REFLECTIONS ON MY FIRST OPEN SPACE

Fri Jul 10 05:10:51 PDT 2009

Eleder,

I could feel myself there with you on your first OS experience.  I am now in
awe of you...in awe of your caring, your questions and your living in the
"now" observation of it all.  I had read your post and was looking forward
to hearing about your first event.

I too am quite new to OS and will leave to others the opportunity to answer
your questions.  What I know already however is that there is something
magical about Opening Space for people so they can have real conversations
about topics that they are passionate about. In the same way that we, as
advocates and facilitators of Open Space, learn and gain the habit over time
of opening, holding and closing the circle, participants are also living
into this new experience of real conversations.  Like us, they look for
answers and end results wondering what this "new thing" called Open Space is
all about.  I feel that they have moments when they feel "so alive" and
"lose track of time" because it's fun and then reality somehow sets in.  Our
traditional ways are to always look for answers, jump into action and
measure all on the basis of end results. We often lose sight of the fact
that having conversations, living into the questions, and opening space in
our lives is the pathway to creating lasting change.

So Eleder, please know that I loved your questions but even more I loved
what was behind each question which said so much about you from the heart.
That in the end is all that matters. You did it and remember what you said;
"people got involved in real conversations".  And in the end, that to me
spells success. Kudos to you!

*Suzanne Daigle*
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
www.nufocusgroup.com

On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 3:20 AM, ELEDER AURTENETXE PILDAIN <
eleder.aurtenetxe at gmail.com> wrote:

> <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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