Full participation and OS

[Travis Green]

Irv,

Your impression and reflection on the situation shows insight.  In the context of the larger intention of your OS I would want to look into the relationship between stakeholders/participants and outcomes.  Asking myself, how to keep those engaged in topics and issues that emerge on day one with the action planning/outcomes of day two?
 
How can facilitators provide avenues or methods for participants that move in,through, and out of OS prior to the action & planning phase to re-engage.  Maybe individual post-conference conversations with folks that miss day two to bridge to the actions related to the concepts that inspired them during day one?  Asking a group(s) at the end of day two something like, "is there anyone from yesterday that is not here today that you feel would really resonate with your action plan?".  My view, the beauty of OS is the creation of invested action(s) and/or results based on self-organizing principles, so can those same principles help to engage participants that miss a day?  Just thinking out loud, but I do know that this issue is real...life happens in this crazy complex demanding world.

Your comment about not getting "hung up" is wise.  In addition, an awareness that even if people are not able to be there on day two they will have made connections with the outcomes and dialogs of day one, and that passion and energy is a wonderful resource. I am very interested in how facilitators that provide a opportunity for them to easily step into the energies that will emerge at the end of day two...beyond reading a summary report or action plan.

Best of luck.  Please post your learning and reflections.

Cheers,
Travis



Irv Sheffey <irv.sheffey at sierraclub.org> wrote:              st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }           Hi folks,
   
  Got a question related to my first OST conference.
   
  Invitations have gone out to several stakeholders for a two day conference and we are beginning to get responses.  Aside from those who expressed that they cannot attend, we’ve been getting some that indicate that they can only come to the first day (we expressed the strong desire/need for full attendance).  Realizing that “whoever comes is the right people”, by inference I guess whenever they come is the right time (for them).  In light that the first day of an OS event usually shakes outs the questions and day two begins the process of action planning, what do you think about people only participating in only one phase?
   
  My thought, in the spirit of “whatever happens is the only thing that could have” is simply that.  Those who attend the full conference will have the potential experience and opportunity to be fully expressed, those who can only attend day one will contribute what they can, in effect giving others their proxy to build on what they’ve provided.
   
  I would think that in the world of OS, what I’ve described is not the first time such has happened.  My question - is there anything that I should BE about or DO in preparing for and facilitating this forthcoming meeting?  My first take, is to hold the space for a productive meeting, encouraging full participation, but not get hung up on this issue.  Thanks for any feed back you might have.
   
  Irv
  _________________________________
   
  Irv Sheffey
  Environmental Justice Organizer
  Sierra Club
  2568     Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC 20020
  tel:  202-610-0200
  fax: 202-610-0937
   
  e-mail: irv.sheffey at sierraclub.org
   
  
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