[OSList] A Virtual OST Success Story

[Ben Roberts via OSList]

As some of you know, I've been at this for a couple of years now. Today,
working on behalf of the Charter for Compassion International
<http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=
110391&qid=5124428> , I was finally able to host a MaestroConference-based
call that I felt truly lived up to the potential for "Open Space" in virtual
form (in quotes since I know some of you purists might dispute that this
really was OST!). 

 

Of course, it wasn't like being together in person for a day or two. Indeed,
there was only one round of live small group conversation. But the
combination of an online space that was opened on 9/22 using the "hackpad"
platform and a 90 minute call eight days later using MaestroConference's
newest "social webinar" beta really worked. Here are some highlights of the
process (you can also view notes and more here on hackpad
<http://www.bit.ly/cfc093014> ): 

.         We had 43 participants on the call for at least some of the 90
minutes, mostly from the US, but also including several from overseas.

.         Six topics were initiated by participants

.         In addition to the topic breakouts, there was a "meet and greet"
session for just hanging out and connecting. This also served as a place to
welcome late-comers to the call. As a result, the latter were easily
integrated and able to join the conversations of their choosing

.         The topic conversations lasted a little more than 40 minutes

.         We ended with a full group "popcorn-style" harvest and some
announcements

.         A number of participants attended a debrief after the official end
of the call

.         A few participants also stayed on the line "overtime" to continue
their topic conversations

 

MC's new "social webinar" worked beautifully, allowing participants to do
the following:

.         Exercise the law of two feet (really!)

.         See who was in their breakouts (including a thumbnail and contact
info, if provided)

.         See who was talking or had their "hands" up

 

Using "hackpad," we were able to do the following:

.         Open the marketplace in advance, in order to both save time on the
call and allow for some online discussion to get going. Five out of the six
topics were initiated in advance.

.         Provide an index of topics and the "room numbers" for each (so
that participants could move themselves to the right room)

.         Take collaborative notes during breakouts, with a separate pad for
each one (note that "social webinar" now also provides shared document
functionality for each breakout room, if desired)

.         Continue sharing notes and reflections once the call had ended
(this is still ongoing)

.         Make detailed introductions before, during and after the call

.         Compile a shared listing of resources

.         Make announcements and requests

 

It was also possible for participants to engage fully via their phones only
(including moving between sessions) without using either hackpad or "social
webinar." This was important, as not everyone was able to be at a computer,
and some who were at one had trouble using the online tools.

 

Not everything was perfect, of course, and there were some lessons learned.
The biggest challenge was that, despite many emails and online explanations
in advance, some people were confused by the three ways to engage (phone,
hackpad and social webinar) or had trouble accessing one or more of these
elements. The vast majority, however, were either able to use these tools or
to have a valuable and satisfying conversation without them. 

 

I expect that there will be future iterations planned on behalf of the
Charter for Compassion, and I will promote them to this listserv now that I
feel comfortable handling larger groups! MaestroConference is also very
interested in promoting a series of large group "conversations that could
change the world." Perhaps there are some folks here who might want to
collaborate with me in convening one? They plan for their platform to be
able to manage calls in this way with over a thousand people in the near
future. The thought of being able to regularly engage people at that scale
in this way is pretty exciting!

 

Peace,

Ben

 

 

Ben Roberts

The Conversation Collaborative

 <http://www.conversationcollaborative.com/> www.
ConversationCollaborative.com   

(203) 426-1039

Skype: benjamin_j_roberts

G+: benroberts.ipn at gmail.com

 

tagxedo 1

 

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