1-minute podcast summary of OS

Sun Apr 13 22:05:39 PDT 2008

thanks for sharing this, john.  always interested in your innovating.

this sounds similar to what i did for the 2002 agile/xp conference, but that
was only 300 people total.  i got the short moment with the whole group,
right after the big keynoters.  i did take the first round of time we had to
do our usual sort of opening.  it seemed necessary then.  and at the same
time, it was definitely different.  attention was more diffused, in the
opening and the rest of the time.  i think it turned out being more like
what you're planning for.

i wonder about the lack of focus.  and appreciate what others are saying
about reflection time.  reminds me i did another somehting like this, but we
did a super mini opening in each of four sessions.  that way there was some
focus, some clear issues posted and announced to a clear audience.  the
audience was more fluid that usual, and of course folks came late and had to
be welcomed.  they figured everything out right away, of course.  and some
one or two of the sessions were really quite small.

this gets to the thing that's most tricky in what you're proposing.  if i'm
a participant in the open space 'track' of things, how do i know to whom i'm
proposing a session?  who will i know if anybody is listening when i
"announce"?  and without that listening, how will i feel "responsible" for
showing up and leading my session.  will i post because of real passion, or
might i just post as an experiment to see if anybody notices me?  we saw
some of this at the agile conference, because not all participants were part
of the one opening.  so there was this drop-by contingent and it felt rather
formless at times.  maybe not bad, but weird from perspective of the usual
experience.

i've not had a look at the links... so maybe somehting of this is mentioned
there... but schedule-wise, i wonder if you could run a series of
mini-spaces.  the 5-7 minutes you have to give the biggest essentials, and
the main *invitation* to the group, including that every one will be
different, different sizes, different people, different mix of issues, maybe
even on a few different themes.  create some curiosity about what is
happening in each different session.  then in each session, do the briefest
opening explanation... post the issues... then turn them loose... bring
everybody back for three minutes of closing comments.  immerse them not so
much in the "space" as in the "practice."  leave all the notes up and see if
sessions on same themes just repeat themselves, or do they go deeper.

thanks for the chance to noodle on this.

m

On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 9:00 PM, John Engle <john at johnengle.net> wrote:

> Dear fellow listers,
>
> I've been working with an innovative company that does four conferences
> annually. Attendance ranges from 500 to 1,100.
>
> For a multitude of reasons, organizers are not interested in using pure OS
> (open space) for any of their conferences. But, they are extremely
> interested in creating some opportunity for participants and speakers to
> self-organize.
>
> We experimented during their December conference with a bit of OS. About
> 50-60 of the 500 attendees made use of the OS sessions. Many more browsed
> the area to look at topics and check it out. Given constraints and
> challenges, conference organizers were satisfied with results and decided to
> experiment with OS in their four conferences this year. They also decided to
> be more intentional about promoting it.
>
> Click here to listen to podcast promoting OS for their May conference:
>
> http://www.stickyminds.com/ControlImages/StickyMinds/Image/Podcast/Audio/John_Engle_STAREAST_2008_blurb.mp3
>
> Click here to see how OS is presented on conference website:
> http://www.sqe.com/STAREAST/Events/Default.aspx
>
> All things considered I proposed to organizers that we do away with
> opening and closing circle.  Am I a heretic? I also proposed that we might
> consider calling it something different but organizers really like the "open
> space" label. At the conference, I'll take about 5-7 minutes before a
> keynote speaker to explain to 800+ people how our "open space" will work and
> where to find me. Then, I'll just hang out for two days hosting the space.
>
> All the principles along with the law will be posted. And of-course, there
> will be a bulletin board where people post topics.
>
> So, is this an innovative way to invite self-organization into a
> traditional conference? Am I a heretic in still calling it open space?
>
> What am I missing?
>
> I welcome your thoughts.
>
> I don't take for granted the beauty of being able to use a somewhat
> recognized term--"open space"--and having the liberty to adapt it to a
> particular context. Equally if not more significant, this message will reach
> hundreds of insightful people in a multitude of countries who shape the way
> I think.
>
> Harrison, your approach to leadership continues to stimulate and inspire
> me.
>
> With gratitude,
>
> John Engle
>
>
> www.johnengle.net <http://johnengle.net>
> www.circlesofchange.com <http://circlesofchange.com>
> * * ==========================================================
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-- 

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates

http://www.michaelherman.com
http://www.openspaceworld.org
http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org

312-280-7838 (mobile)

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