REFLECTIONS ON MY FIRST OPEN SPACE

Fri Jul 10 00:20:53 PDT 2009

 <http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist>Hello, bright summer morning here in
Bilbao. How are you?
I'm writing some lines now to report on my first OS experience (Monday,
2009/6/29).
Thanks for your attention, beforehand.

Overall, the event ran ok, and first time is usually harder, isn't it?

I've realised some things to improve, though, and some doubts have also
aroused. First I'll say that my first OS
was, maybe, a bit artificial (nine people interested in creativity and not
knowing each other before - 3 exceptions -
were invited to build some knowledge about it, with these questions:

    "CREATIVITY (ability to create). It is useful in education, anyone's
life, the arts, enterprises,...
        * is there a way to improve it?
        * are techniques really useful. Which ones and in which ways? "

I'll search the OST files about them, but here some of my thoughts:

1. Not too hot topic. No real deadline.   RESULT: Tension was lacking....
but it worked as a tool.
People got involved in real conversations and written reports were
distributed in the afternoon.
The day after we commented on the experience itself, and people found it
useful...
but next times I'll only use it in more real issues and more suitable
conditions.

2. The law of two feet wasn't almost really used (although it was
extensively explained at the beginnig).

Afterwards I was explained that they wouldn't feel comfortable doing so
because of habits, believes,...
It helped me understand this behaviour and realising that, next times, it'll
have to be more stressed in the opening.

But, besides it, should the facilitator remind it to people DURING the OS is
running?

3. LUNCH TIME:
We had lunch together (unless one fellow that got home and back with us
after lunch). How should the facilitator behave meanwhile?

Conversations were the typical of a learning group, not directly regarding
the issues spoken in the OS. I suppose it is quite normal.
Should/Could the facilitator, maybe, be apart at lunch time?

4. I read *"OST user's guide"* to try to visualise my behaviour after
opening space and holding space during the meetings.
But still I felt sometimes uncomfortable not knowing how to behave. Trying
to do nothing, not thinking, just being at hand,...

Would it be OK, for example, me just listening to a any group's
conversation?

I was appart all the time but quite near, I sometimes felt they could be
thinking
I was some kind of spy :-),... I went off... came back afterwards, I avoided
to get in contact with the stuff people for other subjects I  had to deal
with,
I would then start thinking they were all thinking "what a witty guy,
he just put the people working, now he's just wandering and will be charging
us for it!" :-)...

5. Would it be ok if I disappeared for a time to do something of my
business?
(I guess not because this would involve being absent for a while)...

I'll reread the user's guide and the ost-list for this issue, no doubt,...

6. After proposing a discussion subject and having a group formed, being
part of the agenda, the one who had called for it
said she wouldn't write the report (she wasn't good at it). I suggested she
could have someone else of the group write it.

At last the group discussed about the specific subject ("creativity and
physical movement") but no report was raised.
I let it be and pointed that due to it the people that weren't engaged in
this discussion would not know much about it
(the real aim of writing reports).

Next meetings finished with their reports written.

Any other ideas about how I could have behaved?

7. Another question (the answer of which I can guess :-):

would it be ok if I had a small Mind-Map with the main points
I wouldn't anyway want to forget to explain in the opening?
I found myself realising having forgot to say something
and saying it afterwards,... although there was no big trouble about it.

8. An organisation issue. As the place would be open just one hour before
beginning the OS,
I made the preparation in the hotel the day before, and was a bit uneasy
this morning.
I suppose it would have been better leaving the main things prepared on
Friday evening
(the OS started on Monday morning and I wasn't let enter the place during
the weekend).

Kind regards,

*Eleder Aurtenetxe Pildain
    BILBAO
    BM31*
    www.burumapak.blogspot.com

*
*
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