[OSList] Training

Sat Jan 28 06:22:23 PST 2012

Lisa - what I love about what you do is NOT the detail - which frankly takes
my breath away. Honestly, if I had to learn all "that" I am positive I never
would have ventured into Open Space - Something about working much too hard!
J But you know me. Naps do come first. Or something. 

All that said, I simply love what you do - Giving Freely. It is all out
there, and everybody is invited to partake and share. There is no license,
no certification. Open Space belongs to everybody as a birthright.
Marvelous! Open Space IS pure gift, but it comes with a cost
(responsibility) - That we share freely all that we have learned." That, so
far as I am concerned, is the essence of Open Space. It is the Spirit of our
global community, of OSLIST, and it is the same Spirit you manifest so well.
Thank you!

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 Lisa Heft
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 7:47 PM
To: OSLIST
Subject: Re: [OSList] Training

Hello, dear colleagues - 

(I had some difficulty posting recently so thanks for your patience as I
jump into a few conversations after a bit of time has passed...)

I enjoyed reading about my colleagues' Open Space workshops about Open Space
- and thank you Kerry for inviting the question.

I smile when I think that if you attended each different colleague's
workshop you would learn different things - fabulous. It also shows that the
learning is diverse and the the learning is life-long.

Some of my lessons learned:

I find that the longer the workshop, the less diverse the participants.
Participant feedback tells me that the more diverse individuals do not have
so many days they can take off from their multiple jobs, step away from
their schooling or organize their child's care. So my workshops are almost
always 2, 2.5 or 3 days long.

In my analysis of what would be the most useful given the time available for
a workshop I look at all the things you can learn from reading, all the
things you can learn from practice on your own, and all the things you can
only learn best experientially with others. 

I do not teach what can be learn from reading.

- I invite people to read Harrison's book, "Open Space Learning Workshop: A
User's Guide" before they come to the workshop - even if they have learned
Open Space or something like it from other sources, writings or experiences.

I do not teach what you can learn from practice on your own.

- I invite participants to connect into the OSLIST and other online
communities and to their local communities of practice.

- I also host an OSonOS each year for anyone who has learned Open Space - my
workshop graduates and everyone else - to join together in-person to deepen
their learning.

- I connect participants to others who do Open Space in their region of the
world.

- I remind them that the learning did not start with this workshop nor does
it end at the end of the workshop - the learning and practice are life-long.

What is left are those things which I find are most useful to offer in an
experiential setting such as a workshop.

Some topics I cover in the workshop and its materials:

- A sense of what makes the full complete form of Open Space; when to call
it Open Space and when you are using just a page from Open Space and do not
need to call it that; what similar things are not Open Space

- Deliverables of different-length OS events

- Thoughts and questions for analysis with the client to decide what
dialogue tool is a fit for the job 

- Thoughts about how short is too short for Open Space - why many
facilitators decide to select another tool if there is not enough time

- Talking with a client about finding more time for an OS event

- How morphing or hybridizing changes human dynamics and the flow of thought
and often reduces the productivity and deliverables of an Open Space-like
meeting

- Thoughts about how a facilitator's passion for a method can sometimes
their ability to truly listen to a client

- How food and beverage, invitation strategy, signage and other details can
support or lessen inclusivity, productivity, and idea-generation

- A look at all the many interconnected elements of pre-work that can
support and strengthen an Open Space event

- Thoughts about how the brain works and why or why not to include action
planning, pattern-seeking or next-steps identification in the same meeting
as the Open Space

- Lessons learned from clients about follow-up / sustaining the momentum and
ideas generated from an Open Space event

- Diverse forms of participant-generated documentation - and a look at many
different kinds of Books of Proceedings from different countries, projects
and cultures

- Lessons learned about using Open Space for non-readers, in world conflict
zones, in multi-language groups

- Thoughts about Open Space and conflict transformation, about the
facilitator's role; stories about trusting (or not trusting) the process and
the people and what can result

- Stories about power dynamics, conflict, smallest, largest and most
challenging Open Space events 

- A look at diverse clients' themes and lessons learned about invitation
languaging and strategy

- Site design and preparation

- Thoughts about accessibility and inclusion regarding site, materials,
signage, invitation

- Experiencing an Open Space conference within the body of the workshop,
then reflecting on that experience

- Reflection and thought about the facilitator's role and about each
participant's learning edge

- Thoughts about where each participant might use Open Space in their
organization or community

After the workshop...

- Participants receive their Book of Proceedings from their in-workshop Open
Space conference

- They also receive follow-up notes from their workshops

- I offer lifetime feedback and support

- I share where to learn more about Open Space; remind the participants that
the international community of practice is there for them 24 hours a day;
and also remind them that different thinkers than myself may spark different
thoughts or ways of doing things

Some organizations or communities invite me to give this several-day
workshop as a first step.

The second step is for the community of participants to help each other do
one or more Open Space events. Time passes. Reflection happens. 

The third step is the organization or community bringing me back for further
exploration of any specific areas identified by the participants.

Various participants show up at the OSonOS or the WOSonOS to re-connect with
the world community of practice.

- - -

These workshops are for those with experience in Open Space and those who
are new to OS. Those who consider themselves professional facilitators and
those who do not.

Perhaps some of you will join me for the Open Space Learning Workshop this
year.

- May 16-18, 2012 - San Francisco USA

- October 8-10, 2012 - London - before the 2012 WOSonOS

- December 12-14, 2012 - San Francisco

...and other workshops to be announced in other parts of the world -
including this workshop in Spanish.

Perhaps some of you have already learned about Open Space in a workshop
setting and have studied it deeply and use it in the world.

Then perhaps you will want to join us for the

- Open Space on Open Space March 14-16, San Francisco USA

Let me know if you want more information regarding these workshops and
events.

- - -

I am curious to hear from those of you who give one-day workshops - what is
the content? what do you feel you need to teach, and what don't you feel you
need to teach? What do you wish you had more time to teach?

Thank you again, Kerry, for inviting us to share about our workshops.

And a warm hello to fellow learners from many countries who have come
through my workshops - you always teach me so very much, and I look forward
to seeing you again soon.

Take care,

Lisa

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