open space and heros

Pat Black patoitextiles at gmail.com
Mon Nov 29 06:58:05 PST 2010


Fear 1 the more open the process the more open space possible
Fear 2:  Instruct in the intro that that they are just announcing the
session in a few words and you hold the mic for all of them.
Pat Black

On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 8:12 AM, christine koehler <
chris.alice.koehler at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi to all
>
> I am working with a group that wants to organize a open space event in a
> highly “political” context :  Theme is very sensitive, has been discussed
> for years by all actors without any results except fights and division. But
> now context has changed and they feel that if they, actors of the system,
> don’t work together now and suggest something very quicly, the law will do
> it for them without them...
> Yet it took them some time to agree to go for OST. Their fear is great :
> they fear that some actors in the system will take advantage of the event
> for their own interest. They also fear that “wise men (and women)” who were
> pionners in their field but now do not act any more but talk talk talk ,
> will take advantage of the event to … talk and bring the audience somewhere
> else.
> Interesting fears, aren’t they ? I'd love to have your opinion on those.;
>
> Regarding the first fear : they choose not to invite one specific person as
> co-inviter with them. There was a strong veto from one of the co-inviter,
> saying that working with this person had been one of the worst experience in
> his life and that he won’t do that again. As this co-inviter is probably one
> of the most active in the group (he DOES the work), I think his request was
> accepted as a given.
> Yet now the group fears that this (not-invited-as-co-inviter) person, who
> has a strong influence base, might come with lots of his people at the event
> and influence the whole result..
> The risk is that they limit the number of participants to X people per
> organization (or/and whatever criteria they choose).
> My question : did you experience a situation where a person, not invited as
> a co-inviter because too difficult to deal with, has “spoiled”an OS event ?
>  I wonder if the risk is real (if so I’d challenge the group and have him
> included as a co-inviter) or if I just let them go with people they really
> want to work with...
>
> Their second fear concerns the wise persons (who are also “big egos” ;-))
> They don’t want them as co-inviters, but they want them somewhere. These
> people are the “heroes” of this community, but they are not so young now ,
> and are not so active anymore in doing things.  They talk about  offering
> them to join a “scientific committee” or something like this.  I don’t like
> the idea of “scientific committee” in the context of an OS event, but don’t
> have any better idea. What do you suggest ?
> They also fear that they invide the space during the creation of the
> agenda. All of those wise persons, I was told, can, with the help of a mic,
> bring a group wherever they want and talk for hours. Especially if they are
> all in the same room (because none of them wants to speak less than the
> others...)
> Any suggestion to me, as facilitator , to avoid use of mic as a tribune
> without being rude to their heroes ?
>
> Christine Koehler
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