OST 1,5 day: Any suggestion?

Thu Oct 22 00:19:09 PDT 2009

Hi Déborah,

You have had some excellent advice on the program 
design already. There is much to say about 
storytelling and I do not have much time at the 
moment, so this will have to be short. I am sure 
you can find more in the archives of the listserv.

Storytelling is important especially in cases 
where a lot has happened and there is pain and 
frustration in the group. But even where that is 
not the case, it always works to create a common 
ground for the group to work forward. To share 
the past with each other builds the foundation to 
create a clear picture of the present and to work on a future together.

There are many ways to facilitate storytelling, 
depending on the size of the group, the theme of 
the conference and the situation the group is in 
(e.g. if there is a lot of grief). There are two 
different ways that I like personally.

One is to create a timeline, much like in Future 
Search. There is a long blank banner of paper on 
the wall, made of flip charts, from left to 
right, that represents the timeline from a point 
in the past (10, 20 or 30 years, depending what 
you think is a meainingful timeframe, do not make 
it too short). If you want, you can split it into 
three parallel timelines: one for individual 
events, one for events related to the 
organization or community, and one for events 
related to the outside (country, world, 
whatever). Everybody writes/draws anything that 
is important to them on the timeline with a 
marker. After that, small groups (6-10) sit 
together to discuss the timeline, pick out what 
is important to them and share their stories 
about it. At the end, the small groups report back what they have learned.

The other is to split into small groups right 
away (agin, 6-10 people) and to give them a 
question to get the stories started. A question 
could be for a community: "When and how did you 
come here and what made you stay?" For an 
organization: "What do you like best about 
.....(the organization)?" or "Describe a time or 
a moment when you have felt most alive, 
successful and connected in your organization." 
These questions have been derived from 
Appreciative Inquiry. Here, as well, you can let 
the small groups report back what their learning has been.

I am sure there are many other ways to do it; you 
can also work with Glad/Sad/Mad. Sorry I have no 
time to elaborate further... I hope this gives you an idea anyway.

Koos

At 08:37 21-10-2009, you wrote:
>Hi Koos,
>
>Thank you so much for your answer!
>
>Regarding the time, the participants are part of 
>a group of people who come every tuesday night 
>(from 18:00 to 21:00) to listen ton conference 
>about "transition town, energy, climat change, new currencies...".
>Each tuesday there is one conference, than a 
>break with food, then a second conference and food again.
>
>That's why we had the idea to do the first half 
>day until 21:00 with food supply during the 2 last discusisons.
>
>I think your right that it is strange to have a 
>session in the second morning. It would be 
>better to make them happen all in the same period.
>
>I am curious about what you call storytelling? 
>How do you facilitate that? Wouldn't the 
>participants be surprise and maybe not so happy 
>just to tell or listen to stories?
>
>Can you tell me more about that?
>
>
>Best regards,
>
>Déborah Maarek
>
>Awareness Consulting
>
>Rue de Toulouse, 15 - 1040 Brussels, Belgique
>
>T: +32 (0) 2 219 33 35 - Gsm: +32 (0) 495 38 98 88
>
><mailto:deborahmaarek at awareness-consulting.net>deborahmaarek at awareness-consulting.net
>
>www.awarenessconsulting.com
>
>Skype: deborahmaarek
>
>Le 20-oct.-09 à 22:37, Koos de Heer a écrit :
>
>>Hi Deborah,
>>
>>Looking at your program, the first thing that 
>>comes to mind is that it will work, as Open 
>>Space always works when done with good 
>>intentions. The second thing is that it feels a 
>>little strange to have three sessions on one 
>>side of the night and the fourth session on the 
>>other side. For me, the night is a boundary and 
>>I usually use it in that way. Usually when I do 
>>a 1,5 day Open Space event, I have a full day 
>>first with all the sessions and then the 
>>morning of the second day for convergence and 
>>action planning. The night is the time when 
>>everything from the sessions can settle down and boil and simmer and stew.
>>
>>In your time frame, with a night and a full 
>>day, I would consider doing just storytelling 
>>and sharing on the first day, and sessions as 
>>well as convergence on the second day (sessions 
>>in the morning, convergence in the afternoon, 
>>that gives you the lunch break for printing reports).
>>
>>My third thougt looking at your program is that 
>>folks will get very hungry when dinner is at 
>>21:00, but maybe that is normal in France.
>>
>>By the way, I have abandoned the priority 
>>voting. I find it sort of messy and clumsy. I 
>>simply open the space again, with a new agenda 
>>for action planning. Very elegant and powerful.
>>
>>Good luck
>>
>>Koos
>>
>>
>>At 19:17 20-10-2009, Déborah Maarek wrote:
>>>Hello again,
>>>
>>>Working on a OST for Rennes City in France, I 
>>>would like to have you experience about the 
>>>timing to propose for a 1,5 day event!
>>>
>>>One of the pb is that the host is afraid that 
>>>many people will come only the first day or only the second day.
>>>How can we manage this kind of situation?
>>>
>>>Just to give you the context: The OST is about 
>>>Rennes, post carbon city. They have to reach 
>>>-20% CO2 in 2020 and they want to consult the 
>>>citizen (around 100 to 160 participants: inhabitants, companies, politics...)
>>>
>>>My idea is to do most of the emergence part during the first day:
>>>
>>>Day 1
>>>16:00Opening
>>>17:00Discussion 1
>>>18:00Discussion 2
>>>19:00Discussion 3
>>>20:00News of the day
>>>20:45End of the day
>>>
>>>Day 2
>>>
>>>9:00Morning news*
>>>9:30Discussion 4
>>>10:30End of writting the reports
>>>11:00Reading
>>>12:30Vote of priorities
>>>13:00Lunch
>>>14:00Action Plan
>>>15:30Action Plan presentation
>>>16:15Personal Action Plan
>>>17:00Final cercle
>>>18:00End of the day
>>>
>>>My idea is that after the morning news, I will 
>>>explain to the "new" participants the process 
>>>so that they are not lost and they can do the 4th discussion.
>>>Would it be strange?
>>>
>>>I imagine that it is very short for printing 
>>>100 or 160 reports after the 4th discussion...
>>>But also if I take more time, what would the 
>>>participants do during this "off" time?
>>>
>>>If you have any suggestion, ideas or experience, I would love to hear them!!
>>>
>>>Thank you for your help and support
>>>
>>>Best regards,
>>>
>>>Déborah
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Déborah Maarek
>>>
>>>Awareness Consulting
>>>
>>>Rue de Toulouse, 15 - 1040 Brussels, Belgique
>>>
>>>T: +32 (0) 2 219 33 35 - Gsm: +32 (0) 495 38 98 88
>>>
>>><mailto:deborahmaarek at awareness-consulting.net>deborahmaarek at awareness-consulting.net
>>>
>>>www.awarenessconsulting.com
>>>
>>>Skype: deborahmaarek
>>>
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