BarCamp Opening on YouTube

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Wed Feb 14 07:49:53 PST 2007


Martin -- I don't think it is about being a "purist" -- the issue is
practicality and purpose. For me the question is always what is the most
practical (quickest, easiest, most effective) way to achieve the purpose. In
open space the objective is to enable people to become productively engaged
as quickly as possible. It is not about "face time" for the facilitator,
spelling out all the details (after all, how hard is it to understand
circle, bulletin board, and market place?)-- and it certainly isn't about
answering all the questions that participants might have. With that thought
(compulsion?) in mind, my personal practice has always be to think of one
more thing NOT to do/say. The more you strip away the fewer obstacles lie in
the path of the folks. For me, anything more than 15 minutes for the
facilitator's opening is too long -- unless of course you are operating in
several languages.

That said -- there is a certain iriducable minimum, I think. In one of the
early OSONOSs it seemed to me that since everybody there had (collectively)
done more open spaces than I had, it was sort of a bother to go through the
whole opening. So I cut right to the chase -- "There's the paper, magic
markers, and the wall. Go for it!" I was feeling pretty proud of myself
having done a 3 second opening. But everybody just sat there and looked at
me. I quickly got the picture and started over -- just like usual. And I
learned a lot.

It is true that some information is contributed in the opening, but that is
very minimal. It is more about setting the mood, atmosphere, environment. It
is definitly much more about being than doing or saying. You might even say
it is induction and not introduction.

Harrison



Harrison Owen
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Martin
Truelove
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 6:05 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: BarCamp Opening on YouTube

Yes, & yet it seems very wordy - aren't some things better 'explained'
by action, eg walking to the different spaces for groups. More words
sometimes equal less engagement, don't they?
 I've left the show at 4 minutes 49 secs, as I really want the group to
start!
I'm a bit of a purist on the "elements", as they carry the spirit of OS
into the room, though I'd like these to be more complicated, when I
doubt OS can really work!
As Edward deBono says, here in the UK, simplicity is a value which has
to be worked very hard at, when complexity is so much more widely
respected ( & so much easier to retreat into) .
More straightforwardly, maybe the spirit of an event escapes
transmission over the tubes.....
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Sharon
Quarrington
Sent: 13 February 2007 21:35
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: BarCamp Opening on YouTube

A group in Toronto held a "camp" for the Toronto Transit System - and 
their opening is posted on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4Y7e1MYyM

I found it very interesting - how it was similar to and yet different ti

was from the OS openings I am most familiar with.  I found I missed many

of the "traditional" elements that were skipped - and yet wonder if 
perhaps that is just me being stuck in a rut!

Sharon

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