AW: making requests of leaders?

[Catherine Pfaehler]

I have been in 2 OS events where we made requests for certain groups of
people to hold back.

One was a 2.5 day OS meeting with people living with AIDS and some
professionals working with them. On the first day, the professionals were
not allowed to post any topics, but were to listen only. On the second day,
they could post topics, ask for feedback on their projects etc. We decided
on that to empower the usually expert-depending people living with AIDS, and
it worked out wonderfully. The first day was much more interesting than the
second day. However, for the professionals, it was a great experience to be
so close to so many "clients", to feel them, to understand what were their
concerns as a population, so "listening only" was not bad at all for them.

The other one was a 1 day OS meeting with cancer patients and their
families. The (few) medical doctors and professionals present from the
cancer league were supposed to only listen. Some did, and others just
couldn't let go of their role. However, for the professionals, it was an
overwhelming experience to learn how well informed the "clients" were.
Before the event, the cancer league was certain never to have a patient in
any of its organs. After the event, they started looking for a patient who
would come to join their board.

Love, Catherine
 
Catherine Pfaehler
lic.oec.HSG
Open Space Begleitung
Burckhardtstrasse 2
CH - 3008 Bern
Telefon +41-(0)31 - 536 05 31
Mobile  +41-(0)76 - 488 15 46
c.pfaehler at open-space-begleitung.ch
www.open-space-begleitung.ch


-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Raffi Aftandelian [mailto:raffi_1970 at YAHOO.COM] 
Gesendet: Montag, 29. November 2010 17:50
Betreff: making requests of leaders?

Queridos amigos,

Christine, your question about the challenging OST event you are working on
encouraged me to post this question today. I've been meaning to put this out
for weeks. 

I'm wondering how much it is a practice for all you to talk to or
communicate with leaders and managers who will be attending an OST event and
encourage them to *hold back* a little in order to equalize the power
dynamics a little in the OST event.

Specifically by *hold back* I mean:

- asking them to wait a little before posting topics
- for them not to feel like they need to post certain topics
- not to try to steer the conversation, or try to resolve conflicts

and ask them instead to participate as just one more person in the group.

This question was inspired by coming across the document "Ground rules for
Managers" in Lisa Heft's Open Space Idea Book. In that document, Lisa you go
through a number of things that you communicate to leaders and managers
ahead of an OST event, which include the requests above.

When I came across this document in the book a few years back, I was
surprised as I hadn't really heard of such a practice before. 

And finally for the first time I used it recently. I run a bimonthly
Nonviolent Communication community practice event in OST (with one small- or
perhaps for some, not so small- change-- we start with a short centering
meditation)

And it's hard to gauge right now if making those requests have helped in any
way. The one person who I spoke to the longest about it seemed to ignore the
requests in the document (I adapted the document for my situation; and the
document explains that this is really something meant to be communicated
orally. Most people I told them briefly about this over the phone or in
person and then sent a full document over email). 

I'm really excited about making those requests in future OST events where it
seems appropriate.

And Lisa especially, I'm wondering that since you self-published the OS Idea
Book, if your thinking around making those requests has changed.

Thanks all!
abrazos,
Raffi

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