[OSList] OST Training Design

Thu Nov 28 04:43:23 PST 2013

Reading about a follow up meeting for a training two months after. I
am now inspired to think what an ongoing Open Space training every 2
or 3 months would look like.  Where part of the follow up would be
mixed with the new group for experience sharing, and follow it up in
the evening with an open open space stammtisch support.

/ Kári

On 28 November 2013 10:24, Tova Averbuch <tova.averbuch at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello Michael , Harrison, Diane, Lisa and  all
>
> This is such a rich conversation!
> Every thing that is written makes perfect sense to me and is inspiring to
> try new modalities and ways.
>
> As for me what became my preferred way with time  is the following:
> Three days training with a following day about two months later, inviting
> and supporting one another into facilitating an os meeting before the last
> day of training or at least initiating, planing and meeting with steering
> committee .
>
> On day one of the training I start with short introduction of OS , me,
> people, training , a short break and them a theme choice together.  After
> lunch break we come back to a day of OS , from noon to noon.
>
> Way?
> -most importantly because I want people in training to experience an over
> night OS gathering. When there is a night in the OS the whole Dynamic is
> different, many times introducing not only slowing down but also some of the
> low,sad,energy  accompanying OS that is connected to separation from old
> structures. This became important to me when I saw too many OS practitioners
> that hold the high energy part very well but seem to avoid two day event and
> heavy energies that need wading through. I want to invite the very different
> energy and feel of evening and morning news.
> - this is very similar to the flow of work with an OS gathering. There is
> some pre work before the event that is done in more traditional ways but
> carries the dialogic spirit and builds some of the readiness and atonement
> to radical openness, as Michael said I think we need both and the flow back
> and forth in the preparation of and in the convergence and support of
> initiatives after.
> - lunch break helps transition from on mode to the other
>
> I believe the real challenge with training is the split presence: in regular
> OS most of the people come for the inspiring theme. In training , by
> defending, the attention is split between the theme ( assuming it is really
> inspiring for them) and the most fundamental motivation to become  an OS
> practitioner. For many of them it is hard or impossible to hold both strong
> presence in both
>
> Thank you for this conversation everyone
> And thanks for my jet leg in the us, it has been a while  since I found some
> space to join in
>
> Tova Averbuch
> Usually from Israel
> This time from NYC
>
> ‫נשלח מה-iPad שלי‬
>
> ‫ב-27 בנוב 2013, בשעה 20:51, ‏Michael Wood <michael.wood at uwa.edu.au> כתב/ה:‬
>
> Hi Diane,
>
> Very helpful suggestions - thankyou. All the reasons you propose make
> perfect sense to me and I'll think about trying your approach for the next
> program and see what happens.
>
> The modelling aspect is important. And yet I wonder if that is part of the
> ambiguity that the facilitator has to live within. i.e. we often take a more
> active facilitation role with the sponsor in helping the sponsor to come up
> with a clear question, and then have to change modality when we facilitate
> the actual OST event. But I can also understand the potential confusion for
> the group in a training context - and I think I've perhaps observed some of
> that confusion but wasn't quite sure of it source until you outlined why you
> now do it a different way - so many thanks for taking the time to outline
> this with such clarity.
>
> Cheers
> Michael Wood
>
> Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 11:47:55 -0800 (PST)
> From: Diane Gibeault <diane.gibeault at rogers.com>
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
>    <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSList] waveriding in Oz / OST training
> Message-ID:
>    <1385581675.19624.YahooMailNeo at web162705.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi Michael,
>
> For two reasons, I modified day-1 training as you describe it. I now invite
> the group (an already existing group) to propose?in advance topics for
> a?theme, either at a meeting or by group emails. With the sponsor and a
> couple of volunteers (as would an organizing committee) the preferred
> subject is formulated in the form of a theme: short, broad in scope and
> inspiring. In the debrief later during the training we look at the
> experience and tips for theme formulation.?
>
> The first most important reason the theme is formulated in advance is that
> it allows participants to arrive on day-1, straight into a real Open Space.
> They got a clear picture in their mind and their body memory was better at
> retaining it for their own facilitation.?
>
> I found throughout the years that starting in a training mode before
> experiencing the OS confused people. Many afterwards thought that OS begins
> with everyone introducing themselves or with a check-in with a circle. They
> would report later on about their own experience of facilitating an OS: how
> these kind of intros slowed down the opening - especially with groups over
> 20 people - lowered the energy in the room and for a number of participants,
> increased the anxiety of this unknown OS thing to come.
>
> The second reason for this approach is that it creates more time-space to
> experience an OS, one that is not rushed thus allowing to "feel" the effect
> of time with the magical law of two feet, butterflies and all. This avoids
> replicating a fast pace OS which can then feel like many control types of
> facilitation methods if not speed-dating.?
>
>
> For public workshops where people are from various organizations, I reverted
> to choosing a theme that is broad enough to capture the interest of the kind
> of participants that are joining and of interest to other people in the
> community who are invited to join for that one-day experience of OS. This
> diversity makes the OS day feel even more real to participants.?
>
> Problems I encountered starting the first day with brainstorming on a theme
> with training participants of public workshops included:?
> -The first contact participants have with the trainer begins with him or her
> modelling traditional facilitation and consensus building methods instead of
> modelling OS hands-off self-organization facilitation.
> - arduous process?at times especially for groups of over 20 people,?
> - often?consuming too much time thus frustrating people,?
> - preferences were polarized at times, some did not accept the compromise
> theme, felt rejected and ganged-up to not participate and even be
> obstructive in the training days that followed. We had created a group-think
> situation.?
>
> No mistake when starting the day with OS. Everyone is on an equal footing.
> We are modelling what we are proposing. The following days people know what
> they're talking about, their questions are more relevant than if we started
> with describing the method - they don't have to take my word for it, they
> experienced it.
>
> Diane
>
> Diane Gibeault
> Co-author / Co-auteure :?Livre blanc?sur le Forum Ouvert?/?OPEN SPACE
> OT training - Formation?Forum Ouvert?:?Montreal?8-10?avril?2014
> www.dianegibeault.com? ? 2013 : Paris 19-21 nov.,?Marseille 3-5 dec.
> Diane Gibeault & Associe.es-Associates?Tel 613-744-2638,
> diane.gibeault at rogers.com
>
>
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-- 
Kári Gunnarsson
kari.gunnarsson at simnet.is
gsm: +354 8645189