WOSonOS Berlin - the " " session

[Lisa Heft]

Dear colleagues -

It is Saturday morning in Berlin and I look forward to a lovely  
breakfast with Gail West (Taiwan), Brendan McKeague (Australia) and  
Matilda Leyser (England), then off to the WOSonOS for the final day of  
the event.  I just wanted to share with you all that I so enjoyed a  
group I hosted yesterday at the WOSonOS (It will not be in the Book of  
Proceedings because we decided not to stress out about the Friday  
deadline for handing notes in).

I held up a blank piece of paper as my topic sign, selected a time and  
space and placed the sign on the Agenda Wall.

People gathered and sat in companionable silence in a circle.

Then I wrote some thoughts on cards such as:

___

Choices

Sit in silence

Communicate in silence

Experience an activity that can be done to help people reflect in  
silence *before* discussion

___

Other cards said:

Documentation?

Someone to note the time?

(or something like that)

___

In silence, we 'discussed' and agreed upon the agenda (the time card  
was tossed away into the air, the documentation was my camera)
We agreed to move from the sit-in-silence to the 'communicate in  
silence' portion of our session.

Much mutual appreciation, twinkling eyes and laughter, exploring  
little movements together, a bit of running around for some of our  
members, some putting of things on heads, some sitting laps and a high  
portion of silliness followed.

Then we shifted into the 'an activity that can be done to help people  
reflect in silence before discussion' portion of our agenda.

I guided folks (in silence, which is not usually how I explain the  
guidelines) a reflective activity I have designed - and some of you  
have helped me field test this activity in past WOSonOS and OSonOSs -  
which invites participants to answer four questions by drawing their  
responses (no text allowed).  The process is called 'Graphic Window'.   
After reflection and drawing in response to four questions, we spoke  
again, going around the circle and sharing what each person drew and  
what they reflected upon as they heard each of the four questions.

___

It was all so lovely and nutritious - especially to have silence in  
the midst of a high-talk environment such as an Open Space.
I bow (silently) with (silent) thanks to my fellow explorers,

Lisa


Lisa Heft
Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
Opening Space
lisaheft at openingspace.net
www.openingspace.net





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