FW: The challenge of "luminaries"

Wed Aug 22 20:59:23 PDT 2007

Tree...just for some clarification about what I know of Kaliya's work...

When the tech community first discovered "unconferencing" in about 2002 or
2003, several of us piped up about using Open Space Technology to run
conferences.  For as long as I can remember Harrison has been saying things
like "Open Space is the internet in real life" so when techies discovered
OST, I thought "What took you guys so long?"

An interesting thing happened in the tech world around unconferencing.  The
way I understand it, several people tried to use OST and they were rebuffed
by conference organizers who were keen to jump on the new wave, but not so
keen to actually try an OS.

>From what I know of Kaliya (and Deborah Hartmann, and there may be others),
she has taken up the challenge full bore of helping the tech community
really discover the power of Open Space, by helping them really use it.  She
has written extensively about why one shouldn't mess with the process - why
the integrity of the proces is important, and what people miss when they
start messing with the process.  I am also aware that Kaliya has tried to
clarify what Open Space is with people who were doing some kind of hybrid
unconferencing but calling it open space.

So, in short, I personally have a great interest in Kaliya's experience,
because she is on the edge of addressing these questions in a big and active
community that talks al ot to each other.  How she has dealt with
luminaries, used elements of OST and seen the process mashed and bent should
be in a book somewhere.  And I have let her know on several occasions how
much I have appreciated her stand for clarity about what OST is and what it
isn't.

Anyway I just thought I add that for clarity, and I guess as kind of a
public appreciation for Kaliya's work.  Tree, I think your questions are
good ones for people like Dave Winer, an influential unconferencer (Google
him) and many others who almost get it but not quite.

Cheers,

Chris

On 8/22/07, Peggy Holman <peggy at opencirclecompany.com> wrote:
>
>  Hi Tree,
>
> Many thanks for your questions.
>
> About luminaries:
>
> Kaliya defined luminaries well earlier:
>  They are just more 'famous' then the other people there - they are
> normally keynoters, or at the very panalists regularly at a certain circuit
> of events.  They can also be 'internet famous' or just someone respected in
> their field.
>
> They are easy to spot because they are "known".
>
>
> To your other questions about whether something was lost because a few
> "big names" were unhappy.  Overall, I'd say the event was very successful,
> having done its work well.  My question is more one of whether there is an
> opportunity to bring some gifts present if people who are used to special
> treatment get what they need to come play.  Perhaps it is a variant on
> Kaliya's wisdom of meeting people where they are at culturally.  I start
> with the assumption that there were some gifts that could have come present
> and didn't.  What might those of us hosting or opening space do to invite
> those gifts forward?
>
> Interestingly, one of Stephen and my journalism partners expressed the
> thought that some of the unhappiness may be that there is a shift happening
> and the luminaries will have to figure out how to fit in or get left
> behind.
>
> appreciating the discussion,
> Peggy
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Tree Fitzpatrick <therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.com>
> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 22, 2007 12:44 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [OSLIST] FW: The challenge of "luminaries"
>
> Hi Peggy.  Thanks for stimulating such a nice discussion.
>
> In your initial post, Peggy, you said that you were thinking that perhaps,
> in the future, you might talk to luminaries before hand.  I am curious:  did
> the luminary who said they were unhappy with the 'new-age' circle and the
> questions that seemed to be about nothing, well, did this luminary identify
> him/herself to you in advance as special, as a luminary who merited special
> attention?  How would you know who to give this special treatment to, in
> advance?. . . .
>
> I am sitting with other questions.
>
> Is there some insights anyone can share related to what it might mean if
> someone sees a gathering of his/her peers, someone is attracted to an event
> because the topic and the reputation of the spaceholders has beckoned them
> and then these individuals don't quick click with the event?  Must an event
> please all the people all the time?  Must luminaries always be left happy?
> Does it say something about the success or failure of an event if one, two,
> several participants chose to not enter open space?  We can't please all of
> the people all of the time.  Should OS please all of the people all of the
> time?  Is there something about the adaptive energy of those who who up at a
> gathering of their professional peers, talking about the future of their
> profession, and these people aren't interested in being in open space, to
> listening with open space hearts and minds? Maybe there is a larger arc at
> play here, Peggy.  Maybe these luminaries are not in sync with some central
> energy underlying the invitation, the questions, the conversations?  Maybe
> the luminaries didn't fit in because they didn't fit in.
>
> I know there is lots of wisdom in luminaries and sometimes I want to
> benefit from their wisdom even if I am frustrated that they approach their
> ego in old paradigm kind of ways. And sometimes, well, sometimes they didn't
> blend in because, well, they didn't blend in.
>
> I have been redundant.
>
> I am wondering, Peggy, how you feel about the OS media event?  Do you feel
> something important was lost because your luminary felt disengaged?  I
> invite you to think carefully, both about the event and the field you and
> Stephen are leading in your inquiry around journalism.  Somehow, I find
> myself thinking, wishing-to-believe?, that the field was served just exactly
> right by the event, and part of the perfection was in what happened to that
> luminary.
>
> Maybe it is too late and I am babbling and not saying anything?
>
> On 8/19/07, Peggy Holman <peggy at opencirclecompany.com > wrote:
> >
> >  Thanks everyone for your thoughts.  I do think the personal touch, from
> > someone, matters.  That's what I took from Ralph and Deborah's stories.
> >
> > BTW, there was a facebook for the event.  The roster is here: http://www.mediagiraffe.org/wiki/index.php/Jtm-dc-roster
> > ; participants got bios and pictures in advance.  I've been doing that
> > with quite a few events and it does a great job of giving people a heads up
> > on who is in the room.
> >
> > appreciatively,
> > Peggy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
> > *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> >  *Sent:* Sunday, August 19, 2007 8:08 AM
> > *Subject:* [OSLIST] FW: The challenge of "luminaries"
> >
> >  Deborah – I think your idea of a "facebook" sent out in advance is a
> > great one. And it would avoid doing a "round the circle" at the beginning,
> > which I personally find less than useful for two reasons. First it delays
> > the actual start when people go to work – and this is the most important
> > consideration for me. Secondly, all those names and needs/wants/desires
> > badly confuses this old mind. After the first two or three I just hit
> > "overload."  For our up coming OSONOS by the Sea I sent out a full
> > participant list and invited people to add whatever information/requests
> > they might want. Some people chose to remain a mystery (great!) and others
> > wrote a whole bunch. How much of this actually gets read I don't know, but a
> > number of folks said it was useful and fun. Since email addresses were also
> > included, the party started early, which was wonderful.
> >
> >
> >
> > I am a little less enthusiastic about special guided tours done by the
> > facilitator – though it is certainly a nice idea. I find one of the great
> > things about an Open Space is the speed with which new comers are included –
> > some of this just happens on its own, and in other cases participants will
> > notice a stranger looking a little lost and take them under their wing. I
> > really like that as it serves to build and bond the community. If the lost
> > guest is "important" having some "just plain folk" do the job can be
> > wonderful. And who knows a useful connection could be made. At most I (as
> > the facilitator) might suggest to one of the "older" participants that "so
> > and so" looks a little lost – maybe you could take them on a tour – sort of
> > thing. That way I can hold the space and members of the community take
> > active responsibility for the inclusion. Win/Win – I think.
> >
> >
> >
> > Harrison
> >
> >
> >  ------------------------------
> >
> > *From:* OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] *On Behalf Of *Deborah
> > Hartmann
> > *Sent:* Sunday, August 19, 2007 10:34 AM
> > *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > *Subject:* Re: The challenge of "luminaries"
> >
> >
> >
> > Hello Kerry:
> >
> > > address their presence during the introduction
> >
> > I hesitate to address the presence of particular people during the
> > introduction. I see it as a "democratizing circle" and as such, I strive to
> > communicate the message that we are all equals, and so we are equally
> > responsible for our experience of the event. No matter whether we specify
> > that "luminaries" are equal to everyone else, we's negate this by simply
> > naming them and not everyone else!
> >
> > Here's an idea: Something that emerged at RoCoCo was a round of "needs
> > and offers", though it happened too late, in the opinion of many. We went
> > around the circle stating what we needed (ideas, collaborators, hardware,
> > software) and our offers (some offered skills, resources, collaborative
> > sites, and others answered just-stated needs, ex: "I have an old computer
> > like that, let's talk"). This would allow luminaries to introduce
> > themselves, equally with others, allow them (if they choose) to align
> > themselves as members of this OST event's "people". I think attendance at
> > this activity would need to be voluntary, as it takes some time and perhaps
> > people would rather network informally. This would have been useful to us,
> > as we had decided not to call out any particular participants in the
> > opening.
> >
> > I'm not sure where this fits... we thought that if we'd done this at the
> > start, people would have had an idea of who was there and how they could
> > help them. Ex: If I'd know people from the citizen journalism movement were
> > present, I would have posted a session: how is Citizen Journalism changing
> > the face of news? But as it was, I only discovered their presence
> > afterwards.
> >
> > Ideas: Perhaps, do it as part of a social the prior evening, before we
> > open the space? Another idea was a "needs and offers" wiki page or wall -
> > the problem being that using the wall for this removes the human face from
> > the transaction. We could encourage people to do this at registration, so we
> > could browse the list of who's coming and their needs/offers (sometimes this
> > happens with BarCamps). Hey, could a facebook group be used for this?!! This
> > activity would have been particularly useful for our type of OST - it was
> > not so much a "themed" event as a "community gathering" event - a particular
> > flavour of OST I'm seeing a lot in the Tech community now. "The right
> > people" are the ones who want to be part of the community, in general - and
> > it's often a big surprise what interests and skills they bring! It's as if a
> > "community gathering" OST is simply a coalescence at a particular time/place
> > of a continual OST event which is the community itself.
> >
> > deb
> >
> > kerry napuk wrote:
> >
> > Hi Peggy
> >
> > When faced with "luminaries," experts, speakers et al, maybe it would
> > help to address their presence during the introduction.  A facilitator could
> > note their valued participation and opportunity to be on equal terms with an
> > audience, experiencing the need to discuss and exchange views rather than be
> > lectured at.
> >
> > It might even be fun!
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Kerry
> > Edinburgh
> > www.openfutures.com
> >
> > *
> > *
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> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> > Deborah Hartmann
> >
> > Agile Process Coach
> >
> > deborah.hartmann.net
> >
> >
> > mobile: 416 996 4337
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Learn the principle,
> >
> > abide by the principle, and
> >
> > dissolve the principle."
> >
> > -- Bruce Lee
> >
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>
> --
> Love rays,
> Tree Fitzpatrick
>
> http://thecultureoflove.blogspot.com/
>
> . . . the great and incalculable grace of love, which says, with
> Augustine, "I want you to be," without being able to give any particular
> reason for such supreme and unsurpassable affirmation.  -- Hannah Arendt
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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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