[OSList] energy field of the facilitator and its influence on OST outcomes

Thu Aug 4 15:05:56 PDT 2011

Hi Harrison, 

I just sent off my recent post to the list as this one was coming to my
inbox so thought I would take a moment to respond a bit more. I think OST is
amazing, it always works, and that it is one vehicle in assisting us humans
to remember who we really are as humans. What I am wondering about is not so
much a single OST meeting and its outcomes and definitely doing as little
doing as possible. I am wondering about the state of being, the state of
being of the facilitator, the relationship between that state of being and
the single OST meeting's results, and whether there is something more to pay
attention to.

We have a very large OST meeting ongoing 24/7 and in its 11th year called
the Harmony project. Some hundreds of OST facilitators and others in about
30 countries are involved. They commit to a state of being. They don't
actually do anything at all after that commitment and so this would be in
alignment with what you and Michael say about doing less. The purpose of the
whole exercise in being is to influence the energy field for humanity to
have opportunities for harmony in the world. It can be hard on the
facilitators as they cannot be attached to outcome.cannot take sides..and
focus on staying in peace and balance as a way of being. We cannot measure
our results, and don't know if we are influencing opportunities for harmony.
At best we can believe that we are and stay committed for a lifetime to this
endevour of being, not doing. I am also of the belief that beliefs create
reality.and so maybe, just maybe there is a difference that makes a
difference that is useful for the generations following us.

Birgitt

From: Harrison Owen [mailto:hhowen at verizon.net] 
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 5:41 PM
To: 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
Subject: Re: [OSList] energy field of the facilitator and its influence on
OST outcomes

Welcome back Birgitt! And the idea of the facilitator's role as being
integral to the emergent energy field of the Open Space is a good and useful
one. Works for me. But I find myself coming out at a rather different place.
It may well be age, but I find myself doing less and less (One more thing
not to do!) - and when it comes to facilitation (at least in Open Space)
less is definitely best. Truth to tell, my hope would be that facilitation
and facilitators will soon be put on the "endangered species" list. Nice
folks all (my friends and colleagues!) - but we should be in business to go
out of business. 

It is a pretty sick organization that requires the services of a
"facilitator" - right up there with Life Support in the ICU. Healthy
organizations demonstrate their health when they manifest the capacity to
hold intelligent conversation productive of useful results. No help needed.
Being "adult" as it were - and actually children do very well in this regard
- so I guess it is just a "human function?

And for the "sickies?" Some form of First Aid (Life Support) is definitely
in order. But less is still best, I think. Now back to the Energy Field and
the facilitator. My experience has been that my most useful role is to be
negative - as in the negative pole in an energy field. I become the point of
"grounding" - just to keep the power flow going. I am not the only one, but
that is my main function. Do Nothing -- !

What would that look like? Well, in an early Open Space a most anxious lady
approached me with the "vital existential question" - "What should I do,
Harrison." With a malevolent look in my eye, I asked her, "What would you
like to do?" 

So I see myself as the eternal question mark????? No answers - just
openness. If anything, I am the symbol of the Quest(ion) - where do you
really want to go???

Energy fields only "work" when there is a "negative pole" allowing the
energy to flow. The people provide the positive (They CARE) - they will
learn the power of the negative. They will learn the power of the
Question/Quest. But for the moment, I can be their point of grounding. Not
very glorious, and hardly worth the "big bucks" - but useful. I think.

Harrison

Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Dr.

Potomac, MD 20854

USA

189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)

Camden, Maine 20854

Phone 301-365-2093

(summer)  207-763-3261

www.openspaceworld.com

www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)

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From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Birgitt
Williams
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 8:40 PM
To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Subject: [OSList] energy field of the facilitator and its influence on OST
outcomes

Warm greetings!

I have been absent from this list for some time and am delighted to be
connected now, at least for a while, taking advantage of some quiet time
over the summer to connect with people and ideas.

A topic that I wish to address is about the outcomes of an OST meeting in
relation to the energy field of the facilitator. From my perspective and
experience, there is a direct relationship. I often ask OST facilitators
what they mean when they say that they 'open space' and 'hold space'.  My
perspective on the facilitator 'opening space' is that this is just not so.
The facilitator does not 'open the space'.  The sponsor 'opens space' in his
or her organization so that the facilitator can conduct the form of the Open
Space Technology meeting. Viewed from that lens, I make choices when I
prepare with the sponsor for the OST meeting, and what I ask of the sponsor
and his/her participation during the meeting itself. For example, the
sponsor teams I work with are coached about working with their personal
energy to support the highly engaging participatory process. I ask them to
sit equidistant from each other in the circle and 'hold the space' open for
the best possible outcomes and the greatest participation. At the end of
every day of the meeting, we meet simply to discuss what it felt like to
them to have opened the space and held the space. The reflections are
amazing. 

My role as the lead facilitator and the role of my co-facilitators is one of
working with the space being held, of going through the form of OST, and
more importantly to be in touch with ourselves as resonant energy field
generators. Every one of us works at being in genuine contact with
ourselves, with our personal energy field, and within that genuine contact
experiences love and peace and joy. Our job as resonant energy field
generators is to broadcast this frequency from ourselves to give the
greatest opportunity for everyone within the gathering to reach their
greatest potential in the moment of the meeting. 'Holding the space' from my
perspective is this very connection and interpretation of self as generating
a resonant energy field. Doing little, being much. 

When a meeting goes well, there are many factors, including how well we
created an energy field as facilitators and how well we did this together
with our sponsors. We recognize that in both our observer role and in our
role as energy field generators, we influence the meeting and the outcomes
of the meeting.

Blessings to all,

Birgitt

Birgitt Williams

President and Senior Consultant, Dalar International Consultancy
<http://www.dalarinternational.com> 
Author, The Genuine Contact Way <http://www.genuinecontactway.com> 

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