[OSList] Human Connection Starvation

Sun Jun 21 09:58:30 PDT 2015

yes yes yes!

As Daniel mentioned, the facilitation I lead was almost completely 
unprepared because of a dearth of contact and returned communications 
from the client. No proper "pre-work". No theme. No extended period of 
invitation. People regularly dashing off to other "more important" 
things. No closing circle. It still worked. As Harrison Owen has said - 
what's going on?

There's a huge need for technologies that Open Space - or open space - 
and Open Space Technology is extraordinarily robust. I've seen it work 
despite there being huge holes in how it was executed. And I think the 
main reason it works so well in so many scenarios is not from the skill 
of the facilitator - but in how parched is the soil. Or perhaps, as 
Harrison has noted in his writings - how polluted is the soul.

Even a few drops of authentic human connection in a space closed by 
rigid roles and goals...
Even a few breaths of fresh air by opening a window in a space filled 
with the pollution of soulless pursuits...

I'd love to hear more stories of improvised techologies that opened 
space. In this perspective, OST is so much more than a tool.

     Harold

On 6/21/15 5:45 AM, Daniel Mezick via OSList wrote:
> Lately I'm noticing that people are absolutely starved for genuine 
> connection with other humans. Or, so it seems...
>
> ...I'm coming to this conclusion as a result of getting more and more 
> experience doing these Open Space events in organizations and 
> conferences.
>
> At a conference at PMI in Boston last Friday, I facilitated an very 
> short event that was 1 hour from end to end. We did 5-minute sessions 
> to introduce the format. All 50++ of them were completely new to it. 
> In the closing circle, these people reported genuine authentic 
> pleasure in connecting with others.
>
> This was more than a little strange to me, since the 3 sessions were 
> just 5 minutes long.
>
> Earlier that same week, inside an organization, with about 20-25 
> people, Harold and I with Louise Kold Taylor literally "threw 
> together" an OST event last Tuesday. It was all improv. We were 
> winging it. We were all unsettled. We were all making sh*t up on the 
> fly. We had like 20 minutes to set it up and convene.
>
> It wasn't supposed to work.
>
> This "improv-episode" was missing many of the standard elements in the 
> standard OST composition.
> I'm embarrassed to say which... and how many.
>
> And hey guess what? There was loads of connection and engagement by 
> and between the members. LOADS.
>
> This from an organization "with no time" to do such things. This via 
> an "unsettled" facilitator. We scheduled the 45-min sessions for 10AM, 
> 1045AM, 330PM and 415PM. So there was this huge gap in the schedule. 
> We did not expect the afternoon sessions to be attended at all. What 
> was amazing to us was the fact that almost all of them returned for 
> the afternoon sessions and they all immediately engaged.
>
> All of which had me scratching my head for quite awhile. Do you know 
> what I mean? As in, "what the heck is going on here?"
>
> Why is this OST thing so robust, even when some of the essential "big 
> O, big S" elements are missing? When there is "no time?" When there is 
> no planning? When the facilitator is not really prepared?
>
> What is making this OST stuff work, even when it's "slipshod" in terms 
> of planning and form?
>
> My current hypothesis is: typical people in our world are literally 
> starved for real connection.
>
> And that anything, anywhere resembling anything AT ALL that looks like 
> a genuine and authentic opportunity to connect ... is going to work.
>
> And this without "management" of things like "when to start", "when to 
> stop", "topics", "silence", etc.
>
> This Human-Connection-Starvation hypothesis might tend to explain: why 
> OST always seems to (mysteriously) work, why getting out of the way is 
> a primary job of the facilitator, etc.
>
> Daniel
> http://OpenSpaceAgility.com
> http://DanielMezick.com
>
>
> -- 
>
> Daniel Mezick, President
>
> New Technology Solutions Inc.
>
> (203) 915 7248 (cell)
>
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-- 
Harold Shinsato
harold at shinsato.com <mailto:harold at shinsato.com>
http://shinsato.com
twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
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