Opening circle without seats

Sat Jul 17 07:43:51 PDT 2010

Hi Csaba,

I can only add one other approach to Lisa's wonderful through answer.  When we ran the OS for 2,100 street kids in Bogota in 2004, they sat on the ground in a courtyard.  We made circles using masking tape, complete with aisles.  Here's a picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/78084501@N00/79452635/in/set-1700469/

And with people: http://www.flickr.com/photos/78084501@N00/79452640/in/set-1700469/

I have no idea how many roles of tape it took!

Peggy

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On Jul 17, 2010, at 5:51 AM, Lisa Heft wrote:

> Hi, Csaba -
> 
> I have had (for example) 850 students in a sports hall, where chairs were not allowed on the lovely floor.
> 
> I do not think concentric circles are required - even though that is something I try for in other situations.  However as we have shared on this list over the years - a circle feeling / formation / presence / indication and working 'in the round' is essential.  I agree with Barry that you can mark the open space in the center or have volunteers standing on the (their bodies create it) outline of that free space in the center, to indicate and inform that people entering the room are invited to be seated (outside / around that shape). You do the same thing for Closing Circle comments and reflection.
> 
> Csaba - I do not know if your space is similar to other athletic hall spaces however I find that in a gymnasium or similar space **sound** and **visibility** and **agenda wall space** are the main issues.
> 
> - sound sounds like it is coming from everywhere 
> 
> - when someone stands to name a topic, visibility for them and sound are important because the space plays with sound. If people are seated (therefore very low) and a bunch of people are standing waiting to announce their topic - that may block everyone's vision and it may be hard for them to focus on the topic convenors' words (given the sound issue).  So you might consider having the topic convenors announce at a place at the edge of the circle (or two places opposite, with microphones?) in an aisle so the line of people ready to announce goes down the aisle instead of inside the circle in front of all viewers.
> 
> - If you do decide to set up two announcing stations instead of one, and because the sound in a sports hall can come over big speakers therefore sounds like it is coming from everywhere, you might do something to physically / visually indicate (say, if you have two positions from where people are announcing their topics) who is currently speaking. Again: this can help the focus in such a space - for example you (in the center) could turn to and indicate whoever speaks next so the audience can get that sense better. 
> 
> - Agenda Wall can be hung or placed but sometimes sports hall walls are not as welcoming to tape and sometimes the halls themselves are more humid which is also not so good for tape - so it is a good thing to investigate
> 
> Most of all, I may be sharing these ideas based on my own experiences but of course your sports hall, your own style or experiences may lead you to do it differently. These are just some things I have noticed in a gymnasium / sports hall environment.
> 
> One other thing - you may not know who in your group of 270-300 students has visible or invisible physical disabilities - and when we think of students sitting on the ground, it usually feels right and good. Ideally, if people pre-register you can ask a question in the registration process about whether people have any food needs or mobility or other access issues and mention that seating for most people will be directly on the floor. If you cannot do this, it might be great idea for your lovely volunteers (or you, if you area team of one) to mark some very clear aisles (any certain kind of tape on the floor allowed?) for access, notice as people come in if there are people with wheelchairs or crutches and so on - where would they go? Perhaps a mat on the floor in one section designated for disability access, with a few folding chairs on that or room for wheelchairs?
> 
> It both helps the people with diverse physical abilities and offers the awareness moment to the rest of the student group.
> Just an idea.
> 
> Cheers from a star-filled early California morning,
> Lisa
> 
> 
> Lisa Heft
> Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
> Opening Space
> lisaheft at openingspace.net
> www.openingspace.net
> 
> Ask me about the The Power of Pre-Work workshop for facilitators -August 18-20, 2010 - San Francisco
> and the Open Space Learning Workshops - October 15-18, 2010 - Medellin, Colombia and December 15-17, 2010 - San Francisco
> 
> Join me on OSLIST - the World Open Space community in conversation (English) http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> and at the Open Space World Community space (all languages) http://openspaceworld.ning.com 
> 
> 
> 
> On Jul 17, 2010, at 2:23 AM, Csaba Lengyel wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> We will facilitate an OST event of 270-300 students in a sports hall, where it is not possible to bring in chairs. Here comes a question, how can we set up the opening circle? Participants will sit on the floor (they are fine with that), but how can we make sure that they actually for concentric circles?
>> 
>> Have you had any similar experience? Or have you got just some idea, how to solve this issue? 
>> 
>> Thank you in advance!
>> 
>> Csaba
> 
> 
> 
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