Not ideal but worth the effort

Sun Sep 6 05:26:41 PDT 2009

Artur, Obrigado, thank you for this. I honor you and may we give each other
hope and courage by planting the seed and fertilizing with OS a bit at a
time. Loved Portugal and Lisbon when I visited many many years ago, Sunshine
smiles from Florida!
Suzanne

On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 6:48 AM, Artur Silva <arturfsilva at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Suzanne:
>
> Being myself from Portugal, but knowing well Spain and France, I have come
> to understand that in Latin countries, mostly influenced by the Catholic
> tradition, than by Protestantism, people have even more difficulty to
> embrace the chaos than in some other cultures. Hierarchies and control
> have more influence in our heads and institutions.
>
> So OST is more difficult to “sell” and even more powerful when we can get
> to it.
>
> De Lisbonne, avec amitié
>
> Artur
>
>
>
> --- On *Sat, 9/5/09, Suzanne Daigle <sdaigle4 at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Suzanne Daigle <sdaigle4 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Not ideal but worth the effort
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Date: Saturday, September 5, 2009, 7:49 AM
>
>
> Harrison -
> Inviting people to live the Open Space principles and the Law of 2 Feet
> throughout the conference and beyond was my invitation. Doug said it was a
> little sneaky; Harrison said the whole thing becomes rather subversive:
> "Stealth OST". No criticism intended and none taken on my part. But it got
> me thinking and then grinning like a Cheshire cat.
>
> Well the irony of it all is that OST is all about that. The beauty is its
> simplicity and covertness.  It worked for me by awakening my activist soul
> and putting the conformist me in a box somewhere. Being French, I'd say that
> OST can be the Bastille of Independence, Freedom, and Choice...the thing
> that awakens the dormant "passion" and "personal responsibility" in
> individuals. Society and companies do not easily embrace the chaos,
> confusion and conflict that you describe in Wave Ride often preferring the
> Closed System Hoax with its illusion of control and predictability rather
> than the messy alternative. Not working so well these days though!
>
> Now back to those 4 simple principles with the Law of 2 Feet, the Butterfly
> and the Bumble Bee and what they stir "inside" people when you let yourself
> experience them cause you can't really know it by reading it. They awaken
> feelings, emotions, connections, thinking on a more conscious and
> unconscious level, listening, participating, sharing, authenticity, fun and
> the list goes on -- all of the stuff that we are taught to control and
> contain. And then surprise, once that's released, creativity emerges,
> purpose, action and results which come under that beautiful law of nature
> called self-organizing --nothing new, always been there. OST I think invites
> this hope and magic back into our being and our lives.  Sneaky, subversive,
> stealth....yes indeed!  Fitting reflections for this Labor Day Weekend 2009!
> Thanks guys!
>
> Suzanne
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 7:46 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net<http://us.mc546.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=hhowen@verizon.net>
> > wrote:
>
>>  Suzanne --
>>
>> So you had fun! Great!!  And as I read along I had this strange sense of
>> déjà view all over again, to quote the great Yogi. This is where we started
>> with improvements!! OST was born out of the recognition that the really
>> juicy part of a large conference happened in the coffee breaks, to which I
>> would add the bar, long walks,  and just hanging out. Sure there were formal
>> presentations and elaborate processes to include people, expand people,
>> transform people. But for the most part the formal sessions provided stuff
>> we had heard before or could have read in a book, and all the elaborate
>> processes seemed great at the start, but simply couldn’t hold a candle
>> compared to a good conversation at the bar or wherever.
>>
>> My learning from your experience for which I thank you – is that the good
>> old informal, self organizing system is alive and well, and it will function
>> regardless of all efforts to structure and control. And if you offer a
>> little support (your “anywhere, anytime sessions”) it only gets better. Doug
>> is right – the whole thing becomes rather subversive. You might call it
>> Stealth OST.
>>
>> My real learning is that we haven’t invented a thing. “It” (self
>> organizing systems) always was. We may acknowledge its presence, support its
>> process, but at the end of the day – it will do just fine all by itself. Of
>> course it would feel better if folks stopped trying to organize a self
>> organizing system.
>>
>> Harrison
>>
>>  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
>>
>>
>>
>>  ------------------------------
>>  *From:* OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<http://us.mc546.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>]
>> *On Behalf Of *Suzanne Daigle
>> *Sent:* Thursday, September 03, 2009 6:00 PM
>> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<http://us.mc546.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
>> *Subject:* Not ideal but worth the effort
>>
>> Back from Boston after facilitating “A *Taste* of Open Space” at the
>> NAMAC (National Alliance for Media, Arts and Culture) Conference.  This was
>> my first large event (300+ participants); did not have that much lead time
>> to prepare; and the circumstances were less than ideal: blended with
>> workshops, no opportunity to sit in a circle and for a while, I worried
>> about wall space and ability to use masking tape on the walls of this ornate
>> room in a historical hotel. We used blue painters’ tape.
>> Looking back, I would not have traded a minute of this experience. Yes, it
>> could have been so much better but ultimately it was worth it based on the
>> number of conversations (20 – 25…more?) over the 3 days of the conference.
>> I had 90 minutes on the first morning with the plenary group to OPEN SPACE:
>> announce the OS question tied to their theme (Lisa Heft was so helpful in
>> offering some ideas with lots of other invaluable tips too), to explain the
>> principles and the Law, to build an agenda, and  to open a marketplace.
>> Within an hour, no less than 15 groups were talking.  I called it the Speed
>> Dating of OPEN SPACE clearly indicating that this was just a “TASTE of Open
>> Space”. I said it would be an opportunity for them to find each other
>> quickly by connecting with others who shared their passion on common
>> topics.
>> I thought I would be a basket case but somehow having meditated twice
>> daily for the 10 days preceding this event, rehearsing on my outside patio
>> over and over, scouring Diane Gibeault’s training materials, reading
>> everything I could get my hands on and seeking help from some OS trusted
>> friends who were so very generous, I felt calm, clear and grounded.  It
>> wasn’t about me; it was about the participants! The night before, working
>> with a few volunteers, I took the time to quietly walk the room and did so
>> again the next morning.  And I thought of this audience and my passion for
>> their cause – free press, documentary film producers, youth, arts, media,
>> culture, democracy, etc.  The hardest part was not having the circle and
>> people writing and posting the topics at the back of the room. Clearly all
>> the OS practitioners are right that you NEED a circle to keep the energy
>> focused in the middle in spite of the fact that I had them visualize a giant
>> circle as part of my intro. Not the same…at all!  As people were writing and
>> announcing their topics, many started conversations around their tables and
>> I had to bring them back to attention a few times.  I feel we could have had
>> 60 to 75 topics in those first 15 minutes instead of the 30 we got.  Others
>> topics were added later and some folks posted Summary Reports from their
>> discussions.
>> Over the 3 days, there were six 90 minute OS timeslots on the program not
>> including the Closing (no circle there either).  What I invited people to do
>> was to live the 4 Principles of OS and the Law of 2 Feet  (Butterfly and
>> Bumble Bee) throughout the conference and even beyond.  We had blank post-it
>> notes so they could schedule their sessions anytime, anywhere and they did:
>> in the coffee shop, in the bar (15 people form 10 pm until past midnight),
>> early morning and lunchtime as well as in the assigned locations in our
>> plenary room which became the OPEN SPACE hub. What they said they
>> appreciated most was the gift of choice and freedom.
>> As I watched the conversations happening from afar, I felt such gratitude
>> to have had the courage to do this. People came by to share quietly as I
>> cleaned up coffee cups, trash, etc.  The feedback was extremely positive and
>> while I know it could have been better, my commitment to be “opening space”
>> for people wherever and however I can from the heart is what drives me now.
>>  Yes I will always push for optimal conditions as I feel I must. But if I
>> can’t get there, I will just try to do my best and not shut the door.   If
>> anyone wants to know more, I’ll gladly share all that I lived and felt
>> during those three days.  I owe so much to this community. Thank you
>> everyone.
>>
>> Link to some of the NAMAC OS photos:
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/namac/page5/
>>
>> Suzanne
>> --
>> Suzanne Daigle
>> NuFocus Strategic Group
>> 7159 Victoria Circle
>> University Park, FL 34201
>> FL 941-359-8877;  CT 203-722-2009
>> www.nufocusgroup.com
>> s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com<http://us.mc546.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=s.daigle@nufocusgroup.com>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Suzanne Daigle
> NuFocus Strategic Group
> 7159 Victoria Circle
> University Park, FL 34201
> FL 941-359-8877;  CT 203-722-2009
> www.nufocusgroup.com
> s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com<http://us.mc546.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=s.daigle@nufocusgroup.com>
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-- 
Suzanne Daigle
NuFocus Strategic Group
7159 Victoria Circle
University Park, FL 34201
FL 941-359-8877;  CT 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com

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