OST following a creative enhacing training

Sat Nov 13 13:19:04 PST 2010

Thanks for your answer(s), Harrison. 

And have you (ou others) any comments on my point 2 (the possible two-step 
opening)?

Rgds

Artur

________________________________
From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent: Sat, November 13, 2010 8:33:50 PM
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] OST following a creative enhacing training

Artur (me again) --- Some years ago a Canadian Bank did a 2 day Open Space on 
The Future of the Bank which involved all the senior leadership and about 100 
very bright young managers. In order the hedge their bet they hired a friend of 
mine to do a 1 day Creativity Building the day before. Incidentally I didn’t 
know my friend was going to do it until I saw him at the front of the room. 
Anyhow  my friend pulled out all the stops and folks were definitely creative as 
hell. Then the next two days in Open Space --- which was totally wild and 
wonderful. However, as I was leaving the venue more than a few of the 
participants, senior folks and young ones alike took me to the side to say that 
while they certainly liked the creativities (fun) they were very pale when 
compared to the productive High Play of Open Space. One guy put it pretty 
bluntly. Nice, he said (referring the first day), but why did we waste all that 
time?

Having just done another Open Space the week before with a comparable group, for 
the life of me I could see no difference except possibly that the Bank OST took 
off a little slower. I initially attributed it to the fact that they were all a 
bunch of bankers – but then I noticed that some of them were spending some 
little time trying to remember and try out what they had supposedly learned the 
day before. Eventually they just gave up and everything flowed on with its usual 
zest.

The day after the Bank OST we all gathered for a post mortem. I did everything 
in my power to avoid my friend and the question I knew he was dying to ask. But 
eventually he cornered me and I had to answer – No difference.

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Phone 301-365-2093
www.openspaceworld.com
www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
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USA

From:OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Artur Silva
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2010 1:35 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: OST following a creative enhacing training

Dear Open spacers:

Last week I have done a half day OST in some special conditions. It was a 
retreat of a Department of a Company (about 20 people). During all the day of 
Friday they had a program of outdoor training aimed to develop, among other 
things, team building and creativity. Saturday morning they had an Open Space 
session to discuss "how to improve the success conditions of our Department?", 
with an opening, two breakout session periods and the closure.

1. I was curious to see if the training of Friday (that I have not attended, but 
received very good comments from participants) would have any influence on the 
OST session. I know that one experience is not enough to take conclusions, but 
comparing this to other events in different conditions, I could not see any 
substantial differences, except the fact that a "team spirit" that quite often 
emerges during the event or at the closure was already present from the 
beginning. 

Any of you had similar experiences of opening space after an outdoor training or 
any other training with similar objectives? Have you noticed any differences?

2. I have done a "normal opening" even if it was not among the best I have done. 
(As a side note: I was a bit ill and concerned that I should not be stand up for 
a long period. Interestingly, the opening was not shorter but longer than usual 
and a bit too long for the timetable defined). 

Anyhow the main facilitator/trainer of the previous day made me a suggestion 
that I would like to have your opinions about. The suggestion was based in the 
way they have done their trainings in the past (explaining everything in the 
beginning) and the way they do now (explaining only what is needed for each 
phase). So the suggestion was to divide the opening in two parts: the first one 
with a bit of history and the presentation of the timetable with no Agenda and 
then ask for session topics; and then explain the principles, law and animals 
and go on to the Market Place.

I have some opinions about this, but I prefer to give them later. At this 
moment I would like to know if anyone has ever tried this two-steps type of 
opening and with what results. If not (and considering the context I have 
mentioned of the previous one day training) what do you think about the 
suggestion I have received? 

Regards

Artur

P.S.: A final note, Harrison, to say that in my two last Open Space events I 
have used your post its and not my usual time-space grid ;-)

It worked ok but it is too soon to to have conclusions, especially as they were 
both small events (20-30 people)... 

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