[OSList] Teach Them to Fish / A Note to My Friends

[Chris Corrigan]

Harrison...Ah sweet.  I just came from hosting a group of mostly
Episcopalian clergy who were happy to know (and claim) Open Space as their
very own indigenous technology!  So a little gratitude to you from your
brothers and sisters...

To your points...recently I was a very small part of a big group of fifty
people who have been working on a fabulous project to identify a pattern
language of group process.  Over three years and counting, we have put
together 91 patterns that if practiced, bring life to any meeting.  This is
based on literally generations of experience and was anchored in a deep
collaborative process.

You can see what we all hatched at this website:
http://grouppatternlanguage.org/  The patterns are all there as are the
links to a set of cards that we developed that encapsulates the 91 patterns.

Now what is beautiful about this is that it has made "teaching" process
work so much easier.  Typically I just hand out a few cards to people and
ask them what they know about how "Purpose" or "Breaking Bread Together" or
"Balancing process and Content" all work.  People have a wealth of
experience of times when they have been together when things really hummed.
 They can draw on these stories and, working with others, design the kinds
of meetings they need.

And what is also beautiful about these patterns is that it points us away
from a methodology through to what makes that methodology work.  So Open
Space becomes both a useful way of doing things, and a doorway to a
facilitation and hosting practice that invites skill in any moment -
training wheels in activating patterns that can work anywhere.  Open Space
- along with World Cafe and AI and other methods and processes - is soaked
in these patterns.  As are any number of unscripted and yet juicy
conversations that happen everywhere.  So this experience helps people to
understand that they already know HOW to create life affirming and
generative spaces.  And doing this work in groups reminds them that working
with others can always spark the creative juices.

It is possible to create spaces that are lively - enspirited perhaps? - any
time two people are together.  Understanding patterns makes me a better
host not just of Open Space, but of all the myriad interactions I am
involved in.

Chris

-- 
---
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Facilitation - Training - Process Design
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

*Upcoming workshops (click for invitations)*
*
*
*Art of Hosting Water dialogues <http://www.waterlution.org/aohwd>*
(for people involved with water issues)
April 13-15, 2012, Bowen Island BC
*
*

YET: the improv-based facilitation course you have always wanted to take!
September 26-30, 2012, Bowen Island, BC.
(email me for more information)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20120226/2e2654f7/attachment-0008.htm>