[OSList] (was) Open Space in schools - now: OST boundaries? constraints?

[Suzanne Daigle]

Dear Lisa

Thank you! Your post evokes something very simple and very rich for me.

The Law and Principles are indeed invitations... not prescriptive just a
shared reminder of how wonderful self-organizing and life can be in the
moment and our shared time  together. It  invites the rich nutrient of
life. It is a ritual that we as facilitators can deliver newly every time
while inviting others to hear it newly also and for many indeed, it is
their first time in Open Space.  Our world is so fast and so often we feel
burdened by so much, these principles and law can be really grounding. I
don't think I would have "gotten" Open Space in a more conscious way
without the principles and the law.  Now I know they are part of me and no
words are needed yet I never tire of saying them or hearing them again and
again -- whether short and sweet or a bit longer.

In terms of your last statements, using more words or less... I love that
too. I've never been a person of few words; I love words, speaking them and
hearing them with the intention of the spirit of Open Space and being in
life. When that intention of opening and holding the space is there,
creating a nutrient and safe space, isn't it all that matters. And the
beauty is that we  can each do this as facilitators by being ourselves - no
set recipe, no right or wrong way, just being vibrantly who we are in that
role.

Suzanne




On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 9:22 AM, Lisa Heft <lisaheft at openingspace.net>wrote:

> Dan - I have taken the liberty of adjusting the title of this topic to
> more closely fit the changed content.
>
> And: I look forward to hearing how others respond…
>
> 1/ I see the Law and Principles and *invitations* not as constraints.
>
> 2/ And not 'required' as in - some of us do not use the 5th Principle at
> all. However, the saying, inviting and simple explanation of these
> invitations help to create the structure (as there is a structure, just not
> the structure that a lot of people have experienced in meetings) / to
> create the container. What I mean by that is that I have observed that to
> not offer the invitation of the principles and law (even in a group of
> people who completely know and do Open Space) is not inviting presence and
> possibility in the same way. So different dynamics then occur.
>
> And in saying that offering these invitations and explaining this process
> help to create the container, I mean a living, breathing, nutrient-rich
> container, perhaps similar to some containers like cellular walls, a bird's
> nest, a lake, a poem, or a wisp of vapor… which have some form within which
> there is flow.
>
> 3/ I notice that some super-good OST facilitators can use more words to
> explain things, and some use less. And the experience can be amazing. In my
> observation, it is not the amount of words, it is the complete true
> understanding of inviting Opening Circle and agenda co-creation (which
> include a brief explanation of principles and law and process), and getting
> / staying out of the way so the participants can do their own work, see
> their own patterns, feel their own co-leadership, and so on.
>
> What do others think?
>
> Lisa
>
> On Sep 29, 2013, at 10:53 PM, Daniel Mezick <dan at newtechusa.net> wrote:
>
>  Lisa says:
> "...
> The other thing is that for any kind of facilitation, I would not name
> boundaries or constraints. It sets peoples' minds in the framework of
> boundaries and constraints - rather than opportunities and possibilities.
> Like 'think outside the box' - you are still thinking…of the box! when /
> because someone says that. "
>
> Dan says:
> I notice that:
> 1/  the 1 Law and 5 Principles of OST are constraints-in-fact. Are they
> not?
> 2/ we are required to describe these as OST Facilitators; at least,
> according to the OST Guide. Right?
> 3/ the general idea for the Facilitator is, "the less said the better".
> No?
>
> I think OST is a most wonderful game.
> http://newtechusa.net/agile/how-games-deliver-happiness-learning/
>
> Dan
>
>
>
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-- 
Suzanne Daigle
NuFocus Strategic Group
7159 Victoria Circle
University Park, FL 34201
FL 941-359-8877;
CT 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
twitter @suzannedaigle
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