[OSList] Gracias / Thanks!

[Cecilia Soriano]

Hello everybody!  (I will try to share my experience and gratitude in English)

You remember that a few weeks ago I told you that I had to work with a highly controversial and politicized group...

Finally I survived an OS with 190 High School Principals!
It was not easy. The conditions of the organization not collaborated, but it worked!
There was much productive work, sharing, gratitude and safe space for diverse opinions!

- The question was: How we keep doing a New Hight School, while we take care for all the educational community?

- Were 5 hours of Open Space with 2 sessions of 1 hour each,  1 hour of documentation and lunch and 1 hour of closing circle.

-27 Topics, which are made and documented 22. From my experience they were few topics for the amount of people, but the main reason is that this group is tired to produce without any feedback!

Context: Not supported
- The day, started with a presentation that was intended to give answers that they are claiming,  to lower anxiety and prepare better conditions for participative work... But this not happened... The manager, did not give the answers expected... and the level of anxiety and uncertainty, rose.
There was anger, discomfort, uncertainty and all of that noticed from the start and emerged in the closing circle..

Emerging:
-In the open circle, the people was analyzing the hierarchies, how would this be? No one wanted to sit in the first circle... Had much distrust, concern, but finally all settled, nobody interrupted, all heard indications, they created the agenda and set to work...

-Even though the majority were women, and teachers. there was reaction to the "bees and butterflies"... Someone said that this wasn´t for adults...:) Interesting to see that this reaction is not only for groups of men...  We are all immersed in a very structured society...

The closing circle was the most interesting.
The invitation was: write in a card would be carried from this experience? and whoever could "briefly" share something of your experience... For this we use the microphone as a talking stick...

The cards were the 90% with positive comments. But when the microphone... started to pass... Oh surprise! It was a moment of catharsis rather than respond briefly to the invitation.
At that moment, I just breathed, witnessing, and appreciating the diversity of opinions that emerged...

The positive: there was a “safe space to say”, and the system itself is auto-reguló, showing diversity of opinions with much respect. (It took 35 minutes)

The negative? the final energy was confused, and some polarized, instead of celebration...

The doubts: the catharsis, was the best thing that could happen to this group at that time?
I would have been able to create something different, to focus on the shared experience? How? What other strategy of closing would have been better?
How could I have created better conditions for the closure of this work? 

My learnings:
- Release my own expectations... and welcome whatever happens!
- Be clearer and up to “directive” to give the instructions for closing... Eg: the microphone began to pass one by one, but then passed it between the person who asked for the word.
- Recognize when the client wants to open genuine participation or just looking for approval 

Beyond everything, I am happy to have been able to create a space of safe, respect, freedom, passion and responsibility.

And I want to thank you for all your support!

Hugs from a sunny winter day in Argentina..
Cecilia 

Cecilia Soriano
Conversaciones para Todos
+ 54 9 341 6657790
skype: cecisoriano
http://www.conversacionesparatodos.com
https://www.facebook.com/conversacionesparatodos

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