[OSList] facilitator neutrality

Chris Corrigan chris at chriscorrigan.com
Sat Apr 27 08:04:54 PDT 2013 

As in any complex and adaptive behaviour, the answer to this question is
always "it depends..."  It is not really useful to discuss cardinal rules
and absolute standards when so much depends on context.  Opening space
(facilitation of any kind, really) is not a technical skill - it is an
adaptive practice.

Just by being in the room you are participating.  By facilitating you are
participating.  if you want to remain "neutral" stay away from the event.
 But your presence will always change the system, and always in ways you
will never really know.  So act wisely, and do your best to help the group
you are working with.  In time you'll discover what works and what doesn't
for different contexts, but just know that as you go through life
facilitating event after event, you will make plenty of mistakes and you
will also participate in many moments of brilliance and magic.  But none of
that depends on you alone - it is all about how you are working within a
system of relationships.

Chris


On Sat, Apr 27, 2013 at 7:07 AM, Harold Shinsato <harold at shinsato.com>wrote:

>  I've always participated in my open space events. Lightly though. I
> don't think I've been a space invader in re-arranging chairs during
> sessions - but I usually try to set up chairs in a circle before people
> arrive and let people do their own chair re-arranging after that.
>
> A good deal of the Open Space events I've attended there were a few
> sessions held by the facilitator and I've never seen it harm the open space
> event so far. I hosted a session for the first time at my open space event
> and it didn't seem to detract from the event. I'm not sure I'd recommend to
> new facilitators to host sessions though. It can be a big job to hold the
> space - at least until one can develop the faith that it will just work.
>
>     Harold
>
>
> On 4/27/13 5:52 AM, paul levy wrote:
>
> Yeah, take me out of the WE too - sometimes.
>
>  Are you getting this, Kerry ?
>
> On Saturday, 27 April 2013, Michael M Pannwitz wrote:
>
>> Dear Paul,
>> from where I stand there are no rules in the Open Space Technology
>> process.
>>
>> The principles neither qualify as rules nor even as principles. The way I
>> see them they are valuable observations, I call them "Facts of Life".
>> Of course, there is an admonition (the possible punishment is not
>> mentioned) and there is the "Law" which turns out to be a mild suggestion
>> of what might be productive behaviour if someone winds up in a situation
>> where she/he can neither contribute nor learn anything.
>>
>> Regarding "opening space" I keep reminding myself that it is not me who
>> "opens space"...it might be part of the job of the sponsor...mine as
>> facilitator is to introduce the participants to the OST process...I can and
>> have been doing that for quite a while without even mentioning the words
>> "open space". The process, once the participants enter into it, effects the
>> expansion of time and space for selforganisation to do its thing. And it is
>> true that thats where my passion is, not neutrality, of course.
>>
>> But my passion can easily also close down the space a little bit or quite
>> a bit. So before I intervene, I take a deep breath and start counting
>> slowly... if I remember correctly, I have never reached 10, actually its
>> mostly 5 or 6, and then the "system" manages by intervening in itself... I
>> love it, experiencing selforganisation manifesting itself.
>> Once I was asked by a participant to take on the role of space invader
>> asking me to suggest an energizer since the system sitting in a circle had
>> not done anything for about a minute. I started counting, well pretty soon
>> someone said "why do you want to interrupt us in our phase of enjoying
>> doing nothing?" The system smiled and shortly thereafter they continued...
>>
>> For me, this is intensive work, exhilarating and at the same time binding
>> all my energy... just enough left to take a walk, a nap.
>>
>> So, take me out of the "We" that open space for possibility or for
>> humanity.
>>
>> Have a great weekend
>> mmp
>>
>>
>> On 27.04.2013 07:58, paul levy wrote:
>>
>>> Well, well, well.
>>>
>>> I'm facilitating an open space later this morning and I may also
>>> participate.
>>>
>>> You see, whoever comes are the right people.
>>>
>>> Or is there are new rule? Whoever comes are the right people (except for
>>> the facilitator.)
>>>
>>> When we open space it isn't for a rules to limit that space. Nor do we
>>> open it for a select group.
>>>
>>> We open space for possibility. We open space for humanity.
>>>
>>> Whoever comes...
>>>
>>> Now clearly some facilitators are space invaders. But hey, speak for
>>> yourself please.
>>>
>>> Stop putting open space into a Nightingale's cage.
>>>
>>> And now to breakfast...
>>>
>>> Paul Levy
>>>
>>> On Saturday, 27 April 2013, Kerry Napuk wrote:
>>>
>>>     Hi Listers
>>>
>>>     Neutrality of the facilitator is tied to "holding the space."  You
>>>     cannot hold space if you participate in the event.  Simple as that.
>>>
>>>     If you want to participate, become a participant.  The facilitators
>>>     holds the space, IMHO, by sublimating his or her ego to the group's
>>>     integrity.
>>>
>>>     Here is one example:  I did an event with an organiser who was so
>>>     adept at PR that he got four newspapers and a TV station to over the
>>>     event which was in a rural setting.  The TV crew wanted to come into
>>>     the hall and film part of the process.
>>>
>>>     As the theme involved suicide and self harm, I asked the group what
>>>     they wanted to do with the TV crew's request.  The did not want it
>>>     and so, probably for the first time in their life, they were banned
>>>     from shooting live footage. The organiser had to simulate a breakout
>>>     group with his staff in a side room.
>>>
>>>     Cheers
>>>
>>>     Kerry
>>>     Edinburgh
>>>
>>>
>>>
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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
>> Space Workers in 72 countries working in a total of 143 countries
>> worldwide: www.openspaceworldmap.org
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>
>
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>
>
> --
> Harold Shinsato
> harold at shinsato.com
> http://shinsato.com
> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
>
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-- 
---
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Facilitation - Training - Process Design
Open Space Technology

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

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