[OSList] Q re: "Preparing" for Passionate Discussions....

[Metta & Gary]

Thank you, Koos, for your ultra-prompt and helpful feedback.
Gary and I both appreciate your recommendations on this
issue, and your advice will be very helpful now in following
up with our clients.

Thank you, Harrison, for your warm welcome and your valuable
input. I always appreciate your perspective on OS matters --
and the wisdom of your experience (and your stories) are
always a delight!

Hope to see you both at an OS event one of these days....
and until then, many thanks to both of you....

With grateful appreciation,
Metta


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At 06:52 AM 6/22/2013, you wrote:

>Metta -- Nice to see you here! And Koos has it right, so far as I am
>concerned. Prepare anything you want to -- but the wall starts empty! For
>particularly anxious execs I sometimes suggest that they prepare a list of
>all the "vital" topics -- and put that list in their pocket. Then, when all
>the issues have been posted, take out the list and compare. Most often, the
>Anxious Exec (AE) has become so involved in the process, which does go
>pretty fast, that they totally forget to check their list. The minority that
>do remember find that their list has been covered and/or some critical item
>didn't seem so critical anymore. There was one odd case. The AE checked his
>list against the wall and there was absolutely no correlation. He was sorely
>tempted to intervene and impose his list, but I made it very clear that of
>course he was free to do that, (he owned the company) but he should know
>that were he to take that step, I was gone. He bit his tongue and we
>proceeded. Over the course of the several day meeting, it became very clear
>that the disparity between what the AE desired and everybody else felt
>passionate about created massive obstacles to the company's performance. In
>the closing circle, he resigned as CEO -- and to the best of my knowledge,
>they all lived happily ever after.
>
>ho
>
>Harrison Owen
>7808 River Falls Dr.
>Potomac, MD 20854
>USA
>
>189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>Camden, Maine 04843
>
>Phone 301-365-2093
>(summer)  207-763-3261
>
>www.openspaceworld.com
>www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST
>Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org


----------

From: "Koos de Heer" <koos at auryn.nl>
To: "'World wide Open Space Technology email list'" 
<oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 09:24:43 +0200
Subject: Re: [OSList] Q re: "Preparing" for Passionate Discussions....

Dear Meta and Gary,

I have had clients who set up complete online forums to have preliminary
discussions, share ideas, stories and videos etc. No problem. As you say,
whenever it starts... And when it is over... because after the event, the
forums can serve as a platform for ongoing discussion and action planning.
The number of people taking part were relatively low compared to the OS
event, but interestingly there were some passionate forum participants who
did not attend the meeting itself.

I have never discouraged preparation of topics ahead of time, but I have
always been very firm that all topics, prepared and unprepared, go on the
marketplace when the event starts. People can prepare all they want, but the
agenda wall starts empty and everyone is free to choose where they want to
go.

Koos


----------

>-----Original Message-----
>From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Metta & Gary
>Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 7:24 PM
>To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>Subject: [OSList] Q re: "Preparing" for Passionate Discussions....
>
>Next month we'll be hosting the annual board retreat (in OS) for one of our
>non-profit clients (we hosted their 2011 retreat in OS, as well), and this
>year we've run into an interesting dynamic.
>
>The outgoing president of the board wants to share an inspiring and
>thought-provoking TED talk with all the board members in advance of the
>retreat so this video can serve as a starting point for discussion (for
>those who are interested) during the retreat.
>
>In addition, the incoming president of the board has now indicated he would
>also like to recommend some topics for discussion ahead of time for "the
>group to consider in more depth" before the meeting.
>
>Previously, we've always discouraged any attempts (especially on the part of
>senior leadership) to try to influence the outcome of an OS event by:
>-- planning specific discussion topics ahead of time.
>-- preparing "presentations" (including setting up videos to review during
>the meeting), and
>-- requiring any sort of "pre-work".
>
>At the same time, we all know that "whenever it starts is the right time",
>and passionate information sharing obviously has a dynamic and organic life
>of its own.  (In this case, it looks like this info sharing is already eager
>to start....)
>
>In light of this, we were wondering how others of you have handled this
>dynamic with your clients, especially in those instances where sharing and
>discussing a particular passion may be dependent (at least in part) upon
>reviewing specific resources (or watching an inspiring video).....
>
>Thanks,
>Metta and Gary
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