[OSList] Help please ~ In the invitation, how do I encourage participation in a whole multi-day event?

[Harrison Owen]

And perhaps a slight modification to Michael's suggestion -- you might start
with the recognition that in OS nobody is required to attend any of it (Law
of two feet) ... but for those who want to make sure their contribution is
heard and desire to be part of the action, being there for the whole time is
by far the best.

I've done a number of gatherings in situations like you describe (Hospitals,
communities, schools, non-stop manufacturing plants, etc). If you think
about it, being present for the opening (1 1/2 hours) is pretty critical.
But once things are underway, people do tend to come and go, even in an "off
site" situation. For example, I myself have been known to take naps :-).

My experience has been that people who say (up front) that they will just
"drop in" very often are the last ones to leave. They just get hooked. So
making "full participation" as a condition of attendance doesn't make a lot
of sense to me. But informed participation does. Therefore I always say
something like, "Full participation is best, but for sure come for the
opening so your issues can be part of the discussion. And of course if you
don't stick around, you will never find out what really happened." Always
seems to work, and in most instances most of the people who care are there
for the duration...so I've found.

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 Michael M
Pannwitz
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 9:51 AM
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] Help please ~ In the invitation, how do I encourage
participation in a whole multi-day event?

Dear Chris,
How about including this part of your email in the invitation, slightly
edited by me

"There has never been a meeting of this length in our community before. We
are all busy with work and kids, and some are asking, "Can I just come to
one or two of the days/sessions instead of all three?"
Our meeting is part of a strategic planning process and includes both
in-depth discussion and concrete project planning for our school and
community.
Attending the entire meeting guarantees that you can introduce and discuss
your issues and also shape the needed actions and projects.
If you want to come to the whole event but cant see how it is going to work
for you, call us. We might help with baby-sitting, let your employer know
about the need for you to be at the gathering...."

So, as sponsor, I would first try to frame the invitation and other ways of
contacting potential participants for full-time participation.
AND invite people to call if they need assistance. AND I also have found
that folks attending part time (never experienced that all come
part-time) are taken in by the people at the event...

I have found (as facilitator) that people bringing their kids to such events
is grand... just make sure there is some space for them and food and
bathrooms and the participants seem to take care of it quite naturally
(after all its open space in which selforganisation turns up)... and kids
also are known to participate productively, they are an asset!

With schools and community events and others that involve volunteers I have
experienced that a design on Friday afternoon (3pm until 7:30pm), Saturday
(10 am to 5pm) and Sunday (best started with a light lunch at 12:30, so that
people dont have to cook) and action space from 1:30pm until 5pm allows
people to be at the event full time without missing too much of work...

Have a grand time with your event!

Cheers
mmp

On 25.10.2013 12:13, Chris Weaver wrote:
> Hi OSlist,
>
> In the role of co-sponsor rather than facilitator, I am crafting an 
> invitation to a multi-day "all-stakeholder" OST for a public school 
> and its community.
>
> There has never been a meeting of this length in this community 
> before. Everyone is busy with work and kids, and many are asking, "Can 
> I just come to one or two of the days/sessions instead of all three?"
>
> The meeting is part of a strategic planning process and includes a 
> convergence.  Continuity in this meeting will be a great asset.
>
> The sponsoring group can respond to this question of "Is it okay to 
> just come for part of it?" in several ways:  in the invitation itself, 
> on the online RSVP form (designing fields for people to sign up for 
> part rather than whole), in conversation with people, and in other 
> messages to the community (letter from board president & executive 
> director, etc).
>
> If you were the sponsor or facilitator, how would you answer this 
> question?
>
> Thanks! Chris
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________ 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
>

--
Michael M Pannwitz
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49 - 30-772 8000



Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 415 resident Open
Space Workers in 72 countries working in a total of 143 countries
worldwide: www.openspaceworldmap.org
_______________________________________________
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