OST following a creative enhacing training
Artur Silva
arturfsilva at yahoo.com
Mon Nov 15 13:36:09 PST 2010
Thanks for sharing the JTM story, Peggy.
Actually, in my case, it was not a conventional training (as in Harrison's Bank
story) and also not only a normal Outdoor training. It was an event that
included other stuff like, for instance, a "Talents Night" where each person or
group add to act some kind of talent. It must have been a very intensive moment
as it was referred by almost everyone the next day. Also note that the OST
closing was also the closing of the all retreat and the client participants were
very happy with all the event and seemed to think that the OST was a good ending
for the 1,5 day event. So my experience was positive in many ways. I am not sure
if this was clear in my first post, as I didn't want to influence your
comments...
In what concerns your note about "journalist culture being quite defensive" I
have no experience with journalists but, from my previous experience as an IS
Strategic Planning consultant to companies in the past, I would add two types of
Departments to that list: Human Resources and Financial Departments. (By the
way, my story involved a Financial Department - but a very open one, according
with my experience...).
Warm regards
Artur
________________________________
From: Peggy Holman <peggy at peggyholman.com>
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent: Mon, November 15, 2010 2:30:14 PM
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] OST following a creative enhacing training
Hi Artur,
I'll join with others to say that Lisa captured my sentiments on splitting the
opening. Bad idea. The principles and law help create a different culture.
To your other question of training beforehand, I'll offer a variation on Chris'
"it depends". Now, what I'm about to describe isn't training. It is more about
pre- event activities.
As many of you know, I've been running Open Spaces with journalists since 2001
through an initiative called Journalism That Matters. In the beginning it was
Open Space, sometimes with a little story telling the opening evening. We also
paired participants to do appreciate phone interviews before they show up. I
notice that people come with a more upbeat attitude and are delighted to know
someone new when they arrive. It's subtle, but I think whatever venting needs
to happen goes faster as a result. I've actually tried to eliminate the
interviews and the feedback I get is that even if participants don't take the
time to do them, reading the questions gets them thinking about what they want
before they arrive. Is it more work? Yes. Is it essential? No. Does it add
value? I think so.
Further, after our gatherings got larger, a large minority of participants
started complaining about disorientation when they got to the marketplace wall.
I learned early on that the culture of journalism is quite defensive. It is a
field that doesn't handle change well at all. (I even have data from an
organization that studies organizational cultures. It showed newsrooms are the
most defensive culture these researchers found in 30 years of study.) What I
realized is that I was dealing with a massive case of what Harrison dubbed
"freedom shock". A surprisingly large number of folks just freaked at making
choices for themselves. I found it mystifying.
Given it was epidemic proportions and my journalist partners in JTM were wanting
to bring in panels or other familiar forms, I relented slightly to try some
experiments. I've found a couple items that seem to reduce or eliminate that
freedom shock.
We'll open the afternoon with a marketplace trade show. Participants are
invited to set up a table in which they share their wares/products/demos, etc.
with each other. It is another form of marketplace. No facilitation, all
self-organizing. They love it! Those who have something to brag about get
space to do it without boring others who aren't interested to tears. And people
get to find out what others are doing in a hands-on, intimate-in-a-crowd kind of
way.
After dinner, we'll have 3 "conversation catalysts" speak for 10 minutes each
about the topic, followed by a World Cafe. This solves a few issues. First, it
gives us a few "headliners" to be attractors when sending out an invitation.
And it provides a means for bringing people who legitimately have some
information/inspiration that is of service to everyone to the group in an
abbreviated form. The World Cafe turns the lectures into conversation.
When we open the space the next morning, people are off and running. Freedom
shock handled.
I haven't run into another culture that seems to require this sort of stepping
in. And I wouldn't have believed it would make a difference had I not witnessed
the difference first hand.
Peggy
_________________________________
Peggy Holman
peggy at peggyholman.com
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA 98006
425-746-6274
www.peggyholman.com
www.journalismthatmatters.org
Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity
"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is
to become
the fire".
-- Drew Dellinger
On Nov 15, 2010, at 5:22 AM, Chris Corrigan wrote:
For me the answer is always "it depends". I have run OST events with stuff at
the beginning and afterwards (and even sometimes in the dreaded middle of
things) but it is always dependent on the context.
>
>
>Having said that, so much about the opening of space is about cultivating the
>energy of the group, tapping the deepest purpose and swiftly and clearly
>explaining the process and principles. A two part opening tends to stall or kill
>that energy especially after the agenda has been set. For me mastery of this
>form of meeting is summed up by one practice: the art of shutting up. Once I
>have explained things I shut up and let people get to work. The more I talk the
>less space there is for others. The quicker I can get out of the way the
>better.
>
>
>It is amazing to me how many experienced facilitators have trouble shutting up
>(me among them) but I invite you all to cultivate the practice. It is about a
>clear and crisp ending of your role so the group can get to work.
>
>
>Chris
>
>
>Ps the best piece of advice I ever saw on this list about the energy of opening
>came from Lisa who once said "model enthusiasm". Excellent.
>
>
>-----
>CHRIS CORRIGAN
>http://www.chriscorrigan.com/
>
>Sent from an iPhone, typed with thumbs...
>
>
>
>On 2010-11-14, at 11:26 PM, Lisa Heft <lisaheft at openingspace.net> wrote:
>
>
>Hi, Artur -
>>
>>
>>Regarding the outdoor experiences the day before an Open Space: many things can
>>happen the day before an Open Space. But as Open Space delivers intimate
>>passionate discussion, relationship-building, a sense of community or team,
>>energetic interchange and even laughter - I not only see no reason to design in
>>preliminary activities *but* have actually seen an Open Space suffer after
>>these. And I have seen the same as Harrison noted - participants have often
>>said 'why didn't you give us more time for our work / play / discussion in Open
>>Space - we could have used it'.
>>This includes introduction / warm-up / 'icebreaker' activities. Even going
>>around in a circle hearing what everyone's name and title is seems to be taking
>>up valuable time for participants - they always say how they came to know and
>>remember each other much more deeply because of their shared interests and
>>spirited discussions in the Open Space and that a traditional introduction both
>>is hard to remember plus can often set up assumptions about who is supposedly
>>who.
>>
>>
>>Regarding the introduction / explanation of Open Space - I feel strongly that
>>one should explain the principles and law BEFORE opening up the floor for topics
>>/ agenda co-creation.
>>Because you are explaining / inviting a different way of being. You are
>>explaining when you explain principles and law that everything is possible,
>>including visiting multiple discussions during a single session.
>>You are letting people know to follow the energy of the conversations rather
>>than their pre-conceived agendas.
>>And you are also letting people know that even if one person comes that is
>>exactly the amazing perfect thing - they can write in silence and contribute
>>even if they have a completely different way of thinking.
>>The explanation of principles and laws (not just the reading of the text on the
>>posters) is one of the essential invitations in Open Space, I believe.
>>
>>
>>Also: your client said that they do that certain way (explaining only each thing
>>as needed) for ***trainings****.
>>That is a very good way to do a training.
>>Open Space meetings are not trainings.
>>
>>
>>A very important difference for design, explanation, dynamics, information the
>>participants need for their self-organized work, objectives, outcomes and more.
>>Right?
>>
>>
>>Lisa
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Lisa Heft
>>Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
>>Opening Space
>>lisaheft at openingspace.net
>>
>>On Nov 13, 2010, at 1:19 PM, Artur Silva wrote:
>>
>>Thanks for your answer(s), Harrison.
>>>
>>>And have you (ou others) any comments on my point 2 (the possible two-step
>>>opening)?
>>>
>>>Rgds
>>>
>>>Artur
>>>
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