[OSList] 1,000 participants in 4 hours

Lisa Heft lisaheft at openingspace.net
Tue Jul 9 18:24:01 PDT 2013


Whoops - more like 75 pre-set circles of chairs.
I entered '4000' in my calculator ... !

Lisa


On Jul 9, 2013, at 5:57 PM, Lisa Heft wrote:

> Hi, Ms. Sharon Joy -
>
> Sounds like you could do one hour open, 2 one-hour sessions, one  
> hour close.
> Huge room. (double the size of the number of participants - like a  
> huge conference / exhibit building). As for any OS meeting.
>
> The process does not change, just the logistics.
> You can put 'arena' signs around to show people where to walk to  
> their numbered discussion sessions. Other colleagues here have used  
> balloons, signs hung from the ceiling and more.
>
> Not starting in a big circle. Instead, a small platform in the  
> center for you (and you still work in / indicate the round), and  
> let's say 270 pre-set circles of 15 chairs. Huge long wall for  
> agenda - or maybe one wall for one of the discussion time agenda  
> items and one wall for the other time. People start by sitting  
> anywhere. Then they will go to their groups once the first session  
> starts.
>
> Post-its pre-affixed to (or time + location already printed on) to  
> large-size topic signs.
> People come up to one of the 'topic sign making stations' (tables  
> with blank topic signs fanned out, plus markers), write their topic  
> and name, come to the microphone at the end of that table, announce,  
> then walk up to post their sign on the agenda wall.
>
> You keep indicating the next topic announcer (and next, and next) in  
> the round. All that creating the circle stuff can still happen with  
> your (large) OST guidelines posted in the round, you in the center  
> indicating in the round, people sitting in pre-created circles-of- 
> chairs in the round.
>
> It can help to pre-print "topic" and "convenor" on the big blank  
> topic sheets - because with so many people it simply helps people  
> remember to put those two things on their sign.
>
> Closing Circle - people are sitting anywhere - in their last group.  
> You invite comment and reflection by inviting people to come up to  
> the same microphones sitting in stands at the end of each topic sign- 
> making table.
>
> Documentation is as challenging in a short OS of 4000 people as it  
> is for a short OS of 20 people: in only 2 sessions people do not  
> tend to want to step away to write up their notes.
> So you have to think about that part - does a team transcribe the  
> participants' hand-written notes after the event to create the Book  
> of Proceedings?
> Do you give each group a graphic template that helps them map out  
> even the unanswered questions (not just the 'results' or  
> 'therefores'?) Of course that also depends on how the information  
> and relationships generated at the event will be used post-event.
>
> So: I've done quite a number of these super-huge ones, with several  
> thousand participants. The process never changes. The conversation  
> is as intimate as always. What changes are logistics - sight, sound,  
> traffic patterns, enough room.
>
> Sorry for the possibly short-sounding text here - I'm poking my head  
> up to send this note while on a client deadline.
>
> You are amazing and they are lucky to have you, my dear!
>
> I am looking forward to hearing other ideas from others who have  
> done super-big OS events...
>
> Lisa
>
> Lisa Heft
> Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
> President Emerita, Open Space Institute US
> Fellow, Columbia University Center for International Conflict  
> Resolution
> Opening Space
>
>
>
> On Jul 9, 2013, at 5:38 PM, Sharon Joy Chao wrote:
>
>> Need to figure a way of convening a thousand government people to  
>> go through an exploratory discussion on high performance system,  
>> all under 4 hours.
>>
>> This happens next week down south in the city of Cebu. The focus is  
>> on the Philippine government service, its performance management  
>> system and how it can be truly essential, responsive and life-giving.
>>
>> Gail West, my OS mentor friend, has provided me with some  
>> incredible suggestions on how to proceed and she also advised me to  
>> post on OSList.
>>
>> Any thoughts on how best to proceed with a cast of thousand in 4  
>> hours time?
>>
>> Maraming Salamat.
>
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