[OSList] 120 minutes of Open Space ….

[Lisa Heft]

To me, it is the questions you ask yourself - and your client - when  
someone invites you to facilitate - Open Space or otherwise.

All those analysis questions that inform choice of process and  
knowledge about possibilities.
How much time is available, is more time possible... not because a  
short time is necessarily bad, but it may inform whether I choose Open  
Space or another process.

I feel that doing things quickly leaves out the reflective thinker as  
usually only the quick-responders have time to engage, thus reducing  
diversity.
So I ask some of these questions of myself and of the client (and make  
some recommendations - can they bring their lunch and can we use that  
time, also?) to see what the most expansive possibilities may be.
Or to see if something other than Open Space will help both kinds of  
thinkers given the very short time available - such as a reflective  
dialogic process including silence or graphics or other modalities.

Also as the deliverables of shorter Open Space are different than  
longer Open Space. Just something to discuss with the client in terms  
of what fits best and what is possible - when thinking of Open Space  
as one of the possibilities.

I am not saying that doing a super-short Open Space is 'bad' or that  
Open Space is not part of every living system - it is. Or that people  
conversing and working together during tiny times cannot feel  
expansiveness.

However when I find in my conversations with the client that only an  
hour or so is available, I tend to select another amazing wonderful  
dynamic process instead of Open Space. Because often those other  
processes deliver rich interchange within a very short time.

In saying this, I also completely support each of you explorers in the  
use of super-short Open Space events...

Hmmm. Maybe this is something some of us will be exploring at the  
World Open Space on Open Space in Florida USA next month. Do you think?

Lisa


  
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