OST training and "certification" - the role of OSIs? (was: Re: [OSLIST] Open Space Facilitation: Making it Work! 28-30 Sep ation: Making it Work! 28-30 Sep 2010, Utrecht, The Netherlands

[Raffi Aftandelian]

friends and colleagues,

Speaking as someone who has taken multiple OST learning workshops and has
offered such workshops to others, I'd like to offer my two kopecks (or rials).

Yes, indeed it is possible to learn how to "do" OST from the book. However,
I'm very grateful for the training I've received (primarily from Birgitt
Williams, nee Bolton) as there are many, many subtle aspects of the practice
of OST that are not covered in the User's Guide (and probably for good reason). 

(small aside: by "for good reason" I mean there's a lot of value in sharing
and re-re-re-re-re-sharing the *story* of how simple OST is instead of
coming face-to-face straight off with what can feel like tremendous
(overwhelming, perhaps?) complexity.)

What I got from my training, for example, was a simple set of generative
questions to hold in my attention when planning and holding space.

And what a learning workshop can do- at least in my experience with Birgitt-
is that it gives the facilitator the essentials to attend to and the
capacity to attend to the subtleties of OST practice, and to prepare one to
prepare and co-lead a quality event each time.

And not every workshop- I would add- does that. 

My experience in going through trainings- at least with Birgitt- was that I
wasn't being "taught" OST, rather the aim was to develop my own
understanding of the practice, develop my own sense of intuition and
knowledge of what would be OST and what wouldn't, what would be a quality
event and what wouldn't. 

Some can do that through a book. I'm sure grateful for the workshop
experience...

Another thing I'm grateful for from my training is coming away with a sense
that there is so little i know and understand about os/ost. 

And having had the privilege of seeing and hearing a number of ost elders
(and "chilluns") open and hold space, all I can say is that we are all at
the very, very beginning of the path of opening powerful space. 

And yes, Harrison, on certification you speak my mind. I emphasize that
point each time I give a learning workshop or introduce people to the
practice. There is probably something to be said for having received a
certificate for completion of a workshop from a particular teacher (lineage?).

Also, I don't think the Utrecht workshop says anything about certifying
people in OST.

warmly,
raffi

p.s. for those who've joined the list recently and would like to explore
more, there's been much (rich) discussion of this before. A search for
keywords like "quality" and "certification" will keep you plenty occupied!!!

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