Shy people... (?)

[Lisa Heft]

Hello, all -

In my mind I think this is slightly different than shyness, though it  
could include shyness for some individuals.

In those cases, Jon it depends when the client says those things. I  
always warn the client that in the beginning, even if they feel there  
is deafening silence - and it may feel like a long time to then -  
please do not 'help' by recommending or 'leading' by posting a topic.   
Simply b-r-e-a-t-h-e, and look at me.  I will be making 'the face' -  
sitting calmly, a slight smile perhaps, looking lightly around at the  
participants and also into the center at the markers and paper. I will  
be breathing too.  And eventually, the first, and then the next, and  
the next person will make their way into the center, and off we go.

(you know that, Jon, I suspect that is what you do - I am just  
explaining what I say to the client)

Also, to assist those who do not have the physical ability to crawl  
down on the floor in the center, I let folks know I (or someone  
helping me) will also be coming around with paper and markers, for  
those whose bodies do not work 'that way'. So most people do their  
signs in the center, and sometimes a few nod as I (or a helper) are  
coming around the outside of the circle with paper and markers and  
take some to make their sign.  Usually they come into the center to  
announce their own topic. Occasionally that is the point where an  
individual (themselves) whispers to me 'can you announce this for  
me?' (see, no need for the client to do anything, no need for another  
adaptation or rule, ideally I am being inviting and welcoming already  
so ideally, people feel comfortable asking me things even very very  
quietly).  It is so rare that this happens, but it happens. And then I  
whisper back 'I can announce it for you, but you must add your name to  
this sign (if they have not done so already) and  *you* are the one  
who must post it on the Agenda Wall, and *you* are the one who must  
convene the session. Yes?' 'Yes' they say. So I come to the  
microphone / center just as the other session topic convenors are  
doing and I say 'there is another session being announced: "Work-Life  
Balance" (or whatever - and then I hand the topic sign back to the  
person who made it as others continue to announce their sessions.

Sometimes the shyer people join with a buddy to walk up to the center  
together to make their sign and announce their topics. And often their  
topics are so refreshing as they have ideas and observations that are  
different than the majority.

I agree with what some others have said - lack of speaking does not  
indicate lack of participation or presence. In dialogue, there are at  
least two parts - the speaking and the listening. I consider those who  
do not choose to speak as fully participating - 'witnessing' is to me  
an essential part of supporting brave ideas and breakthrough thinking.

I love that some participants participate by not speaking.

The other thing to consider - and this is something I would try to  
examine in the pre-work stage: what are the power dynamics. Does  
everyone feel free to speak, who do people perceive as the power  
holders (whether or not the power holders feel this themselves), what  
about minority viewpoint and so on.  As we know, the more diverse the  
group, the greater, stronger and richer are the ideas and  
possibilities. So these are part of the work the client and I do - we  
chat about these possibilities and think about inclusiveness and  
access. In invitation and outreach, the core client team would ideally  
be inviting folks of diverse opinion and standing - making individual  
personal invitations if needed, finding allies for those folks to also  
participate, if needed, offering resources so people of less power can  
be able to attend, language support, whatever is needed. We chat about  
the role in Open Space of managers or others who typically hold power  
(do not 'lead' the groups or 'seed' the topics, let participant voices  
come through rather than yours, and so on). If there is a huge power  
dynamic, that is an opportunity to design a two-day OS event.  
Typically in that situation those who are less powerful will 'find  
their feet' after the first few sessions and you will see them hosting  
topics on Day 2, being more comfortable using the Law of Two Feet, or  
having really productive butterfly conversations on the side -  
wherever they feel their voice is heard.

All of that is worth talking about before the event, in my experience,  
to inform the design and decisions made about every aspect of the event.

And Jack - here is my thinking on why I do not bring people back to  
the circle after each round - and I hear your interest in allowing for  
greater emergence.

In doing so, I am intervening in and (even kindly or with good  
intention) breaking into the flow of their thinking process - the  
overlapping, layering, interconnecting thoughts in the rich self- 
organizing soup that is being created by and gaining momentum amongst  
the participants as they travel from discussion to discussion during  
the day.  I am also featuring into their meeting rather than being  
totally present and completely invisible from the moment they start  
their first session.

To my eye, emergence does indeed happen - people think of new ideas as  
the day goes on, if it's a multi-day OS people rush out into the  
center with new ideas for 'Morning News and Announcement of Late- 
Breaking Sessions', people notice a thread of thought is arising here  
and here and here, someone with a new thought posts a topic sign at  
mid-day on the Agenda Wall for a session later that day, and so on.

The only time I would bring the group back together in circle after  
each session is in a culture that is an oral culture (non-readers) -  
where the participants could not possibly retain all the audio memory  
of the (let us say) 30 session topics.  In that case I might adjust  
specifically for that culture, after learning about it and considering  
the dynamics of doing so - by having the participants announce (as an  
example where there are 5 discussion areas around the room) the first  
5 topics (then they go out to the areas to discuss), then come  
together and we hear about the next 5 topics people feel inspired to  
announce, and so on. I would of course also adjust the documentation  
design to gather the data from these conversations via digital photo,  
storytellers roaming, graphic / visual recording, and more.

What do others do?

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


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