How can we foster sustainable outcomes?

Michael M Pannwitz mmpanne at boscop.org
Sun Jun 28 09:39:10 PDT 2009


Dear all,
reflecting on "sustainable" outcome I discovered that I am not really 
interested in "fostering sustainable outcome".

When a sponsor or a planning group is interested in it, I tell them that 
having a 3 day OST event (16 hours, sleeping twice spread over three 
days with action planning at the end)followed by a "Next Meeting" 2 or 3 
months after the event is a pretty sturdy and proven way of getting it.

Even if nothing is recorded in the traditional sense, in other words, if 
there is no Book of Proceedings. And if there is a Book of Proceedings, 
I ask the participants before Action Planning commences to put it aside 
after having studied it..."it is a piece of the past".

The stuff that people come up with in Action Planning to me often seems 
to have no connection to what they have done before. Of course, there is 
a connection...but the participants are not busy with that aspect, they 
just go ahead and gather to promote their projects with lustfull 
vengeance...and the stuff that they bring to the "Next Meeting(s)" often 
seems to have even less connection to the "Book" with all the stuff in 
it they did go get ready to jump.

One of the major impulses I got to work more like this as a facilitator 
was John Engles report of OST gatherings in Haiti where people often 
have no paper nor markers and many of them dont read or write. They post 
their issues by saying them out loud and remaining at the "bulletin 
board" until lets say there are 6 issue bearers. People then go the the 
issue bearer they are attracted to, break out into issue groups, come 
back to the circle, report what they have done (part of their "Book"), 
listen to further issues, break out again etc. until they are done. When 
they decide on actions, its also not "recorded".

Greetings from Berlin
mmp

...reading Reinhards posts on visual facilitation reminded me of the 
years in the 70s when Florian Fischer, Konrad Leverenz and I had an 
enterprise called "GWAT" (Community Organizing Team)...we trained a 
whole bunch of people in Community Organizing approaches in 
Germany...with Florian producing simultaneaouly these absolutely amazing 
huge visual records of the group process and the group's information 
inputs. At that time OST did not formally exist, the Martini Cocktails 
had not done their job yet, but we were pretty sure that 
"selforganization" played a central part in Community Organisation and 
in the "trainings" we ran in those days...



Harrison Owen wrote:
> Lenore - Thanks for the kind words. And your mention of "the rest of the
> whole thread" reminded me that I had really intended to link what I had to
> say to the theme: "How can we foster sustainable outcomes?" In fact I think
> the heart and soul of "sustainable outcomes" is when they (the outcomes)
> emerge from the heart and soul of the people. Reminders are always helpful,
> whether they be written, graphic, musical, or inscribed on the astral
> planes. But none of that can ever match the deep commitment of a people who
> live from their experience when that experience is one of invention,
> creation, collaboration. That, I think, is the real substance of
> sustainability.
> 
>  
> 
> ho
> 
>  
> 
> Harrison Owen
> 
> 189 Beaucaire Ave
> 
> Camden, ME 04843
> 
> 207-763-3261 (Summer)
> 
> 301-365-2093 (Winter)
> 
> Website www.openspaceworld.com 
> 
> Personal Website www.ho-image.com 
> 
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> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Lenore
> Mewton
> Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 10:07 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: How can we foster sustainable outcomes?
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you, Harrison, for speaking the real power in 'em'powerment. ( I am
> just jumping in here without reading the rest of the whole thread~)
> 
>  
> 
> While your comments about process below offer the best practice of OS, (in
> my few OS experiences- I have seen this magic at play - genius emerges when
> the rest of us 'get out of the way'..) This simple wisdom (prefer not to see
> it as lazy or nasty..!) is guidance for living our lives everyday- OS,
> family, relationships and in whichever role we play: parent, facilitator,
> significant other, child. -And for those of us in "helping professions'-
> HELP- ! We go into that work to "help others"- duh, as you say, we forget -
> or perhaps never realize- what constitutes true 'helping.  I'll take a leap
> and say that without knowing the intracacies of all global cultures- we are
> 'masters' of this forgetfulness in the U.S. In education (OS being a
> form/venue for self- knowledge to emerge), we know that real learning takes
> place by 'doing'- vs. being told, shown, memorization.  Yet, as
> facilitators, because we are providing an "Open" environment we believe
> we're making space for 'whatever wants to show up will show up'- . 
> 
>  
> 
> As a parent who firmly believed in all of the above- the intellect in me
> did/does, I recall sitting on the floor with my then toddler son- and
> forcing myself to put my hands behind my back so that I would not interfere
> with his play! And whenever he would cry of being 'bored"- I forced myself
> not to give into his pleas for help by reminding him that he would think of
> something if he just gave it some time. Never failed - regardless of his
> cries- within about 10-20 minutes at the most- he would become involved in
> the most creative play that I could have NEVER provided!
> 
>  
> 
> (Ah, I wish this wise self would visit more often!).
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Original Message ----- 
> 
> From: Harrison Owen <mailto:hhowen at verizon.net>  
> 
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
> 
> Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 8:51 AM
> 
> Subject: Re: [OSLIST] How can we foster sustainable outcomes?
> 
>  
> 
> Raffi -- alternative harvesting, if I can call it that, has been around for
> a bit. There was a marvelous OS done with a group of Arts Councils where all
> the "reports were sung, danced, drawn, whatever. The use of graphics in OS
> started, I suppose with the "father of Group Graphics" David Sibbet, an old
> friend. I always loved what he did (drew) -- but would chide him gently by
> pointing out that it really wasn't "Group Graphics" -- but it was David's
> Graphics (which were superb!)  Were we able to make it truly the Group's
> graphics that would be a different thing. 
> 
>  
> 
> My experience has been that the more you do for people, the less they do for
> themselves (duh). Obviously things we do for each other can be very nice,
> indeed wonderful. And it is also true that things we do for others are to
> some extent, disempowering. In small doses this is great, but much of what
> passes for facilitation takes this "helpfulness" to an extreme, I think. At
> worst, the facilitator takes on the whole burden and is totally exhausted --
> and the people are reduced to the level of incompetent children. This of
> course makes them quite dependant, and thereby insures the facilitator's
> continuing employment.
> 
>  
> 
> My aim is always to do as little as possible, not because I am lazy or nasty
> (although I may well be both:-)) - but because I have complete confidence
> that the people can and will take full responsibility for what they care
> about. In doing this, they will usually manifest a level of inventiveness
> that I never would have thought of - and no matter what, their invention
> will be appropriate to their situation. In a word they have that great
> sensation of experiencing their own power - that is called empowerment.
> Empowerment is not something you can do for another - you must claim it for
> yourself. Indeed, if I "empower" you - you remain in my power.
> 
>  
> 
> Or something
> 
>  
> 
>    
> 
> Harrison Owen
> 
> 189 Beaucaire Ave
> 
> Camden, ME 04843
> 
> 207-763-3261 (Summer)
> 
> 301-365-2093 (Winter)
> 
> Website www.openspaceworld.com 
> 
> Personal Website www.ho-image.com 
> 
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options
> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Raffi
> Aftandelian
> Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 3:09 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: AW: How can we foster sustainable outcomes?
> 
>  
> 
> Reinhard thanks much for this thread.
> 
>  
> 
> The idea of the participants themselves visually harvesting the essence of
> 
> what has emerged sounds really exciting.
> 
>  
> 
>>>From the standpoint of designing such DST (Doodle Space Technology) events,
> 
> where does the ancient wisdom of KISS (Keep it Simple, Senorita) and "Think
> 
> of one less thing to do" come into play?
> 
>  
> 
> And this has me thinking, does the practice of facilitation/harvesting with
> 
> the other senses also exist?
> 
>  
> 
> Aural facilitation? Harvesting with music, a song? (a poem takes us part
> way).
> 
>  
> 
> Olifactory facilitation?
> 
>  
> 
> Proprioceptic facilitation- capturing the physical sensations of the shared
> 
> body of the group?
> 
>  
> 
> Facilitation from the other realms? (perhaps integrating a processwork
> 
> (Arnold Mindell?) perspective?
> 
>  
> 
> movement-based harvesting? using dance, drama, aikido (?), and other
> 
> expressive arts to harvest.
> 
>  
> 
> Many possibilities here!
> 
>  
> 
> appreciatively, 
> 
> from this southern suburb of Tehrangeles (aka San Diego),
> 
> raffi
> 
>  
> 
> *
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-- 
Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49-30-772 8000
mmpanne at boscop.org
www.boscop.org


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