[OSList] OST Training

[Lisa Heft]

Hi, all -


My workshop is a little different than some of yours because it visits a
lot of elements in an arc of learning around the experience, the theme,
examples of trusting the process and not intervening, using OS in different
situations such as multiple-language or 3000+ person groups, exploring
invitational languaging, looking at power dynamics, diverse forms of
documentation and such things. Yes an OS meeting included but then moving
into different interactive ways of learning the different things.


Wonderful learning about learning, here.


My observations are similar to Diane's - I find it is essential to be very
explicit about what is not 'normal' for OS participants to have to do, when
doing some things in a workshop before the point where participants
experience an OS.


What I mean by that -


People who come to my workshops have read the User's Guide before they
arrive, so we can take off from that point forward with our precious
face-to-face time.


__


Sometimes I have a learning design where the time boundaries inform an
evening-day-day format.

So for that beginning-of-the-workshop evening, it is too short to do a
full-form Open Space.


Therefore we work on some other things where people can draw from their own
experience working with groups to explore things such as what creates a
useful question for certain objectives and desired outcomes (theme),  which
often brings out conversation about some folks' yearning for a community or
organization to do x, which brings out a conversation about what is the
facilitator's role, really. Pushing a group to do what you wish they would
do? and so on.


Then together we set up the room for the next day's Open Space.

Day 2 begins with an Open Space meeting - so that all other things we do
the entire rest of the workshop can reference that experiential
understanding of OS.


I used to have the group work on a theme before the OS but found many
things in common with Diane's observations ('Does the Open Space meeting
begin with this full participant group trying to create a theme?' - and
other confusions) - so now I have a pre-created theme that works for
everyone - as in a knowledge-sharing conference about their work with
organizations and communities. It's relevant to everyone and they get to
use it for their real work in the world. It's a full-form Open Space. After
which they gather in small groups to reflect on / analyze their experience
and observations about process, and we continue across the workshop topics
in various interactive ways.


__


Sometimes I have a learning design where the time allows for a day-day-half
day format.

So for that design, I simply start with an Open Space meeting and
everything follows - so that again: everything they learn and share after
that is informed by their experiential understanding of being in an Open
Space meeting.


__


I also model throughout the workshop and we have lots of conversations
about the values and yearnings-needs-engagement of the facilitator and how
that affects / informs the participant experience, engagement, capacity and
outcomes. Threaded throughout are many noticings about access and inclusion
- what shifts or changes or pre-work tasks support productivity, engagement
and diversity - and what shifts, changes or difference in pre-work may
lessen those elements.


___


Come play and learn with us if you live in or are traveling to the San
Francisco Bay Area in a few weeks!

December 11-13 (evening-day-day), San Francisco. Pre-registration and
pre-reading required, so if you think you can join us, let me know quite
soon with a direct email - so I can include you in my own final weeks of
pre-work, planning and design.


Diane, Harrison, Michael, Brenda, Thomas, Kari, Gail and others I will SO
feel you there in spirit, as I always do...


>From a sparkly mid-day in California, with a plump little chicken roasting
in the oven (can you smell the garlic and carrots and potatoes and
chicken-ness?)


Lisa


Lisa Heft

Consultant, Facilitator, Educator

President Emerita, Open Space Institute US

Fellow, Columbia University Center for International Conflict Resolution

Opening Space
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