[OSList] Intro and inquiry: Open Space with some off-limits topics

Suzanne Daigle sdaigle4 at gmail.com
Thu Jul 14 12:25:08 PDT 2011


Harold in response to your observation that there is  "minimal advice (in
Open Space) for convening sessions" and your invitational question for
comments about  "how to successfully convene a single session" and  "why
(sessions) some are better than others?",  I offer this:

For me, it's totally about  "whatever happens is the only thing that could
have!" followed by an expanded way to look at the 5th principle "wherever
people are is the right place"...in their head, spiritually and otherwise.

I figure if people "just bring themselves" whatever that looks like in the
moment, it will be enough.

My 2 cent reply to your invitation for comments Harold!

Suzanne



On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 11:37 AM, Harold Shinsato <harold at shinsato.com>wrote:

> **
> Hi Dan - fellow Agilista!
>
> Fascinating question. It does seem to be something o.k. to do in polite
> conversation - "let's not go there". But there's no guarantee it will work
> in a conversation between equals. "There" might be exactly where the
> conversation needs to go. Getting consensus about taboos at the beginning of
> an Open Space doesn't sound like a good time investment. Setting up the
> taboos without consensus declares that the organizers are the high priests.
> Big problem! Like Harrison said - the invitation sets the focus and that's
> the best way to keep things on track rather than declaring all the places
> the conversation should not go. But maybe there's an exception - do you have
> a specific situation?
>
> Departing from the "givens" question for the entire Open Space, I continue
> to wonder about how to successfully convene a single session within an Open
> Space event. In each convened sessions, you might actually have the "let's
> not go there" conversation and it will work. The group is small enough to do
> so. And if the session convener starts with the taboos and people don't like
> it, they can use their two feet or they can just ignore the convener and
> have the conversation anyway. Mostly I think the "let's not go there"
> admonition works when someone brings up a "dead horse" topic that no one
> else in the circle really wants to hear, rather than declaring all the
> taboos in the beginning of a session.
>
> It's interesting that Open Space gives very minimal advice for convening
> sessions - but I can tell that some are much better at it than others. Both
> in the choice of topics that are relevant and in the actual facilitation of
> the group conversation. I continue to be curious about what works and what
> doesn't work for the convening of individual sessions in an Open Space.
>
>     Harold
>
>
> On 7/12/11 9:30 AM, Dan Mezick wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I am a respectful lurker who now has an inquiry, so it is time to introduce
> myself.
>
> Hi! I am Dan Mezick, coach to Agile teams, their sponsors, and executive
> management. I live in CT. I am friendly, curious and playful. I enjoy
> conducting frequent experiments. I like to be surprised and learn.  I have a
> history of software development. I receive a software patent in 1999.  In
> 2003, I run an elaborate search engine optimization experiment that results
> in over 120,000 unsolicited, incoming web links from all around the world,
> in 20 days. Those 120,00++ links-in result in a #1 Google rank for over 7
> years.
>
> Now I am curious about Open Space. I play with it. I read all the books
> from Harrison. I experience many surprises as I read these books.  I convene
> five OST events in Boston since 2009. The largest is the Agile Boston Open
> Space in Sept 2010 where 275 people participate. I have experience directly
> facilitating some smaller OST meetings for clients recently.
>
> I am currently quite fascinated with Open Space and OST dynamics.
>
> This list is very awesome and awe-inspiring. I am very happy to be here.
>
> If you like to be surprised, you may enjoy this:
> http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/esp.html
>
>
> Here is my inquiry:
>
>
> My Inquiry
> =========
>
> "Let' s not go there."
>
> This is a common utterance used in conversation, one that clearly signals
> that the space is closed to that topic.
>
> Open Space, limited by only a broad Theme, is not very limiting. Authority
> often is concerned with this wide-ranging freedom to explore "just about
> anything" when considering OST, and what might result from that afterward.
>
> I wonder if any of us have experience with doing OST with some sections in
> the discussion-space explicitly closed.
>
> I wonder how these limits are expressed-in-fact; for example inside the
> Invite or in the composition of the Theme.
>
> I wonder how the "explicitly stated as closed" space is then successfully
> maintained in an OST setting. I then wonder how much fun the event is, when
> some space is closed.
>
> I wonder also, if this is an oxymoron, that just does not work very well,
> ever.
>
> I think have read here somewhere here, in a passing comment, that
> sometimes, certain topics are closed in OS meeting.
>
> I wonder if anyone has experience trying this, and if any specific
> knowledge about this is documented explicitly anywhere.
>
> Thank you for your help ! I am preparing to be surprised.
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> --
> Harold Shinsato
> harold at shinsato.com
> http://shinsato.com
> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
>
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-- 
Suzanne Daigle
NuFocus Strategic Group
7159 Victoria Circle
University Park, FL 34201
FL 941-359-8877;
CT 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
twitter @suzannedaigle
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