Working group

[koos at auryn.nl]

Hi Allison,

Just had a conversation last night with two good friends about this.

Our conclusion was that electronic ways of meeting work much better  
once you have established face to face contact first. If people don't  
know each other from physical presence beforehand, it is much harder  
to establish any kind of rapport online.

It also helps if small subgroups (two or three) that are close enough  
for travelling, do meet regularly and share their results online with  
the rest who are farther away.

People have tried to copy the mechanism of Open Space to an online  
platform, like Gabriela Ender did with Open Space Online. Even though  
it is a great product and well designed, my personal belief is that  
the Open Space structure was designed for a physical meeting. Bringing  
the Open Space principles to an online platform does not mean copying  
the structure directly to an online application. The few times that I  
tried, I have felt rather unhappy in an OS online conference. I think  
the principles of Open Space need translation before they can work  
well online. It is like translating a text: translation is not so much  
about transferring the text word by word to another language, but it  
is about capturing the images, the story and retelling that in the  
other language.

So if you want to do something online that captures the spirit and  
principles of Open Space, I would go for simplicity. Use tools like  
Skype to have conversations between two or three locations, and use  
email or a forum to exchange written ideas. Maybe you can also create  
a name and a logo for your project, because images help to unite  
people behind a common goal. Try to create a rythm; meeting online  
every week or every two weeks, exchanging email a few times a week etc.

Just some thoughts from a cool Utrecht,

Koos


Citeren doug <os at footprintsinthewind.com>:

> Allison--
>
> The Open Space Institute-US board meets in open space monthly via
> conference call, using one of the free conference sites.
>
> Climate Space people met internationally for several months using Skype.
>
> And people are using Skype and conference calls to meet in open space
> from all over the horizon, by posting an inviting question on the OSlist
> or elsewhere, offering some alternative times (you can sort through them
> with sites like doodle.com), and then giving out the telephone number.
>
> So I'd say come up with an inviting question, send it out and open the
> space. Maybe 4 or 5 of you can meet that way ahead of the rest to decide
> on the inviting question.
>
> 			:- Doug.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, 2010-03-12 at 09:31 +1100, Allison & Jim Baensch wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> I am unsure how to proceed and would appreciate your suggestions or
>> thoughts.
>>
>> As one of a hundred members of an Australian professional
>> association, I have offered to be on a new, nine person working group.
>> I was asked to set up this group, by ringing people who had expressed
>> interest in the association's future.
>> (Concerns had been expressed by several members about our future and
>> how to establish a suitable structure.)
>> The working group had been asked to look at structures including
>> incorporation and to write a constitution for the association.
>>
>> Members of the working group are scattered through much of Australia,
>> so phone or similar meetings are more likely than face to face.
>>
>> There is some interest in using Open Space.
>> One member of the group recently attended a 5 day Open Space
>> gathering and was most impressed.
>> I have sent the openspaceworld web site to group members.
>>
>> For some reason I am having difficulty with finding the next step.
>> I guess it has to do with invitation.
>> And with knowing how we can best 'meet' if Open Space is chosen as
>> our group's meeting and operating structure.
>> It might be to do with finding a suitable technology.
>>
>> The bodywork we all perform has many of the same principles as Open
>> Space, in a physical way.
>>
>> Greetings from a cool, clear Autumn day in South-East Victoria,
>> Australia,
>> from Allison.
>>
>> *
>> *
>> ==========================================================
>> OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> ------------------------------
>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
>> view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
>> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>
>> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
>> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
>
> *
> *
> ==========================================================
> OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> ------------------------------
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
> view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>
> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
>

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist