pre-planned sessions?

Michael M Pannwitz mmpanne at boscop.org
Wed Oct 27 15:26:59 PDT 2010


Dear Raffi,
I dont really care what participants offer, post or whether they 
prepared themselves or not, my role and task as facilitator is to step 
back and widen the space for selforganisation.
However, I usually do say something in my introduction on what all is 
possible, it goes something like this:

"You have the chance to offer whatever you want. Perhaps you want to ask 
folks to work with you on a difficult question that you havent found a 
solution for yet. Or perhaps you have a talk that you carefully designed 
and never had a chance to present so far, here you might find an 
audience. Or you developed a concept in your area of work which you find 
is lacking something and want to reflect on with others. Or you designed 
a method you never applied yet but want to try out with a group. 
Whatever it is you ... chances are good you find a bunch of 
collaborators for your issue... whatever it is, step into the circle, 
write it on a piece of paper, step up to the microphone, say your name, 
announce it to the group and post your issue at the bulletin board."

This takes about 40 seconds and always has been enough for people to go 
for it.

When a sponsor wants "experts" to present stuff, I strongly suggest that 
he invites the experts to participate and to offer their "stuff" the 
same way others offer their issues. This has always been accepted. I 
remember two occasions where the sponosor came over to me wanting me to 
encourage the experts to offer their "stuff" since they just seemed to 
sit in the circle and do nothing. Later, it turned out that the 
"experts" were so turned on by the issues "non" experts offered that 
they rather went to their sessions. (I assume they still went there as 
"experts" and offered their "expertise" but I also heard them say in 
closing circles that they never learned so much in the exchange with 
"non" experts).

If sponsors insist on "blended" events or on having "inputs" up front, I 
encourage them to supply everybody coming to the event with the inputs 
in writing a couple of weeks before the event... as this kind of 
discussion developes sponsors mostly begin to get a feeling of the 
nature of an OST event and skip this stuff. Occasionally, a session in 
the evening of the day before the event is offered with inputs... that 
has also worked well.

If you have a "full" OST event (with 6 or 7 sessions spread over two 
days and an additional half day for action planning) the kind of design 
I suggested above works much better than if you have fewer sessions or 
shorter events with less "time" to experiment and to try out different 
things.

To your last question: I just am convinced that everybody that follows 
the invitation to an OST event is fully engaged and that engagement 
manifests itself by jumping in with both their feet or to do nothing of 
that kind... I couldnt care less.

Have a great day in San Diego
mmp


Raffi Aftandelian wrote:
> Queridos amigos del espacio abierto, 
> 
> A friend of mine who took place in an OST event I organized and facilitated
> recently (a daylong Compassionate Communication practice event) expressed
> dissatisfaction about the following:
> 
> It seemed that most everyone who had convened a session already had a plan
> for how it would go and there didn't seem to be much space to deviate from
> this plan. From what I understand, she didn't really speak up for what she
> wanted either- nor did she convene her own session(s).
> 
> Indeed, I knew that some people were going to convene particular sessions
> and I did not intervene or say anything to these people beforehand.
> 
> I am curious, if you know that people are going to convene a particular
> session beforehand, do you say anything to these conveners, given the
> chance? Do you say anything during the formal opening of the space to
> address this?
> 
> I wonder if there is no such thing as a perfect opening that addresses all
> eventualities and that no doubt there will always be a few people who didn't
> feel engaged/inspired enough by the opening to jump into the day with two feet?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> abrazos,
> Raphael
> 
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-- 
Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49-30-772 8000
mmpanne at boscop.org
www.boscop.org


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