[OSList] Open Space with some off-limits -- Individual Sessions

[doug]

Harold--

"How can I get better at convening successful sessions at OST
conferences?" That of course depends on what you intend by
"successful." 

I do like your listing of what other people do to get folks to their
sessions, but I do not understand. Does Arlo use this method to get
people to attend, or simply to get the conversation started in his
breakout?

			:- Doug.




On Mon, 2011-07-18 at 00:12 -0600, Harold Shinsato wrote:
> Harrison and Suzanne,
> 
> Thanks for attending my session on how to improve individual session
> facilitation!
> 
> I totally agree that the "whatever happens" helps deal with the
> results of hosting a session, Suzanne. And I also completely agree
> that the process of the Open Space itself should not be interfered
> with. I'm not looking for an OST intervention!!! Wandering
> facilitation trainers - ugh!
> 
> My wondering isn't about improving Open Space - it's about improving
> myself - and maybe making that learning available to others also
> interested in improving their own participation.
> 
> For myself, hosting an Open Space conference has been weirdly more
> simple than getting people to come to my sessions! Part of it is that
> there is so much help for how to host an Open Space. Lisa Heft's
> training was indispensable for me. Attending other people's Open Space
> events was also incredibly powerful. There's the manual, there's
> OSList. And actually hosting and facilitating them was the biggest
> training ground of them all. In a way, that's also true for convening
> successful OST sessions. Practice. Do it. Learn from doing. Do it
> again. What I sense is that there's a lot of the "learn from doing"
> that we don't really have to be doing alone. That could be shared.
> There's a wealth of experience to get to the learning faster!
> 
> Interestingly, the one particular challenge I had with getting the
> Open Space to work was the same challenge I had with my sessions.
> Getting people to come. It's nice saying "whatever happens" and
> "whoever comes" but I think more guidance could be made available (but
> again, not in the Open Space). One of the best advice I heard about
> this is that it's just about inviting people into the circle and doing
> it again and again. But again, I think more could be uncovered. One
> thing I just had a sense for myself was to reach out to already
> existing communities and participate. The way to reach out is
> something I'm still learning. The book "Made to Stick" has helped with
> the wording. But I can tell there's more to learn.
> 
> There's another bit of advice I received just yesterday from a fellow
> software developer who is also an Open Space fan. Arlo Belshee was
> attempting to answer the question of an author I respect greatly about
> what would work best as a session. I had already said my piece which
> reflected my awareness of the community and what topics were the most
> interesting, and how that might intersect with his own interests. I
> found Arlo's advice even better, and in a way it was related. Arlo
> said he never plans his sessions in advance as to what he's going to
> say. Instead he reads the room and hears what people are talking
> about. And Arlo gets great attendance at his sessions at all the Open
> Space events I've seen him at - which have been quite a few. In a way,
> Arlo's advice sounded a lot like a Toyote Production Systems practice
> (a lean manufacturing practice) called Genchi Genbutsu - "Go to the
> source to find the facts to make correct decisions." It's about being
> more present and see what's actually going on. Some people already
> know and can surface what needs to surface at the right time. I seem
> to need to work at it!
> 
> This all happened yesterday for me at Seattle Lean Camp, which was a
> properly facilitated Open Space Technology conference. Jeremy
> Lightsmith did a great job opening the space. Many people wondered
> after the event why people are still paying thousands for traditional
> conferences when so clearly we get better results for just $50 using
> Open Space. It's a good question!
> 
> I got another powerful hint at what can help get people to come to
> your sessions. At the Open Space evening news on Saturday for Lean
> Camp Seattle, the facilitators asked what percentage of the attendees
> had been to "Lean Coffee". It was over 50%! Their Lean Coffee was
> described as the same thing as Open Space except in just a couple
> hours. It's an open forum that happens about once a month at a cafe'
> in Seattle to talk about lean management/software issues. Whoever
> comes is the right people. They put their topics up on cards, like the
> Open Space billboard, and then work their way through the topics in
> vote priority order. It's not quite the same as an OST conference, but
> multiple people claimed that their lean coffee events were basically
> "the same" as OST. Jeremy Lightsmith and Jim Benson have succeeded in
> creating a full blown Open Space conference and getting high
> attendance by creating the feeling of Open Space in stammtisch style
> in advance - creating community and credibility by taking the time to
> initiate and invite again and again people into conversation.
> 
> There's a lot more to be said here but this is already way too long.
> Perhaps it'd be better for me not to ask the question, just be happy
> with the guidance that's already available, and be satisfied. I hope I
> don't offend by continuing to ask the question and wondering - if
> people don't like my question I'm probably going to continue to host
> the session and attend just by myself. I seem to do that often! But
> I'm going to keep asking: How can I get better at convening successful
> sessions at OST conferences?
> 
>     Regards,
>     Harold
> 
> 
> On 7/14/11 3:01 PM, Harrison Owen wrote: 
> > Harold wrote: “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.”
> > 
> >                                   
> > 
> > It is a curiosity, for sure. And you are not the first, nor
> > doubtless the last to wonder. Over the years, people have tried just
> > about everything, ranging from “Providing Guidelines for discussion”
> > – to recruiting a corps of wandering facilitators, available upon
> > request. Some even tried “assigned facilitators.” Or a “designated
> > process – e.g. “Dialogue.”
> > 
> >                                   
> > 
> > I can’t say that I have seen it all, but what I have seen brought me
> > to the conclusion that any intervention was, at the very least, more
> > trouble than it was worth. And in worse case scenarios, actually
> > counter-productive. Nobody ever followed the “Guidelines.” The
> > “wandering facilitators” were inevitably in the wrong place and
> > either sat on their hands or were totally overwhelmed. Attempts to
> > manage the process with “assigned facilitators” drove the “managers”
> > crazy as the natural dynamics of Open Space refused to follow any
> > process they envisioned, and if they attempted to control the
> > dynamics of OS – well good luck! Mandating some formal process like
> > Dialogue really gummed up the works. It was just too slow and out of
> > sync with the ebb and flow of discussion. And it often seemed that
> > people were more concerned to “manage the process” than to talk to
> > each other. Even worse, stupid discussions (my judgment) were
> > continued because people assumed that if they got the process right,
> > the discussion would improve.  From where I sat the problem was that
> > the topic was a mindless matter of minimal concern, and yet the
> > moribund horse continued to be beaten. Or something.
> > 
> >                                   
> > 
> > Perhaps it is the eternal optimist in me – or something about half
> > full glasses. My wonderment was that the sessions were as good as
> > they were, and generally speaking – better than any facilitated
> > session I had ever attended. Could it possibly be that the whole
> > business of “facilitation” was vastly overrated? Heresy!!!
> > 
> >                                   
> > 
> > But as I concentrated on what was clearly working very well “all by
> > itself” I began to notice that even in those situations where the
> > discussion was less than outstanding (by whatever standards),
> > nevertheless useful things were happening. For example, was the
> > stated topic never addressed? Yes, but what came up was infinitely
> > better and more interesting, I thought. I think I learned something:
> > People really don’t know what they are talking about UNTIL they
> > create to talk. Which is why tightly built agendas never seem to
> > work. Yes you cover the agenda, but did you do anything useful,
> > productive, creative? By definition, NO! You ended up in precisely
> > the position you said you were going to reach – so why take the trip
> > in the first place? You were already there. Just write the minutes
> > in advance and cancel the meeting.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Then there were those situations where the whole thing was just
> > stupid and snarky. People argued endlessly about nothing of
> > importance – just for the sake of arguing, it seems. But even that
> > painful experience turned out (more often than not) to be a
> > positive. Folks learned to use the Law of Two Feet. Or at the very
> > least, they learned that they COULD use the Law next time – unless
> > they honestly enjoyed being miserable and non-productive. Which does
> > happen. 
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Anyhow, Harold, your wonderment is a shared one. But after some
> > years considering the emergent situation, I have come to the
> > conclusion that any fix I might propose will create more problems
> > than it solves. That could just be lazy, and doubtless younger and
> > more subtle minds may find a way. But I ain’t holding my breath.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Harrison  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > 
> 
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