[OSList] [OSLIST}; The OST Theme...frame as a question?

Mon Mar 24 06:04:31 PDT 2014

Michael,

Thank you for the link. I had not remembered this and went to see it now.

Such a valuable reference featuring not only the theme but also this
information:
Sponsor,Field/sector, location, venue, facilitator, # number of
participants, date of the planning meeting and also a date range above that
I am not sure if I understand. There is also a search possibility by
facilitator or field/sector.

I will in the future list my events and I'm sorry that I have not done so
until now.

I agree with your comments on the process of creating a theme with a
planning team.  Often we find ourselves stuck searching for those right
words and then more often than not, out of thin air, the theme and wording
emerges.  The conversations that ultimately give us the theme and/or
question seed how and from what place we invite. The words themselves seem
most meaningful to those who created them and I'm never quite sure how they
resonate with others even though we may have checked with future guests
before issuing the invitation.  Somehow the decision that participants make
to attend or not seems to come from the personal way we invite and spread
the word *plus *the theme.

Suzanne

On Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 8:00 AM, Michael M Pannwitz <mmpannwitz at gmail.com>wrote:

> Dan, there is a database with 777 os events listed giving, among many
> other things, the headings, you will be amazed ... in many different
> languages from all cultures and continents,
> it takes a few seconds to load
>
>> http://www.openspaceworldscape.org/
>>
>
> My style has been to have the planning group come up with the heading.
> Also, I found, the folks that follow the inivitation (in which there are
> usually a few lines of text, including questions, challenges and whaot have
> you) simply pretty much ignore the heading and come up with their issues
> that often appear not to have anything to do with the heading.
> The process of finding a heading, however, does amazing things with the
> planning group such as actually becoming a planning group, going out and
> inviting folks, etc.
> enjoy
> mmp
>
>
>
> On 24.03.2014 12:05, Daniel Mezick wrote:
>
>> Is the OST theme always defined as a question? Is it ever offered as a
>> statement? I'm not sure.
>>
>> I'm not sure because in the USERS GUIDE TO OPEN SPACE book from
>> Harrison, the story about the theme "Fixing Arizona" is not a question.
>> So, I'm guessing a non-question is OK. For the record, I prefer a
>> question. And I tell clients to frame it as a question, on the
>> hypothesis that questions tend open space and statements tend to close
>> space...
>>
>> THE BRIEF USERS GUIDE (http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm) is
>> silent on the issue:
>>
>> /<BEGIN>
>> THE THEME/ -- Creation of a powerful theme statement is critical, for it
>>
>> will be the central mechanism for focusing discussion and inspiring
>> participation. The theme statement, however, cannot be a lengthy, dry,
>> recitation of goals and objectives. It must have the capacity to inspire
>> participation by being specific enough to indicate the direction, while
>> possessing sufficient openness to allow for the imagination of the group
>> to take over.
>>
>> There is no pat formulation for doing this, for what inspires one group
>> will totally turn off another. One way of thinking about the theme
>> statement is as the opening paragraph of a truly exciting story. The
>> reader should have enough detail to know where the tale is headed and
>> what some of the possible adventures are likely to be. But "telling all"
>> in the beginning will make it quite unlikely that the reader will
>> proceed. After all, who would read a story they already know?
>>
>> <END>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Daniel Mezick, President
>>
>> New Technology Solutions Inc.
>>
>> (203) 915 7248 (cell)
>>
>> Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
>> <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/
>> danmezick/>.
>>
>>
>> Examine my new book:The Culture Game
>> <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for the
>>
>> Agile Manager.
>>
>> Explore Agile Team Training
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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> --
> Michael M Pannwitz
> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
> ++49 - 30-772 8000
>
>
>
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-- 
Suzanne Daigle
Open Space Facilitator
NuFocus Strategic Group

FL 941-359-8877
Cell: 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
twitter @suzannedaigle
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