Law of Two Feet--the rest of the story

[Joelle Lyons Everett]

Sorry this message was sent unfinished.   I'll try again:

In one Open Space, a fairly short meeting, a woman came to me and asked if I 
thought that Open Space did not work very well for shy people.  I replied that 
shy people often seemed to be comfortable speaking in the smaller groups.  
She said that she thought we should add active facilitation to make sure that 
everyone had a chance to speak.  I did not offer to do that, but encouraged her 
to find a group that interested her, to speak up if she wished, and to use her 
two feet to find the right spot.

All the groups were in one room, and I observed for a bit.  Although the 
small groups were set up with extra chairs so a new person could easily join the 
circle, this woman pulled up a chair well outside the circle, behind the backs 
of many participants.  She listened for just a few minutes, then moved to a 
different group.  She repeated this same pattern several times, then left the 
meeting.

I did not observe "space invader" behavior in the small groups, though 
perhaps there were
subtle pressures that could have been noticed by members of the organization. 
  Not sure what I might have done, if anything--it seemed to me that the 
woman was making her choices.

I am not attached to the outcome that everyone has to be happy--which I 
really can't control.

Thanks, Bui, for making me ponder.

Joelle Everett
Shelton, Washington, USA   


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