[OSList] 120 minutes of Open Space ….
paul levy
paul at cats3000.net
Fri Apr 12 13:33:52 PDT 2013
That sounds much better, Michael. Wink.
On Friday, 12 April 2013, Michael M Pannwitz wrote:
> 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/<http://www.kathburlinson.co.uk/>>,
>> Tom
>> > Atkins<http://www.tomatkins.**co.uk/ <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*****
>> >>
>> >> ** **
>> >>
>> >> *+41 33 533 31 34 <tel:%2B41%2033%20533%2031%**2034>*****
>> >>
>> >> *+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
>
>
>
> Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 409 resident Open
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