[OSList] No silence in opening

Sun Jun 21 03:47:47 PDT 2015

"...I have experienced that there is a very thin line between a 
facilitator and a space invador."

What a great observation and insight. Such a useful idea to consider.

Regarding silence at the opening, I like to wait till they all assemble 
and quiet down completely before starting. They always seem to, it's a 
little spooky. Because of this I often coach the Host to refrain from 
calling them to order but rather, to just wait till they become silent.

Based on this conversation here about silence, next time I facilitate, I 
plan to experiment with coaching the Host to wait just a little longer, 
well past "the beginning" of that self-organized, collective silence...

On 6/21/15 6:14 AM, Michael M Pannwitz via OSList wrote:
> I have experienced that there is a very thin line between a 
> facilitator and a space invador. Best take on this for me is to 
> control the only thing that I can control (somewhat) and that is my 
> behavior. Of course, as facilitator, I can lavish all my control 
> before the event on having great food, usable markers, an elegant way 
> to quickly produce the documentation... and other such sturctural 
> matters.
>
> The rest, it seems, is taken care of by the force of selforganisation, 
> much better, is my experience, than anything I could have dreamt up. 
> Including limiting or expanding silence.
>
> cheers, see you in Krakow
> mmp
>
> On 21.06.2015 04:41, Harold Shinsato via OSList wrote:
>> Thanks Adriana!
>>
>> It could be a wonderful cultural protocol if everyone agrees to it. If
>> everyone has been invited and accepts such a protocol. Asking for a
>> moment of silence can often calm things down when they're getting too
>> heated, and I've been in a number of circles where such a protocol has
>> been adopted and really helps. I can imagine having some bells and
>> singing bowls available for session conveners to bring to their circles
>> as an optional facilitation tool to invite silence when someone in the
>> circle senses the need. It sounds like it could be a wonderful helpful
>> tool in some communities - and I can imagine in the Peace Center - it
>> might be very welcome. I plan to offer it as something to think about to
>> our team.
>>
>> At the post Open Space meeting yesterday where we debriefed the event,
>> there was a participant who noticed that there was not enough listening
>> in the circles he had attended. I had witnessed one of the circles, and
>> I noticed the same thing. Not enough listening. My sense was that if I
>> had really meditated enough before the event - as Harrison so strongly
>> recommends - I could have helped bring more spaciousness. That's my best
>> sense of what could have helped. And I also sense that this participant
>> had a *lot* to offer in helping to bring an awareness of the need for
>> silence. He doesn't need it to come from the facilitation team. He can
>> help teach it. In any case, I'm very grateful he has been invited to
>> participate in the organizing team for the event when we hold it again
>> next year.
>>
>> And I can also see where this need for silence can be abused.
>>
>> At the World Open Space on Open Space in London in 2012 - I was in a
>> circle and waiting patiently in a somewhat heated circle for some space
>> to speak. I had been quiet for some time, until finally there was the
>> slightest pause. The moment I opened my mouth, someone came from another
>> session that I believe was entirely silent the whole time. I think they
>> had only written their thoughts on paper. One of the participants came
>> out of that session, burst into ours, and flashed a "QUIET" sign a foot
>> in front of my face! It was so intense, I felt the need to leave the
>> building just so I could calm down. I hope I never see such behavior
>> again - and I certainly don't want to do anything to encourage such
>> behavior of silencing people.
>>
>>      Harold
>>
>>
>>
>> On 6/15/15 2:10 PM, Lourdes Adriana Diaz-Berrio Doring wrote:
>>> Harold: In some groups where I participated, but it was not Open Space
>>> it was a workshop with some ritual  we had a talking stick and also a
>>> bowl. When some one needed silence they took the bowl and the meaning
>>> of this is that they where asking everybody to wait in silence...until
>>> they let the bowl in the middle of the circle again.
>>> I don;t Know if this is appropriated in an OS circle, in any moment.
>>> Some people like and appreciate silence and other people have a very
>>> hard time with it.
>>> When I was teaching at university the feedback of the students was
>>> like this
>>> "Teacher I just loved yous dinamics, yous should do more of them!"
>>> In the same group I received another feed back
>>> Teacher I hate the dynamics, why did you do so much of it!"
>>> Thanks for the links that Herman sheared with us!
>>> Adriana
>>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Harold Shinsato
>> harold at shinsato.com <mailto:harold at shinsato.com>
>> http://shinsato.com
>> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
>>
>>
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>

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