[OSList] Open Space by the book?
Suzanne Daigle via OSList
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Wed Nov 19 06:48:34 PST 2014
Chris so beautifully and simply stated! Such a great reminder of what this
work is all about.
Great on-line conversation on this topic... Making me pause, reflect and
appreciate.
Facilitating continues to be a lifetime journey for me as I'm sure it is
for others, from the humble beginnings of opening and holding space for the
first time with my share of jitters and much less awareness to now trusting
the process in a sensing of what emerges in the moment. Less is more is a
constant reminder.
Suzanne
On Nov 18, 2014 9:08 PM, "Chris Corrigan via OSList" <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
> Beautiful. Both of you.
>
> The question of what is my intent and purpose is top of mind every time I
> work with a group. It is that principle that guides me in making choices of
> omission or commission!
>
> Chris
>
> --
> CHRIS CORRIGAN
> Harvest Moon Consultants
> Facilitation, Open Space Technology and process design
>
> Check www.chriscorrigan.com for upcoming workshops, blog posts and free
> resources.
>
>
>
> > On Nov 18, 2014, at 10:54 AM, Michael M Pannwitz <mmpannwitz at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Chris,
> >
> > every time I facilitated an OS-gathering, I carefully checked the place
> and pinpointed the place where folks coming to the event would enter the
> building. Right there I put the "Welcome" sign. If participants came from
> different countries we arranged it so folks could write "welcome" in their
> languages (see attachment).
> >
> > Then I looked for the door to the space where folks would gather in a
> circle and put the "Be prepared to be surprised" sign (in my German version
> its even more of an admonition: "Augen Auf! Mit Überraschungen ist zu
> rechnen.") on the door making sure it would be seen when the door is open.
> And then, of course, refer to it in my introduction.
> >
> > As for all signs (Law, Facts of Life, Crittors) I usually used flipchart
> paper and always wrote all of them by hand (anybody can do that everywhere
> any time, just paper and markers) for every event, part of my meditation.
> These posters were hung horizontally except for the admonition, it was
> vertical and slightly askew.
> >
> > One time during an ost-training when participants got into setting up an
> os event the person in charge for the admonition felt that it had to go
> onto a pinwall in a certain place. Since there was no pinwall left over for
> that purpose she looked through the venue for an alternative and found a
> broken down pinwall with legs of different lengths, so the whole
> contraption was askew, not what you would expect in an orderly place. She
> felt this was perfect for "Be prepared to be surprised!".
> >
> > Of course, she received the "Most innovative intervention achievement
> award" that year at a special ceremony in Weimar where I treated the whole
> crowd to local wine.
> >
> > One criteria for the award is a consequential manifestation of "Form
> follows Function". That, I think is also a criteria for the question
> Harrison raises "Why do we do what we do? What is the intent or purpose?"
> >
> > The outcome of that reflection might be that all facilitating os-events
> will clarify for themselves why they do stuff and what their intention is.
> And that, surprise, will result in infinite variations on the approach.
> >
> > Greetings from Berlin
> > mmp
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >> On 18.11.2014 00:24, Chris Corrigan via OSList wrote:
> >> Yeah…
> >>
> >> I’ve always thought of Fr. Brian’s slogan as the fifth law. I
> >> appreciate “where ever it happens is the right place” but “Be prepared
> >> to be surprised” was always, like Brian himself, so very practical!
> >>
> >> Chris
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Nov 17, 2014, at 2:21 PM, Michael Herman <michael at michaelherman.com
> >>> <mailto:michael at michaelherman.com>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> All of us as facilitators would do well to remember that people
> >>> are not coming to a meeting to be wowed by a process that you
> >>> personally love. They are coming to get work done. And so it
> >>> behooves us to put a lid on our passions for the mechanics of the
> >>> process and simply open space so that work can get done. Later on
> >>> you can reflect on WHY it happened like that.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> yes yes yes, chris. it may well be that the, shall we say,
> >>> "traditional" story of 4 principles, one law and a couple of bugs is
> >>> ready to go the way of voting. there is still something to be said
> >>> for talking about the purpose, and something to be said for not
> >>> knowing what will happen. i always liked that fr. brian used to put
> >>> "be prepared to be surprised" at the entrance to the space. and
> >>> something to be said for giving people a chance to think about what
> >>> they want to do/post, before the chaos of writing and announcing
> >>> begins. probably this "time to think" is the most important part
> >>> about talking about principles and bugs. the higher the stakes and/or
> >>> the larger the group, probably the more time for pre-soaking. guess
> >>> that's the art of it really... just enough, but no more, in the
> >>> briefing. and in whatever way that we don't create a distraction from
> >>> which we cannot escape. the better we know the group and the issues,
> >>> probably the easier it is to do this.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>>
> >>> Michael Herman
> >>> Michael Herman Associates
> >>> 312-280-7838 (mobile)
> >>>
> >>> http://MichaelHerman.com <http://michaelherman.com/>
> >>> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org <http://openspaceworld.org/>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 4:03 PM, Chris Corrigan via OSList
> >>> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> >>> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I have opened space many many times without ever mentioning the
> >>> four principles, the law or any other assorted wisdom associated
> >>> with WHY the process works.
> >>>
> >>> My basic practice is to explain HOW we will organize ourselves,
> >>> pointing out the tools we have to do so: paper, markers, bulletin
> >>> board.
> >>>
> >>> I talk about passion and responsibility “Please only post a topic
> >>> you will personally show up for…” and I mention the freedom of
> >>> choosing and moving.
> >>>
> >>> That is all that people need to get into Open Space. I’m not sure
> >>> the principles or the law or anything else are necessary
> >>> pre-conditions for the appearance and deployment of Open Space in
> >>> a meeting. I think they help explain what is happening, and I
> >>> think they help people let go of control a little.
> >>>
> >>> All of us as facilitators would do well to remember that people
> >>> are not coming to a meeting to be wowed by a process that you
> >>> personally love. They are coming to get work done. And so it
> >>> behooves us to put a lid on our passions for the mechanics of the
> >>> process and simply open space so that work can get done. Later on
> >>> you can reflect on WHY it happened like that.
> >>>
> >>> As for the idea that OST is mainstream, well perhaps not yet. But
> >>> within the world of people who think a lot about this sort of
> >>> thing it is widely known. I feel like these days people call and
> >>> ask about OST having experienced it whereas in the 1990s and early
> >>> 200s people were calling because it seemed like a good idea, but
> >>> they had never experienced it. So not mainstream per se, but
> >>> widely accepted and known in a small part of the world.
> >>>
> >>> At any rate it has been a long time since I have asked the
> >>> question at the start of a meeting and seen zero hands go up.
> >>> There seems to be at least one person who knows Open Space.
> >>>
> >>> Whether we use the original instructions or modifications or
> >>> innovations, whatever you do, do it very very well. Be very
> >>> conscious, model good leadership and never stop embodying
> >>> invitation. Lots of people have witnessed poorly planned Open
> >>> Spaces run by facilitators who are too nervous to let go of their
> >>> control of it. We all owe it to our clients and participants to
> >>> meet their needs well with a process that helps them get unlocked
> >>> from the stuck places they get into.
> >>>
> >>> Here’s my book again for you to download. I hope it inspires your
> >>> practice.
> >>>
> >>> The Tao of Holding Space
> >>> <http://www.archive.org/details/TheTaoOfHoldingSpace>
> >>>
> >>> Chris
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> On Nov 14, 2014, at 11:09 PM, John Baxter via OSList
> >>>> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> >>>> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Nice reflection Harrison.
> >>>>
> >>>> You've unfortunately created too many loose ends to inspire a
> >>>> neat reply. So here is a messy one.
> >>>>
> >>>> Regards the simplest recipe for Open Space, to what degree have
> >>>> the Law and N Principles (and the animals) been critically
> >>>> tested? To be honest, these have never really resonated for me
> >>>> and I've always used a different variation each time searching
> >>>> for something that feels right (and no longer than it needs to be).
> >>>>
> >>>> I think it's a long bow to describe Open Space as mainstream, or
> >>>> anywhere near it. It has spread to all corners of the globe
> >>>> perhaps, but it is still the System A alternative, islands within
> >>>> a System B world. I would hazard 90% of those who have been to
> >>>> conferences and meetings and like gatherings have not heard of
> >>>> it... (speaking at a conference on cocreation and placemaking
> >>>> recently, I requested a hands-up and had a whole TWO of hundreds
> >>>> confess to acquaintance)
> >>>> and even if 90% had, I'm sure less than 1% of the gatherings they
> >>>> attend are consciously designed to unlock self organisation.
> >>>>
> >>>> What you describe of the permutations of the practice matches
> >>>> what I see (though I'm too new to know differently), but I can't
> >>>> see how this could be because of a tipping point as the practice
> >>>> is mainstreamed.
> >>>>
> >>>> Maybe that's just where I participate.
> >>>>
> >>>> Regards the permutations and combinations... bring them on! This
> >>>> thread could quickly follow all sorts of rabbit holes on this
> >>>> one, so I might save those thoughts for another day.
> >>>>
> >>>> Cheers
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> */John Baxter/*
> >>>> /Cocreation Consultant & CoCreate Adelaide Facilitator/
> >>>> jsbaxter.com.au <http://www.jsbaxter.com.au/> | CoCreateADL.com
> >>>> <http://cocreateadl.com/>
> >>>> 0405 447 829
> >>>> |
> >>>> @jsbaxter_ <http://twitter.com/jsbaxter_>
> >>>>
> >>>> /Thank you to everyone who came, helped or spread the good word
> >>>> about *City Grill*!/
> >>>> /Summary and links: cocreateadl.com/localgov/grill-summary/
> >>>> <http://cocreateadl.com/localgov/grill-summary/>/
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 5:37 AM, paul levy via OSList
> >>>> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> >>>> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> The problem with sticking with things is you might just end
> >>>> up stuck.
> >>>>
> >>>> Ho hum.
> >>>>
> >>>> Paul Levy
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On 13 Nov 2014, at 18:14, Harrison Owen via OSList
> >>>> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> >>>> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> Open Space, in its “original” form is sparse simplicity to
> >>>>> say the least. Ten to fifteen minutes introduction, and it
> >>>>> is off the races, or in my case, off to take a nap. The
> >>>>> evolution of this format followed a simple dictum: “Think of
> >>>>> one more thing NOT to do.” Over time in my practice I simply
> >>>>> removed one more element. The first to go were so called,
> >>>>> “warm up exercises.” But it went down from there. My
> >>>>> surprise was that the less I did, the better it got... which
> >>>>> seemed to be the exact opposite of many of my colleagues’
> >>>>> experience with the methods and approaches they had created.
> >>>>> Their simple guide books gave way to 400 page Manuals with
> >>>>> additions and extensions. Of course, there were times when
> >>>>> people remarked to me that OS was so simple it couldn’t
> >>>>> possibly work. But it did. Simply sit in a circle, create a
> >>>>> bulletin board, acknowledge the 5 principles and the Law –
> >>>>> and Go to Work! That’s it. That’s all.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I confess that I do love elegant simplicity, and so there is
> >>>>> a large part of me that would stick with the “original” for
> >>>>> that reason alone. To this may be added the fact that this
> >>>>> “elegant simplicity” apparently violated essentially all the
> >>>>> principles and practices of management that I knew about. To
> >>>>> some extent this was a source of no small amount of
> >>>>> embarrassment, for after all when what you see, do, and
> >>>>> think is at odds with the Received Wisdom there are obvious
> >>>>> questions about your grasp of reality. But, the disparity
> >>>>> between what I was witnessing and what (I was told) I
> >>>>> should be experiencing has led to a marvelous quest into the
> >>>>> strange new world of self organizing systems. Rich and
> >>>>> rewarding indeed.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Now it seems that the world is changing (or at least our
> >>>>> perception of that world) such that the strange environment
> >>>>> of self organization is no longer so strange. What appeared
> >>>>> odd, counter-intuitive, impossible is now almost mainstream.
> >>>>> Not quite but getting there. And if so, perhaps it is now
> >>>>> time to let go of that old “elegant simplicity” in all of
> >>>>> its appealing purity... and plunge into the marvelous world
> >>>>> of combinations and permutations. And why not? It could be a
> >>>>> lot of fun.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I can see the possibilities, but I doubt seriously I would
> >>>>> change. Senile sentimentality for sure, AND I actually have
> >>>>> another concern which I think may be determinative. I
> >>>>> suspect that OST (simple version) may be the best Training
> >>>>> Program going when it comes to the introduction of folks to
> >>>>> the High Arts of navigating a self organizing world. And
> >>>>> best of all it is Experiential Learning from the start.
> >>>>> Training and Doing are absolutely united. It is not talking
> >>>>> about self organization it is being intentionally in that
> >>>>> mode. And any added complexity/parallel program will tend to
> >>>>> obscure the central mind bending fact – It’s happening all
> >>>>> by itself.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> We have talked about this “ training” function before,
> >>>>> usually under the heading of Chris Corrigan’s notion of
> >>>>> Training Wheels. That is definitely good start, but only a
> >>>>> start. We can do more, and it could be a real kick.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> So I plan to stick with the original – with the hope and
> >>>>> intent that lots of new people will drop by to experience
> >>>>> the incredible, productive freedom of losing control, and
> >>>>> then come to understand that it is actually their
> >>>>> birthright. They only have to claim it.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Harrison
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Winter Address
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 7808 River Falls Drive
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Potomac, MD 20854
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 301-365-2093 <tel:301-365-2093>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Summer Address
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Camden, ME 04843
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 207-763-3261 <tel:207-763-3261>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Websites
> >>>>>
> >>>>> www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com/>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com/>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view
> >>>>> the archives of OSLIST Go
> >>>>> to:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
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> >
> > --
> > Michael M Pannwitz
> > Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
> > ++49 - 30-772 8000
> >
> >
> >
> > Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 399 resident Open
> Space Workers in 69 countries working in a total of 143 countries
> worldwide: www.openspaceworldmap.org
> > <Welcome.jpg>
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