AW: [OSLIST] Wall and Technology

Mon Jun 8 04:26:38 PDT 2009

this thread about technology invites me to talk about the most ancient technology available - hand drawn images! Since at least 40.000 years our forefathers in open space used them to record what was important, what was sacred or what enjoyed the people. Writing is just 6.000 years old, and as a means for normal people to record something just about some hundred years. And still we use it as a givens and forget about our creative heritage of drawing.

What has that to do with OST? I think a lot! Since I experienced my first open space with Harrison at the lake of Starnberg in Bavaria, I think it was 1998 or 99 - me and my wife and partner Marianne were invited to do a visual record of it - I watched the many beautiful aspects of this ingenious method, which I admire a lot. And always I wondered, why nobody comes out with a proposal to improve the end of the meeting. Everybody seems to be so fascinated by the simple and strong elements of it, that nobody talks about this - in my humble opinion - week point.  

Everybody is happy to join his or her groups. Somebody writes a short summary afterwards, on flip charts, on paper, in the computer, and that's it. The fate of this summary, like in all traditional conferences, is, that almost nobody cares to read it. And for those who did not take part in this group, it is absolutely not sexy to decipher the notes. So everybody is concentrated on the outcome of his group, basta!

Last year, after accompanying many os events over the years, I did my first os myself. And I introduced something I call "Visualized Open Space". I did not draw at all, but three experienced girls took part in every group for some time and made a visual summary of the essentials, without interfering. And in the evening before the final round we showed thes images - about 150 of them, drawn in "Visual Language", that means a combination of image and text, with some beautiful music, for about 10 minutes. Everybody who took the talking stick afterwards more or less said the same, how he/she was sceptical both of os and visualization at the beginning, but now after experiencing both, everybody was impressed and satisfied. And everybody had a short and clear sight of all the events he had not taken part in, and so of the big picture of the whole event. They said: "you have brought it to the point, fair and clear, even with some humor!".

I think, if possible, every os could benefit from this technology enormously, using some visual facilitators to accompany the event. But of course more often the client will not pay for that. So here comes my second proposal: why not encourage the participants , at least one in each group, to take some little cards and draw some images, as a personal summary, and to show them in a slide show in the evening with music? If necessary there could be a little training beforehand, but that is not essential.

I even could imagine that some scilled os facilitators use their presence to visualize during the day, going from group to group, while being available and open if needed (but I think here I am touching a delicate point of the self understanding of the facilitators, WHOW!!!).

Over the time both ways, to visualize important meetings as external facilitators, and visualizing other meetings by the participants, could develop a heritage of examples, and maybe improve the method over what we can imagine so far.

Nobody ever in all the years I was visualizing os sessions mentioned, that my view ws a hindrance for the people, something between them and the theme, some unallowed external influence. In the contrary, it was as if my little images were activating inner images within everybody (David Sibbet once called that "Cultural Repatterning"). A gift for everybody to get emotionalized and awake.

So what do you say to this technology, which is easily available everywhere waiting to be activated?

mit freundlichen Grüßen
best regards

Reinhard Kuchenmüller

VISUELLE PROTOKOLLE

tel. +39-0566 88929
www.visuelle-protokolle.de
________________________________________
Von: OSLIST [OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] im Auftrag von Lisa Heft [lisaheft at openingspace.net]
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 3. Juni 2009 21:51
An: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Betreff: Re: [OSLIST] Wall and Technology

I would hope that even when technology is available, it is not the driver of the design decisions.
I'd hope that design - just like any facilitation design - starts with overarching objectives, desired outcomes, assessment and analysis of time, physical space, issues and numbers of participants, and that choice of tool(s) (including whether it's Open Space or another dialogic process -and- what sorts of tech tools may be useful) grow directly from the specifics of human dynamics, ways brains / people think, impact on or extension of a desired element - all parts of anything you're introducing into the full system (from design adjustments to tools) being thought about as they interrelate to the whole and to the objectives.

My best learning on this was in a workshop given by the wonderful Eugene Kim on collaboration using tech tools - two thirds of the workshop was first spent on what are the feelings / elements of / ways to foster group collaboration, experiencing some of those ways to fully integrate and understand the nature of collaboration, and *then* a brief look at if there are any tech tools that improve upon what people can do with their bodies and minds in the physical space.

So for example, sure, it would save time for folks to electronically scan their handwritten notes - however this would remove the opportunity for people to think while they are transcribing about how to adjust the framing for the outside reader (the one who couldn't be in the physical discussion at the time). So each gain is a ... well not a loss, but an impact, that I'm hoping is thoughtfully considered. The other interesting thing that happens when people transcribe is the conversations that happen at the Newsroom - which is also *the work* just as much as in the discussion circles. Not that a physical Newsroom is required - just one of the reasons sometimes a physical Newsroom is intentionally designed into the process. It also is gives a visible, tangible sense of shared responsibility.

Folks can take notes on their laptops, and / however the impact is that it is written in 'quick-speak' / 'quick-think' (my own words) which communicates what happens very differently (if at all) to many outside readers (the others in the event who did not get to that conversation).  Notes can be sent to a wiki, however the impact can often be that less notes get in, only those whose culture or ways of absorbing info includes going to webspaces access the notes, or other elements that should be considered.  Many tech tools fit with 'instant responder' learners or those already adept at the tools, so it might do well to consider the full group's access to learning or practice about/with those tools so all have equal access. Tech tools can sometimes lead to public posting of notes, and shifts in ability to keep discussions confidential if they need to be - so thoughts about whether those notes are posted for the public or in some way just for the members is something to be considered.  All good - all to be considered.

Folks can write notes on paper flip chart pads, for that matter - and photos can be taken of those pages. However it is often the case that those in the group find it perfect documentation of their experience, and those who were in other groups cannot quite tell (though they can feel a bit of) what was discussed. Again: not a negative, just something to consider.  Sometimes facilitators choose to write notes out on a flipchart pad both for others to see -and- to slow down the thinking so that all types of thinkers can access that information and 'read between the lines' as well.  A design choice for the ways people think.

Many of you have much more experience in doing Open Space with enhanced technology than I - I'm not saying tech is bad - I'm saying I hope that all tools are considered for their enhancement-versus-impact rather than what may first appear as helping things get done quicker and more smoothly.

Gabriel and Christine and the gang modeled an amazing thoughtfulness in design (introducing tech tools into the human system of an 11,000 person conference in a way that raised individual capacity to use such tools, enhanced community, enhanced discussion and interchange and offered data back to the conference, in last October's Girl Scout convention - they considered not just the tools but the visuals connecting people to such tools, the handling of the tools, the learning curves for the tools, the ripple effect of the introduction of each tool during the conference and so many more thoughtful amazing elements to use of tools to enhance and deepen everything from discussion to data collection to in-person co-learning...).  I am in awe. I was quite an experience.

Just some thoughts to throw into the mix. I know that some of you great folks are stretching our learning and your own practice in the fields of OS and technology...

And a bow right now to the fabulous Gabriela Ender for a very early tech tool on the OS horizon, introduced some years ago and still going strong: OpenSpace-Online...

Lisa

Lisa Heft
Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
Opening Space
lisaheft at openingspace.net<mailto:lisaheft at openingspace.net>
www.openingspace.net<http://www.openingspace.net>

On Jun 3, 2009, at 11:54 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:

I have less concern about the tech-break (always possible, but you survive)
and more that the technology may get in the way of the people. Erik mentions
that a "transcriber" could handle the task of posting -- true -- but at the
cost of "direct control of the board." My objective is always to have
nothing (at least little) in the way of the people and their task. Over the
years multiple techies have come up with all sorts of truly great stuff, but
more often than not I found it to be a technology in search of an
application as opposed to a transparent assist to folks in Open Space. The
more we do for the people, the less they do for themselves. The antidote is
to just get out of the way. Being totally present and absolutely invisible.
Definitely works with facilitators and I think the same should apply to
technology.

Harrison

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