this to
clarify that yep, it's real OS.  

Some time ago on the list we had a good rich discussion about 'what if you
cannot make a circle' within the constraints of a particular room.  Brian
talked about a theatre-setting (audience seating affixed to the floor taking
up most of the room - little teeny area down in the front - typical of
presentation-style sites).  Bernd talked about facilitating in a room that
was filled with a huge table and no room to even walk around the sides.
What we seemed to agree upon in our shared experiences was that - if you
don't have a circle, for any reason - it works well if you *imply* the
circle.  You post your posters around the room.  You make a gesture with
your arm to the group to encompass the whole group.  You...breathe.  You
envision the circle.  Heck, you *be* the circle.

So: there, the circle always is.

Having said that, I'm a big fan of the circle - I don't do it any other way
unless it's simply physically impossible.  I've done 350-person diamonds
with open centers (when the fire marshal required all chairs locked together
in straight rows), I've stood on a raised platform in the center and had a
bunch of pre-set discussion circles-of-chairs spread out all around the room
(again - fire marshal did not allow one giant circle or 2000 people), I've
indicated and envisioned and embodied the circle (round girl that I am) in
teeny tiny extra tiny spaces.

I've had a few people walk out - they walk into the room, see a circle and,
as one person put it, say 'Not THIS shit!' (yep, her words) and walked out.
Just a few.  I think that many of us folks, too, have experienced a
situation or two where we've been in a poorly facilitated experience - in a
circle - where someone was taking us through a really well-intentioned
activity or something that made us feel needlessly uncomfortable, or took up
our useful time, had us all do some activity that felt artificial or imposed
or that did not relate to the work at hand.  Perhaps that is the only
experience in a circle those individuals have had.

What this brings to mind is also: it also depends what the facilitator is
like.  What s/he asks us to do.  Some of us say 'look around in everyone's
eyes', some ring a Tibetan bell, some say 'see the treasures that we are',
some start with a breath, or with a moment of silence; some just jump right
in to welcome the group, explain the process and jump to the work at hand.
All of these beginnings are 'right', not all fit our own particular
individual style, and not all fit a group's culture or style.   Sometimes we
make assumptions (in any element of our facilitation work, OS or otherwise)
about what a group is comfortable with.

I am comfortable with starting in circle - always - because of what I think
it says to a group from the moment they enter.  And because of what I feel
is sort of the cellular knowing that humans have and still do gather this
way - in many of our cultures we just sort of had a little brain freeze and
somehow jumped to some odd logic that that's not useful in business
settings.

I also know that - you know your own culture.  And whether you are
facilitating for your own culture or not - there are many times when
logically you may know one thing, but your body (intuition, spirit) will
inform you in a much greater way.  So working with that data, sometimes you
make adjustments for cultural ways of communicating.

Bottom line is, space...opens.  Space holders...step out of the way after
creating the container with and among the group for the good work to happen.
Principles and law and circles and self-organization and facilitator's lack
of ego and breathing help make it happen in glorious ways.

My two circular cents,

Lisa

___________________________

L i s a   H e f t

Consultant, Facilitator, Educator

O p e n i n g  S p a c e

 <mailto:lisaheft at openingspace.net> lisaheft at openingspace.net

 <http://www.openingspace.net> www.openingspace.net 

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