The challenge of "luminaries"

Tue Aug 21 23:32:23 PDT 2007

My experience of the circle is first of all, that there has never been a
group I have worked with, not business people, airplane engineers,
entrepreneurs, government officials, community members, anyone at all that
hasn't been just fine in a circle.  No one has ever asked me not to set the
room up a different way, although plenty of people have expressed their
doubts that any of it would work.

I've also done OST in other formats as well, like lecture halls, semi
circles and squares, and they seem to work fine, although it's definitely ME
that is more uncomfortable in those settings.  I also think things don't
flow very well in general.  It's harder for people to get to the centre to
put their issues up and harder to move around when there is a different
geometry.

Still, I think what you are getting at Kaliya is the fact that sometimes
facilitators might make too big a deal of the circle. We all know why it
works, and that's why we use it - as Harrison and others have said.  But to
discuss circle energetics, or ancient forms of human communication in the
pening of an open space event can be distracting.  But it isn't the circle
that is distracting, it's how the facilitator shows up.

Presence is everything I think in this work.  It's really all we have to
offer the group once the logistics are taken care of.  We can show up and
drone on and on about the topic and the energy saps.  We can be bored and
the group will get bored too.   We can show up too excited and the group
will eye us as a nervous puppy.  Presence is many things, but at a core
level it's about rapport with the group and the topic.  My own presence in
open space tends to focus very clearly on the work at hand.  I don't tend to
fill the group in on what's "under the hood" of open space.  Most of us
don't need to know how a car works in order to use it.  How we hold space I
think is what gives it the "granola" flavour. Or not.

Probably most of us know that open space "works" without a circle.  The
point is that, for all the disappearing the facilitator does, I think it
really matters how we DO participate for the small amount of time we are
before the group.  Present AND invisible.  I would say that the quality of
our presence even transcends the geometry: I have seen terrible facilitators
in a circle make a hash of open space.  The good news is that, with a good
invitation, the momentum of the group is nearly always able to overcome
anything we put in their way.

Cheers,

Chris

On 8/21/07, Kaliya Hamlin <kaliya at mac.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Aug 21, 2007, at 8:54 AM, Brendan McKeague wrote:
>
> Hi Kaliya - your approach is really interesting - I had not thought of
> these dimensions before - especially the notions of being 'fanatical about
> the circle' or imposing my beliefs, or about working a community into a
> circle....much food for thought indeed.
>
> In my understanding of Open Space, which my experiences have confirmed,
> the initial journey of the leader is to open and walk that circle of
> connection -
>
>
> Yes - to these folks this is WAY "Granola".  Not only are you in a circle
> but you are walking around it....
> They don't come to 'deeply look into one another's eyes' and 'feel the
> unknown space' or 'embody reality' they came together to get stuff done.
>
> It is my job to help facilitate the container that they can get this
> done.
>
> I think that the circle is a fundamental part of Open Space. For me, to
> have a semi-circle would break the connection and focus.
>
>
> Then you will really love the theater style seating I use.
>
> The group can be tempted to look/focus outside the circle
>
>
> In theater style you can have the blank wall in front of them all - this
> is powerful statement itself - it says "you....in these seats you are not
> the audience you are the creators of this space".
>
> for their direction/solutions/expertise, rather than embodying the
> invitation to recognise the wisdom that is in the circle (whether be
> expressed through 'really smart amazing people' or others) ....
>
>
> They have plenty of Wisdom in what ever physical form - you don't need a
> circle to prove it to them.
>
>
> The circle is not there for 'its own sake' to prove equality - as I see
> it, it is a configuration for gathering that is deeply archetypal, with many
> layers of meaning and symbolism. It has the capacity to touch something
> within people that I agree may have been lost or driven out. In my own
> Celtic mythology for example, it is a symbol of community connection,
> hospitality and the nature of infinity (no beginning, no end).
>
>
> Again - they didn't choose to come to an event that I produce to groove on
> archetypical forms or get into circle symbolism.  They are there to get
> stuff done.
>
> I almost always close the day in a circle - by the end of a day in open
> space they 'get' that they are the group and that it makes sense to sit in
> this form.  They are warmed up to it.
>
> Enjoy living in the space.
>  =kaliya
>
>
>
>
>  Kaliya - Identity Woman
> kaliya at mac.com
>
> http://www.unconference.net
> http://www.identitywoman.net
>
> skype:identitywoman
> Y!:earthwaters
> AIM:kaliya at mac.com
>
> 510 472-9069 (bay area)
> 415 425 1136 (on the road)
>
>
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-- 
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Facilitation - Training
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd.
http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com

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