[OSList] 1,000 participants in 4 hours

[Lisa Heft]

I'd agree with Chris. I've done these things with several thousand  
people (Michael P you have great experiences with larger groups,  
Harrison, Peggy H, Christine W-S, Mark M also - and perhaps some of my  
other dear colleagues) - and yes, a huge huge room so you can have  
that many discussion circles, and a bit of timing 'padding' for people  
to be able to get places. In other words, you can make a one or 1.5  
hour session (back-to-back sessions) but know that it will take some  
time for people to read, move and arrive. So I, too would not reduce  
the time to 45 minutes per discussion. However I have done 1-hour  
sessions.

You can have people make their topic signs on flip-chart pages if you  
think they should be larger.

Here's what I would also say: If for any reason - cognitive,  
intuitive, feelings in your stomach - you feel this is squishing  
people to rush them (so that only the quick responders can have voice,  
but not the reflective thinkers) - or if you do not have enough time  
to do full-form Open Space (enough time for agenda co-creation,  
ideally more than one discussion session, and some time available for  
even a sampling of participants' Closing Circle comments and  
reflections (stepping up to the microphones for the x amount of time  
remaining) - depending on the objectives and desired outcomes, I would  
take a good look at whether a process such as World Cafe might be  
better to achieve those objectives in that amount of time. If Open  
Space, all good. If not - still, a dynamic interactive engagement  
through dialogue, which also builds relationships and understanding.  
You know this, Sharon Joy - when our passion for a process overrides  
our knowledge that we are stuffing it into every opening we see.  And  
you also know what it feels - intuitively, in your cells, when you  
stop and get really really quiet - what is the right thing to do.  And  
you also know that we are all behind you.  (okay if they could stuff  
about 700 more people into that room ;o)

For anything this short, I would stress - documentation design -  
something realistic, doable, useable post-event - is an important  
thing to discuss and prepare for.
Because I am assuming that this group - as most groups - deserve the  
power of their words, the knowledge across the room (not just the few  
groups they each got to), a list of who gathered for what topics (so  
they can continue connecting post-event if they wish) and some sort of  
information to use in their diverse ways post-event.

On this list we've shared thoughts over the years about how long it  
takes for Opening Circle for larger groups. Our conversations over  
past years - and my own experiences hold true (do yours, other  
readers? other experiencers?) - are that no matter how large the group  
is - it seems to take no longer than one hour 15 minutes for Opening  
Circle (including instructions / invitations about process) and agenda  
co-creation. Chris - as I say - you may have experienced it  
differently. I'm guessing that is because energy finds its own level  
(like water) and listening to many many people naming naming naming  
even the most interesting and intriguing things eventually becomes a  
bit tiring for brains and bodies.

We're saying all this of course without a bow to how different  
cultures communicate, name things, express... so if it is not an  
'instant this / instant that' (or youth) culture, I want to add that  
you may well know, Sharon Joy, Luchie, Franklin and others how timing  
is different specifically in Open Space in your own country culture.

Back to site.
When I have a large event, I set up ... imagine a cross. A 'plus' sign  
( + ).  I am in the center on a small platform. The 'arms' of the  
cross are the widest aisles. The aisle from me to the Agenda Wall is  
wide and open. The other 'arms' / aisles of the 'cross' have sign- 
making tables and a microphone at the end of each of those stations.  
So that means there are three mics, three places for people to make  
topic signs. I simply keep turning in the center to indicate next  
person, next person, next person... and people name their topics  
pretty quickly, and traffic moves pretty smoothly. Picture in those  
four quadrants of the room - in each quadrant for example, 25 or 30  
circles-of-chairs (the discussion areas). I have used letter or number  
signs on the ground in each circle, plus big 'arena' signs on the  
walls to show people how to navigate the huge room.

Anyway, you my colleagues may do it differently - and that is all rich  
learning for us all.

And yes, I have found that talking through everything from traffic  
patterns and safety (clear pathways if there is an emergency, fire  
codes), placement of furniture, enough room in front of the wall or  
walls used for Agenda Wall for many many people, how many signs can  
really truly be put on a wall so everyone can reach or see them (in a  
huge event, maybe only one flipchart page row, or two 1/4-flip-chart  
pages / 2 rows along a wall), signage, lighting, time for the facility  
to set up that huge a room, sound, visibility, signage, documentation  
design and collection - that is usually what takes more pre-work /  
communication / imagining / back-and-forth-with-the-site time than for  
smaller events.

Again: that's just me, my experiences, my way of looking at it.
This is a great and useful conversation for us all...

Lisa



On Jul 12, 2013, at 3:47 PM, Chris Corrigan wrote:

> Michael, would you really go with three 45 minutes sessions for 1000  
> people?  It takes something like that amount of time just for people  
> to find the next session and get settled.  By the time the convener  
> starts their topic, it's going to be time to move again...
>
> The biggest challenge with large groups is the amount of time it  
> takes to move and the amount of space you need to allow people to  
> peruse the bullentin board and make choices.  It is very hard for  
> 1000 people to read what has been written and posted on handwritten  
> sheets of paper.  Think about holding up a piece of paper with a  
> topic written on it in front of 1000 people.  How long do you think  
> it will take for them all to get a chance to read it?  the flip  
> side, as Michael points out is that with 1000 people you could well  
> have 200-300 sessions proposed.  that means you need up to 150  
> breakout spaces available, which is a big ask for any facility.  And  
> with even 200 topics proposed, and each convener taking 30 seconds  
> to pitch their session, you have 100 minutes of presentation, with A  
> LOT of noise in the room before you even get to the part where 1000  
> people go to the wall and look at their topics...so all of that is  
> very real and needs very careful planning and consideration.  And  
> you need adequate time and space.
>
> I think doing this in a half day is ambitious enough...with three  
> sessions of 45 minutes I would highly doubt whether people will a)  
> have satisfying conversations and b) get a feeling for the power of  
> self-organization.  With enough time and space, I believe that any  
> group of any size can experience Open Space Technology and really  
> get it.  But you need to scale it appropriately in order for it to  
> be a rich enough experience and a useful tool.
>
> Chris
>