[OSList] 120 minutes of Open Space ….

Michael M Pannwitz mmpannwitz at gmail.com
Fri Apr 12 12:38:55 PDT 2013


Dear Paul, I dont think I could "shortchange" participants. What I do 
think, however, is that there are "many ways of shortchanging os and the 
forces of selforganisation".
Its probably not a good idea for me to espouse such statements and 
rather stick to my experience with 171 os-events of lengths from 4 hours 
to a full 2,5 days and processes with organisations using os from 3 to 
10 years and all sizes (9 to 2108).
Seems there is very little research on OST that would give us a clue on 
what length, size, etc. are especially adequate or even optimal. As 
often in life, it "depends".
I have had sponsors approach me for doing a "little open space" within a 
larger multi-day conference or at the beginning or at the end. When 
talking to them the "little" expanded... even to the extent that a 
two-hour request turned into a three-day event, in the year after they 
had the idea of doing a "little" open space... they took my suggestion 
and had the participants use the two hours to sit comfortable, drink a 
glass of wine and exchange on the questions they wanted experts to 
answer the next day.
In my practice, setting up an os-event, takes always the same time no 
matter how many foldk attend (it took 30 minutes with 2108 to post 232 
issues and start meeting) or how long the os is. If you mean by "setting 
up" the arrangement of the large meeting space, the breakout sessions, 
the buffet, the newsroom etc., it usually takes several hours to a full 
day... but when the presssure is on, as it was in Sevilla for 300 folks, 
the os team, assisted by 20 hotel employess took down a conference style 
setting and set up an os-setting in 1,5 hours, probably a world record. 
Everything pertaining to the os-setting had been carefully prepared in 
separate rooms the night before (agenda wall, posters, title....)

 From where I stand, I see that space is always open (sometimes only a 
tiny bit) and I certainly dont open it as facilitator. What I do, after 
the sponsor has "opened the event", I introduce to the OST process 
knowing that within that process, time and space do expand for 
selforganisation to do its stuff. By selforganisation I dont mean that 
people (or I) self-organise my day or work or life of future, I rather 
consider "the force of selforganisation" to be one of the basic forces 
in the universe active since time began... in "nature", societies, 
organisations, networks, cities, communities, everywhere. Its not 
something we can have more of or less of, its just there and active the 
same way as lets say earth magnetism but in a larger, all encompassing way.

Open Space Technology for social systems can not be too short or too 
long, it can be adequate for the purpose of the task of the social 
system... what that means in practice is the result of a planning phase 
several weeks or even a year before the event. I have also run into 
situations where the planning phase started four hours before the OST 
event, or took place in the afternoon of the day before the event... 
when things really burn, stuff gets done fast and usually quite well.

I see it as one of the challenges for facilitators to NOT accept two 
hours, or 4, or a full day but to get into an exchange with the sponsor 
on what would be adequate, that is the optimal time for what he is 
planning to to. And if it turns out to be more than the two hours 
available, point out the consequences to the sponsor or the planning 
group. They could schedule more time or rethink what they want to 
achieve with the possible result that OST is not what fits them.

Wishing you and everybody else a great weekend from Berlin, where
Spring, completely uncontrolled, is breaking out all over... the farmers 
say two weeks late, it will make the prize for asparagus and 
strawberries skyrocket and be grand for this years apple harvest...

mmp

On 12.04.2013 19:15, paul levy wrote:
> Whilst I agree and resonate with the sentiment of "if only you had
> longer than two hours", I don't agree that shorter open spaces "short
> change" participants. And I am someone whose most wonderful OS
> experience was at an Open Space that ran for four days!
>
> So, here's an alternative perspective - one that distinguishes Open
> Space Technology from Opening Space.
>
> Opening Space can take one second and be vital and wonderful. When our
> eyes meet a stranger and we smile - that can be opening space,
> especially if we self-organise, taking or giving ourselves permission to
> break with the "rule" of never smiling at strangers or the structure of
> "always walking on by.
>
> Open Space Technology takes a bit of time to set up, and therefore
> longer is often suggested as better (though even Open Space Technology
> can bet set up in a few minutes, rather than the 45 mins it is often
> strung out to). Also quite a few open space fans see open space is so
> good for the world, that any minutes not doing are a kind of terrible
> shame. That distaste for structure is plain silly and a bit vain.
>
> Opening Space lies beyond time, though it manifests for us on timelines
> and in space. We can open space during five minutes for a life-changing
> conversation. We can open space for two hours, or two days, or two decades.
>
> Often less can be so much more - and this applies to number of minutes too.
>
> Opening Space needs only permission to self-organise and the principles
> of OST are great to enable that self-organisation.
>
> So, for me, two hours is what it is, and it is potentially as powerful
> as a lifetime. Two hours is not "not longer" - it is 120 gloriously
> potential minutes.
>
> Open Space for it and trust the community to make use of it. Out of it
> might come some restlessness to open more space. Or not.
>
> I believe it is a fallacy to equate open space as being always better if
> longer. I'm not sure we have really begun to see how OST can embrace an
> hour, though I've heard some inspiring stories. Moments of wow happen in
> moments, and not always because they took place in hours of not wow.
> They emerge. And they can emerge across a crowded room between two
> strangers in a second, and change the whole universe, just as much as
> they can emerge at an open space conference over 8 hours.
>
> You have two hours and that is what you have! Open Space for two hours
> and trust to what opening space can do with anything, anywhere, anytime.
>
> warm wishes
>
> Paul
>
> On 12 Apr 2013 17:02, "Jeff Aitken" <r.jeff.aitken at gmail.com
> <mailto:r.jeff.aitken at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Hi Chris,
>
>     Last year at the height of the Occupy gatherings, we brought 130
>     people together for a two hour evening. I did a 30 minute opening, we
>     had two 30 minute sessions for 24 topics, and used the final 30
>     minutes for report-backs from the convenors of the topics, focused on
>     what ideas or plans they are taking 'out of the room'. It was a very
>     high energy gathering. Of course we wish we devoted a day or more.
>
>     Because of the size of the church hall and the fact that some
>     breakouts were in another building, I felt ok about designing for two
>     sessions instead of trying three. For example I noticed elders taking
>     their time moving from place to place. However, if there were well
>     over 30 topics I can see that would have been a spatial challenge to
>     work with.
>
>     Jeff
>
>     On 4/12/13, chris grady <chris at chrisgrady.org
>     <mailto:chris at chrisgrady.org>> wrote:
>      > Dear Chris
>      >
>      > I recently did 200 doctors and patients in 3 hrs, and I'm about
>     to do a
>      > follow up with 300 in the same time !!
>      > We offered stenographers roaving around the room to help with
>     notetaking,
>      > and whilst we had the Newsroom for effect we didn't push
>     participants to
>      > have to do their own writing up.  The challenge was to move them
>     from the
>      > circle to get started. I underplayed the time for merging
>     sessions and
>      > marketplace so we kept it moving.  The individual agenda sessions
>     were set
>      > at 2 timeslots of 45 minutes each with no break.  This was not
>     ideal, and I
>      > don't know how it will work with an extra 100 people in the room.
>       Time
>      > will tell.
>      >
>      > I am hoping the medics will like Open Space so much that they
>     will realise
>      > allowing it to breathe more will help
>      > I didn't stint on the time for the opening circle - because I
>     needed to
>      > calm them after an hour of key note speeches which the medics
>     insisted was
>      > also needed.   They are reducing that front-end speaching this
>     time round
>      > having seen the effect of Open Space.
>      >
>      > Good luck
>      > Cheers
>      >
>      > Chris
>      >
>      > Chris Grady
>      > Chris Grady.Org
>      >
>      > Gothic House, High Road, Great Finborough, Suffolk IP14 3AQ
>      > Tel: +44 1449 771007 <tel:%2B44%201449%20771007>,  Mob: +44 7713
>     643971 <tel:%2B44%207713%20643971>
>      > chris at chrisgrady.org <mailto:chris at chrisgrady.org>
>      >
>      > www.chrisgrady.org <http://www.chrisgrady.org>
>      > Associates: Kath Burlinson <http://www.kathburlinson.co.uk/>, Tom
>      > Atkins<http://www.tomatkins.co.uk/>
>      > , Rajni Shah <http://www.rajnishah.com/> and Kate Reed (New York)
>      > *CGO - Making Connections*
>      >
>      > *Current Projects/Contracts*:
>      > Course Leader – MA Arts Management Anglia Ruskin University
>      > International Licensing Consultant – Stage Entertainment NL
>      > Industry Liaison (shared post) – Mountview Academy of Theatre
>      > Associate - Wonderbird Ltd / Consultancy
>      > In development - StoryMusic2020
>      >
>      > For more information on CGO Surgeries for theatremakers and emerging
>      > artists
>      > And for work using Open Space Technology go to www.chrisgrady.org
>     <http://www.chrisgrady.org>
>      >
>      >
>      >
>      >
>      > On Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 9:23 AM, Chris Altmikus @ iDeA-Link <
>      > chris.altmikus at idea-link.eu <mailto:chris.altmikus at idea-link.eu>>
>     wrote:
>      >
>      >> Hello dear Open Space friends,
>      >>
>      >> I am preparing for a very short OS Session, 120 minutes ... with
>     some
>      >> 100+
>      >> participants, french- and/or german-speaking.
>      >>
>      >> Any experience and guidance you may be willing to share on how
>     to open &
>      >> structure such a ... short ... space ? How crisp can I make the
>     opening,
>      >> which I will be doing in both German & French... What is the
>     additional
>      >> thing I can drop or leave doing ... ?
>      >>
>      >> Gratefully yours    +    Chris
>      >>
>      >> *Chris Altmikus*
>      >>
>      >> *Human Systems @ iDeA-Link*****
>      >>
>      >> *La Bovarde 37*****
>      >>
>      >> *1091 Grandvaux*****
>      >>
>      >> *Suisse*****
>      >>
>      >> ** **
>      >>
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>      >>
>      >> *+41 78 935 31 34 <tel:%2B41%2078%20935%2031%2034>*****
>      >>
>      >> *Chris.Altmikus at iDeA-Link.eu* <Chris.Altmikus at iDeA-Link.eu>
>      >>
>      >>
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-- 
Michael M Pannwitz
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49 - 30-772 8000



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