[OSList] Open Space in dictatorship

Tue Feb 11 15:05:53 PST 2014

Dear Michael,

Ah, you’ve “outed” me.  It was a 5-day workshop that didn’t actually open the space until a few days in.

Peggy

_________________________________
Peggy Holman
peggy at peggyholman.com
Twitter: @peggyholman

15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
425-746-6274
www.peggyholman.com
www.journalismthatmatters.org

Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity
Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information ecosystem

"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become 
the fire".
  -- Drew Dellinger

On Feb 11, 2014, at 3:01 PM, Michael M Pannwitz <mmpannwitz at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Peggy,
> why did you ask the participants to introduce themselves?
> 
> Greetings from Berlin
> cheers
> mmp
> 
> On 11.02.2014 23:57, Peggy Holman wrote:
>> I had the privilege of working with Marina in 2001 with a group of women
>> leaders in Siberia.
>> 
>> To this day, I remember the opening circle. We — the team of 4 women
>> from the US doing this workshop — had asked the women to introduce
>> themselves. One by one, they stood and spoke as if they were making a
>> speech to a crowd. In my minds eye, their words were all in capital
>> letters with exclamation points (!).  The moment the introductions
>> started, the other women started talking to each other rather than
>> listening to the person speaking. We stepped in and asked that they
>> listen to each other. Such a simple idea that was apparently not a
>> cultural norm.
>> 
>> By the end of the next day, as they worked together in small groups, the
>> conversations all seemed engaged and authentic, with real listening
>> going on.
>> 
>> One thing I learned on that trip was to never assume that I could
>> accurately interpret what was going on. So I wonder...Marina — how do
>> you remember it?
>> 
>> appreciatively,
>> Peggy
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _________________________________
>> Peggy Holman
>> peggy at peggyholman.com <mailto:peggy at peggyholman.com>
>> Twitter: @peggyholman
>> 
>> 15347 SE 49th Place
>> Bellevue, WA  98006
>> 425-746-6274
>> www.peggyholman.com <http://www.peggyholman.com>
>> www.journalismthatmatters.org <http://www.journalismthatmatters.org>
>> 
>> *Enjoy the award winning *Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into
>> Opportunity <http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/>
>> Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information
>> ecosystem
>> <http://www.journalismthatmatters.net/the_emerging_news_and_information_eco_system>
>> 
>> "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get
>> burnt, is to become
>> the fire".
>>   -- Drew Dellinger
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Feb 11, 2014, at 9:51 AM, Тясто Марина В. <tyasto at sapa.nsk.su
>> <mailto:tyasto at sapa.nsk.su>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Dear Ulrika,
>>> 
>>> I echo Elwin as I also have extensive experience of facilitation OST
>>> events in Russia as I live here, especially with different groups of
>>> state and municipal servants in the classroom environment. At the
>>> beginning most of them looked like having freedom shock being invited
>>> to post issues they care for. But after starting discussions they
>>> began to change their way of communication and learning freely and
>>> fully. Always coming to the room for the reports and closing I've
>>> observed totally different people - with much more self-confidence,
>>> positive outlook and friendly feelings to each other. OST actually
>>> gives people the first experience of free behavior , self-organizing,
>>> self-learning and real leadership. I hardly could define Russian case
>>> as a real dictatorship, but I don't know about any bad consequences
>>> for the OST meeting participants. Even though some of them were saying
>>> something like: even though I'd be fired after I will organize
>>> something like this in my office - organization I'll do it and
>>> finally tell the truth.
>>> I'm  sure it is important to bring OST to every possible place and
>>> share it with as many people as possible.
>>> 
>>> All the best,
>>> 
>>> Marina
>>> 
>>> ________________________________________
>>> От: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>>> <mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>> [oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>>> <mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org>] от имени Elwin and
>>> Joan [elwinandjoan at yahoo.com <mailto:elwinandjoan at yahoo.com>]
>>> Отправлено: 10 февраля 2014 г. 18:09
>>> Кому: World wide Open Space Technology email list
>>> Тема: Re: [OSList] Open Space in dictatorship
>>> 
>>> Ulrika,
>>> I have Opened Space countless times in nearly every country of the
>>> former Soviet Union, from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.
>>> In most cases I had the opportunity to return for further development
>>> work. I have never encountered anyone who suffered any retribution as
>>> a result of Open Space participation. To the contrary, I continue to
>>> get email thank you notes from many participants of Open Space dating
>>> back more than a decade.
>>> 
>>> It always works!
>>> 
>>> Elwin Guild
>>> Future Development International
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Monday, February 10, 2014 11:34 AM, Ulrika Eklund
>>> <ulrika.eklund at telia.com <mailto:ulrika.eklund at telia.com>> wrote:
>>> Dear listmembers and all your experience
>>> 
>>> I would love to take part of your experience and knowledge about
>>> working with OS in countries operated by dictatorship. A closed space,
>>> where you are used/allowed to think as The party. "Its a lovely country
>>> as long as you follow the rules"
>>> 
>>> For example I had a training course with a group working in the
>>> authorities and governmental bodies (national and regional level), and
>>> they listed some of the problems in one area. After they were
>>> encouraged to brainstorm ideas and solutions on the problems. After the
>>> task I asked - what was the new ideas and insight you got? New?! We
>>> repeated what the party already have decided"... so it was more a
>>> memory test :) An other exampel: in the university where I met the
>>> students study a Human rights course sponsered by another country. They
>>> said: "its a good course. Why I asked and the answer was: we are
>>> allowed to ask questions when we don't understand, you know sometimes
>>> you read a text in the book and you don't understand and it doesnot
>>> help to read it many times, here we can ask, and we are also allowed to
>>> discuss.
>>> 
>>> So my question - how is Open Space working in this circumstances? How
>>> you know people that think freely are not punished after?
>>> 
>>> WIsh you all a lovley week
>>> Ulrika
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Ulrika Eklund
>>> Bergsgatan 7A
>>> SE-112 23 Stockholm
>>> Sweden
>>> mobile +46-(0)70-699 86 12
>>> 
>>> --
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
> -- 
> Michael M Pannwitz
> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
> ++49 - 30-772 8000
> 
> 
> 
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