Advice for convergence

[Lois Reborne]

Wise ones all:
I've been reading this list since sometime in January, and have been so
inspired by reconnecting with this community. I haven't practiced Open Space
formally since leaving consultation practice in 1998. I am amazed by your
stories, and have been moved to tears and laughter by your postings. I'm
already planning to come to the SF OSonOS.
I am part of a facilitation team planning an Open Space for the General
Assembly (GA) of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
(UUA) in a few weeks. My key question for you all is about the convergence
process. The lengthy narrative that follows gives you the situation.

The Open Space will be concurrent with other programming. Current
registration for the assembly is +/- 5000; for planning purposes we have
been using a participant number of 3000.

The client is the Board of the UUA; the goal of the Open Space is to provide
the Board with priorities for setting ends statements. (From the Carver
model of policy governance jargon; I'm not completely initiated into the
jargon or model, so I think of these as strategic goals) This is the first
time anything like this has been attempted in the UUA, or at GA. And as you
can imagine there are many challenges. The OS team, the Board, and the GA
Planners have all been working to make this happen - we're about to the
point of letting it happen!

To deal with the numbers and logistical challenges, here's the process we've
designed: 
We're essentially running ten smaller OS's, with participants randomly
assigned to one of those initially. Twenty facilitators will attend a half
day training on Wednesday and work in teams.
In the first session Day 1 we'll open the space for topics/conveners to
emerge. Twelve topics will be drawn out of the hat and assigned to the 120
actual conference rooms/times available over Day 1 and 2. We've also have
literally open space and opportunity for those conveners whose topics in are
not drawn to go ahead with their sessions.
 
Six Open Space time periods will follow. Participants can choose any among
the 120 "official" topics plus the "unscheduled" sessions.

Each group's report will contain one brief recommendation to the Board
statement. Those statements will be available in print for all before the
first convergence session on day 3. (the remaining info from the session
reports will be recorded and published on line after the conference) We
predict there will be multiple statements around some obvious topics, and
we're looking forward to what else emerges!

People are being asked to return to their assigned OS room for the two
convergence sessions 75 minutes long with lunch between. In those sessions
we will work with the those 12+ report statements that have come from all
sessions that arose from that group. The output goal for the convergence is
to select three priorities to be sent to the General Assembly delegates for
discussion that afternoon. A final vote the last day of the GA will narrow
these 30 priorities to ten. This part of the process is set; it's what
actually happens in the convergence sessions we're still working on -
understanding that it all may be much clearer on Day 3!

Are you dizzy yet?

As facilitators, our second goal for the convergence is to give participants
the chance to process their Open Space experience, and to generate and give
voice to those kind of new insights that arise not just from a particular
sessions but from the entire experience. We want to allow for those insights
to be included in the final three statement output.

Here's some questions:
We're liking the idea of opening space again in the first convergence
session, but I'm not clear what the question would be. What will move people
to think wholly, larger than the recommendation from a group on a specific
topic? Would people need them to move into small groups on those topics? If
not, what else?

We'll be working in standard conference rooms - rows of those cantankerous
hooked together seats. There are anxieties and very practical concerns about
trying to move the chairs into small groups.
 * accessibility issues for the mobility and hearing challenged
 * fire safety/evacuation issues in a limited space all jumbled up
 * $1 per chair charge for any chair not in its precise position at the end
of the session
 * using precious time moving chairs back and forth

Any experience or ideas for working with this challenge?

We're thinking of using dots on posted statements to narrow the selection of
statements. Is a simple three dots per person technique sufficient? Or is
there a more sophisticated system that would improve the outcome? Again, we
have to acknowledge and plan for the accessibility challenges in this
process.

Okay, there's the stage. We await your wise counsel on these questions - or
other suggestion you may have.

Lois Reborne

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