Seeking a very strong facilitator

Sat Nov 3 09:58:23 PDT 2007

And a variation on Harrison's story....

In 1996, as we were creating the Open  Space Institute - US, we began with 
these weekly or bi-weekly meetings, usually about 10 people and a very full 
agenda.  The meetings weren't much fun at all and interest began to wane. 
It was clear something different was needed!  So, we turned the meetings on 
their head, making the relationships among us and where passion lived for 
each of us the centerpiece.  We said we'd handle everything that could be 
handled by email through email (boy, was the volume of messages smaller 
then!)  We'd start each session with a check-in, as people spoke to what had 
passion for them.  From there, conversation ensued, in which, surprise of 
surprise, not only did everything that would have been on the agenda get 
covered (I know, because for the longest time, I kept a little hidden list, 
just in case :-), but we ended up covering more topics, deepening our 
connections to each other, and left energized and inspired rather than 
depleted.

It was quite a lesson is trusting that passion and responsibility - taking 
responsibility for what I/we love - really does work.

smiling at the memory,
Peggy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at verizon.net>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 2:27 PM
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Seeking a very strong facilitator

> Diana -- were it not for the fact that driving to Toronto from Washington,
> DC seems a little much, I would definitely be on the road! At least I 
> would
> make the offer. And I think I even have the necessary experience.
>
> Some years ago a friend became ill and asked me to fill in for her with 
> what
> she termed "a difficult client." She didn't provide any more details, but
> she was a good friend and obviously in need, so I agreed. The client was a
> major division of a very large global institution, and when I arrived at 
> the
> appointed time and place I was given an envelope containing a note from my
> friend. I have lost the note, but I remember the essence. She said, "I 
> guess
> I should have warned you, but these people have the reputation in our
> organization of being the meanest, feistiest, most cantankerous group of
> executives in our organization. They dearly love a good fight, but best of
> all they totally enjoy eating facilitators for lunch, after which they can
> go home with their reputation in tact. Good luck!" In as much as I was 
> about
> to enter the circle (yes we were going to open some space!) I didn't have
> too much time to think about it -- so I just went with the flow, so to
> speak.
>
> I walked into the circle, protected only by my hat. I stood quietly for a
> moment considering the assembled group. Seems to me that there were about
> 150 of them and truthfully I have never seen a more hostile crowd. Arms
> folded across their chests, heads lowered, eyes barely slits -- and very
> quiet. I let the silence build for a long time, a very long time. When I
> broke it (silence) I said, "I don't have a clue why you are here or what 
> you
> expect to do, having just come into all of this. But if you know what 
> needs
> doing, have some real passion for getting it done, and are willing to take
> personal responsibility for your actions, I can help. If you don't care or
> won't take responsibility, we can all go home right now. Your choice.
>
> It was pretty quiet. People looked at me and each other. They looked at 
> the
> floor and up to the ceiling. I just waited.
>
> After a while a voice from somewhere in the circle said -- "We have an 
> awful
> lot to do and we care about doing it. Let's get on with it."
>
> "Right", I said, and started walking around the circle -- inviting people 
> to
> notice each other and to take a deep breath. . . Well you all know what
> happened next.
>
> At the end of two days in the closing circle when the microphone came back
> to me I thanked them for the pleasure and privilege of being with them.
> Truly they were an awesome bunch. And I couldn't help but add that it 
> seemed
> to me that they had just blown their reputation as real Tigers.
>
> I don't quite know where I am going with all this, but one thing for 
> sure--
> I have never met a group that could not function well in Open Space 
> provided
> they cared and would accept responsibility for what they cared about. And 
> if
> neither passion nor responsibility is present -- not much of utility is
> going to happen. And it doesn't have much to do with strength, so far as I
> can see. Indeed vulnerability may be much more important.
>
> Harrison
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, Maryland 20854
> Phone 301-365-2093
> Skype hhowen
> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> Personal website www.ho-image.com
> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Diana
> Larsen
> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 1:55 PM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Seeking a very strong facilitator
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking for your help and recommendations. Do you know someone
> who is a strong facilitator and lives in the area within driving
> distance of Toronto Canada? When I began wondering how I could find
> such a person, my thoughts immediately turned to this list...where I
> knew I would find other strong facilitators who would recognize and
> know where to find the best folks. So, thanks for being here.
>
> Here's the story:
>
> This year, I'm serving as the chair of a group of thirteen strong
> personalities who work together on the board of a industry
> association non-profit (mostly volunteers and a couple of staff
> members). We usually work in monthly teleconferences for our board
> meeting, then two or three times a year come together for a face-to-
> face meeting. We have set the time for 1.5 days in early December,
> and already have a list of tasks we need to accomplish during the
> meeting, including at least one report from an outside service
> provider, so I suspect we won't hold the meeting in open space. :-
> ( (Just to manage everyone's expectations.)
>
> I'd like to find a strong, general facilitator who can rein in some
> folks and encourage others; who can offer a few alternative processes
> for discussion, visioning and action items; and who comes from
> outside the software industry. I need someone with excellent
> facilitation skills because we have facilitator members in the group,
> and I want them to focus on the topics at hand rather than meta-
> critiquing the facilitator in the backs of their (my) minds. ;-) We
> need someone who is strong enough to let us relax and trust their
> process.
>
> Who would you recommend? Please send suggestions/recommendations to
> me off the OS list at dlarsen at futureworksconsulting.com . (Michael, I
> will also check the worldmap. ;-) )
>
> Again, thanks everyone,
> Diana
>
>
> Diana Larsen
> www.futureworksconsulting.com
> Chair, Agile Alliance Board of Directors www.agilealliance.org
> co-author: "Agile Retrospectives" http://tinyurl.com/3dr5v3
> Ask me about: "Secrets of Agile Teamwork: Beyond Technical Skills"
> workshop
> Dec 11-13, Portland OR
>
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>From  Sat Nov  3 14:47:36 2007
Message-Id: <SAT.3.NOV.2007.144736.0400.>
Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 14:47:36 -0400
Reply-To: 76066.515 at compuserve.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: douglas germann <76066.515 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: FW: Craig
In-Reply-To: <CAE9138210DFA3419D6492967D6599240497AD9B at LIMBO.snvworld.corp>
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Stuart--

Thanks for this explanation.

So it goes further than others I have seen which say:

9:00 introduction to meeting
9:45 first session
11:00 second session
12:00 lunch break
13:00 third session
14:30 fourth session
16:00 closing

I gather then that the agenda is entirely fictitious and at the opening
you tell people so? I am picturing you standing there, dramatically
ripping up the fictitious agenda.... 

Still not sure how you use this quasi-tool. Could you say a bit more,
please, Stuart?

			:- Doug. Germann

On Fri, 2007-11-02 at 08:07 +0100, Worsley, Stuart wrote:
>  Doug
> 
> The boxy agenda is just a time event framework - that is a traditional
> agenda, printed on a piece of A4. In fact it is a very boring piece of
> paper that serves to give some people a bit of comfort before they get
> there, and even justify to their bosses why they are coming. For example
> 
> Monday 9:00 - 9:45: Introduction to Water Policy in Kenya
> Monday 9:45 - 10:00: Questions and Answers
> Monday 10:00 - 10:30: Coffee break
> Monday 10:30 - 12:00: Analysing water policy in Kenya
> 
> And so on. It is quite therapeutic to start with open space, and then
> throw away the agenda. People find it liberating and even funny. 
> 
> I only do this when there is real discomfort with leaving it all open
> from the outset. 
> 
> I have, on a number of occasions, been summoned to the office of the
> boss of the client organisation who insists on seeing the agenda, and
> critiquing it. The box agenda therefore serves its purpose.
> 
> Does this help?
> 
> Stuart

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