[OSList] The Brand of Open Space, experiences from the unConference.

[Harrison Owen]

I don't know about this "brand" business, but in fact the "unconference"
grew out of Open Space, sometimes acknowledged and sometimes not. And the
fact that there appears to be a reversion to the "old" ways is not
surprising. Truth of the matter is that we all like to think we have things
under control, even if we don't and never did. But we surely do try again
and again and probably always will. Living in Open Space (or open space) is
truly exhilarating AND very nervous making. That's a given, I think. Keeping
that space open is  life work, I think. And honesty, to say nothing of
modesty makes me say -- it is not mine alone. It is not even mine primarily.
I think that honor goes to every single person who has ever discovered
themselves radically confronting what they truly care about and taking
responsibility for its realization. They know, as only experience can teach
them, that life lived under those circumstances is rich and fulfilling, and
that anything else is not only a drag, but fraudulent. 

Harrison 

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

-----Original Message-----
From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Kári Gunnarsson
Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2013 5:33 PM
To: OSLIST
Subject: [OSList] The Brand of Open Space, experiences from the
unConference.

I was thinking about the reputation of one of our sister brands the
"unconference"

To start with, I think that we as a "Brand" and doing Open Space have
benefited enormously by having Harrison Owen as a gatekeeper to what it
constitutes to have an Open Space.

The sparking of this post came from a blog post by Mitch Joel from early
last year. Where he expands upon what an unConference is not.
These are also true fro Open Space.

see: http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/the-death-of-the-unconference/

I will also post the blog text here:
>
>
> The Death Of The Unconference
> by Mitch Joel - February 9, 2012
>
> Does anyone remember the unconference?
>
> There was hope for collaboration and self-organizing groups, but it seems
to have gone the way of the corporate spin machine. I was a massive
proponent of the unconference movement (I still am!), but that word has been
used so poorly by so many groups that it seems to have all but disappeared.
In short: calling your conference an "unconference" just to sound young, hip
and with it, actually makes you sound old, out-of-touch and stupid. This
past month, I've seen a handful of events that are billing themselves as
unconferences when, in reality, they're just very shabby and cheap events.
>
> Your conference is not an unconference if...
>
>      * There is a pre-set agenda. The whole point of an unconference is
that group comes together to create the agenda/slate together.
>      * The organizers decide on the agenda. Organizers can help organize
the day in terms of logistics (when there are sessions and breaks), but
should not be setting the agenda in terms of the content.
>      * The organizers are doing everything. The organizers aren't there to
make the event good for everyone else. The event is actually being "run" by
everyone. Everyone participates. Unconferences are not about bystanders or
attendees. The organizers are there simply to ensure that a venue is secure
and that everyone knows where they are going. I'd even argue that this task
can be done by the participants as well.
>      * You're charging for it. This will be a contentious issue, but the
best unconferences I have been to, have been the ones where everyone took
both individual and group responsibility for the event. If the venue
requires a fee, everyone chips in equally to pay for it. If you're hungry
and want to eat, either bring food or go out and buy some. The true spirit
of the unconference movement is that this is NOT a traditional conference.
Bring your own nametag, notebook, snacks and drinks. If this is a
self-organizing event why should any one individual have a financial risk
attached to it? Think about getting sponsors instead of charging for it (if
you really have to).
>      * You're attending but not speaking. If you're showing up to consume
and not contribute, stay home. Many people don't like to speak in public,
that's fine. No one is asking you to give a keynote address. An unconference
is a place where like-minded people come to share and challenge one another.
Try sitting in circles and think about the event as a live interactive
environment, instead of just sitting there hoping the next speaker can
entertain you.
>      * You don't enact the law of two-feet. If you're not learning, get
up, use your own two feet and go somewhere you can learn. Hallway
conversations are great for this. If your unconference isn't littered with
spaces for sudden collisions of conversation, it isn't much of an
unconference.
>
> Unconference are an amazing opportunity.
>
> You would think that this Blog post should have been written and published
five years ago. You would think that unconference are so passé. You would be
wrong. After attending close to seventy events each and every year, the
handful that stick out in my mind are the more intimate unconferences that I
have taken an active part in. An unconference creates an egalitarian moment
in time where people from all walks of life (and all levels within an
organization) can simply share, learn, communicate and grow. To run a
conference and call it an unconference is a disservice to the unconference
movement. Many people don't understand this because an unconference looks
and acts nothing like their traditional definition of a conference (hence
the name of it ;). It saddens me to see how many people start with the right
spirit of an unconference but quickly get stuck in all of the trappings of
what they think will create a great event (and this - unfortunately - looks
a lot like a traditional conference).
>
> If you've never taken part in an unconference, I would encourage you to
look into it... or better yet... start your own.
>
>


--
Kári Gunnarsson
kari.gunnarsson at simnet.is
gsm: +354 8645189
_______________________________________________
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org To unsubscribe send an
email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org