[OSList] OS design questions

Harold Shinsato via OSList oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Sun Sep 17 10:43:45 PDT 2017


Thanks for that report Diana. My first foray into Open Space I set up an 
online system to allow folks to propose (but not commit) to topics. Very 
few of those early proposals were actually convened the actual day of 
the OST, same as Diana reported. I stopped doing that after my second event.

When I've seen session time/space allowed to be scheduled more than a 
day in advance, both for technology unconferences and for multiple day 
Open Space events, my experience is that people are much less present to 
what is alive in the moment. People pay less attention to each other. 
The session proposals revert to a more standard conference style, with 
more prepared presentations. More self promotion. Less group coherence 
fostered. Less Open Space.

What I've see is that it works much better to leave the marketplace 
time/location blank before the morning openings, even for multiple day 
open space events. And it also helps to make sure everyone knows we will 
make more meeting locations for their topics so they don't panic and 
rush to fill the first slots or give up when the market place seems full.

I've seen the holding space method work. That might diffuse the pressure 
a little. Though my experience is it still works best, as Harrison 
reports, if the wall is completely blank each morning.

     Regards,
     Harold

On 9/17/17 11:09 AM, Diana Larsen via OSList wrote:
> Hi Jean,
>
> No advice. Just a story.
>
> Last week I opened space for a group that decided (reasons) to limit 
> hosts to their one most "passion/responsibility" topic per day on the 
> marketplace. Some folks were sure they'd want more and others had new 
> topics that emerged that they wanted to remember for the second day.
>
> We accommodated their concern by giving it a space. By the end of the 
> day about a dozen topics had been posted into a "holding space" to the 
> side of the marketplace on the same wall.
>
> The next morning when we had morning announcements of the new topics 
> for the 2nd day, only three of the twelve were moved and scheduled 
> with time/room stickies on the new day marketplace. When I asked about 
> the remainders, people said: - they'd changed their minds because 
> something seemed more compelling now; - the person who'd proposed it 
> was actually asking someone else to take responsibility who didn't 
> want it; - the person who posted it couldn't come back for the second 
> day; - etc.
>
> That was just one of the "be prepared to be surprised" moments I 
> experienced in that event.
>
> So, the answer to the question about "what's most important for your 
> learning right now" seems to morph even more quickly than we might 
> expect! Overnight (!) things that were "too important to leave out" 
> can fade and other needs take precedence.
>
> Diana
>
> Diana Larsen
> http://futureworksconsulting.com
>
> On Sep 17, 2017, at 09:23, Bhavesh Patel via OSList 
> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org 
> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
>
>> Instead of the Marketplace you could simply have an ideas wall, and 
>> anyone who has an idea for a session the next day could stick it up 
>> there without any feeling of commitment.
>>
>> Then the next day open the Marketplace with the usual blank wall, 
>> remind people that today is a new day and all are free to do what 
>> they want, remind them to check out the wall of ideas from yesterday 
>> if they want to... and then business as usual...
>>
>> OR offer 15min to browse the ideas wall... then rip all the ideas 
>> down, throw them in the bin, and start the Open Space!
>>
>> And why are you limiting the number of spaces/sessions in an Open Space?
>>
>> On 16 September 2017 at 21:32, Jean Richardson via OSList 
>> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org 
>> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
>>
>>     Thank you.  Yes, I would do an opening.
>>
>>     One of the things that concerns me is that the whole Marketplace
>>     could fill before the opening.  I could have them take down their
>>     topics and describe them, but I guess I’m concerned about lack of
>>     spontaneity and whether that would have a negative impact on the
>>     experience.
>>
>>     --- Jean
>>
>>     *From:* Chris Corrigan [mailto:chris.corrigan at gmail.com
>>     <mailto:chris.corrigan at gmail.com>]
>>     *Sent:* Saturday, September 16, 2017 11:18 AM
>>     *To:* Jean Richardson <jean at azuregate.net
>>     <mailto:jean at azuregate.net>>; World wide Open Space Technology
>>     email list <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>>     <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>>
>>     *Subject:* Re: [OSList] OS design questions
>>
>>     Yes. The only issue with a large conference is that people often
>>     forgot what they posted, when and where and so on. In my
>>     experience You still need to do an opening if you want everyone
>>     to be really ground in their responsibility.
>>
>>     Chris.
>>
>>     ___________
>>
>>     CHRIS CORRIGAN
>>
>>     www.chriscorrigan.com <http://www.chriscorrigan.com>
>>
>>
>>     On Sep 16, 2017, at 11:07 AM, Jean Richardson via OSList
>>     <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>>     <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
>>
>>         Yesterday I was the convener for a very large Open Space.  At
>>         the closing circle, there were requests for modifications
>>         next year.  This OS has been occurring at an annual
>>         conference that has formal, pre-selected papers sessions on
>>         the first day.  One request for next year was to put the
>>         Marketplace on the wall the day of the formal sessions, and
>>         allow OS attendees so post sessions on the Marketplace based
>>         on questions/ideas that come up on the first day.  Assume we
>>         will have 400 to 450 attendees next year and space for 21 to
>>         28 OS sessions.
>>
>>         Does anyone have experience with populating a Marketplace in
>>         this way?
>>
>>         --- Jean
>>
>>         *<image001.jpg>*
>>
>>         	
>>
>>
>>         *Jean Richardson*
>>
>>         Azure Gate Consulting
>>
>>         /~ //Repatterning the Human Experience of Work/
>>
>>         **
>>
>>         *AzureGate.net <http://AzureGate.net>*
>>
>>         (503) 788-8998
>>
>>         Jean at AzureGate.net
>>         <http://../../../../../../Documents%20and%20Settings/lisa/My%20Documents/CLIENT%20FILES/Jean%20Richardson/Jean@AzureGate.net>
>>
>>         **
>>
>>         _______________________________________________
>>         OSList mailing list
>>         To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
>>         <mailto:OSList at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>         To unsubscribe send an email to
>>         OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
>>         <mailto:OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>         To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
>>         http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>         <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org>
>>         Past archives can be viewed here:
>>         http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
>>         <http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>
>>
>>
>>     _______________________________________________
>>     OSList mailing list
>>     To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
>>     <mailto:OSList at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>     To unsubscribe send an email to
>>     OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
>>     <mailto:OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>     To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
>>     http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>     <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org>
>>     Past archives can be viewed here:
>>     http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
>>     <http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> OSList mailing list
>> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org 
>> <mailto:OSList at lists.openspacetech.org>
>> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org 
>> <mailto:OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org>
>> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
>> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>> Past archives can be viewed here: 
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
> Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org

-- 
Harold Shinsato
harold at shinsato.com <mailto:harold at shinsato.com>
http://shinsato.com
twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20170917/ecffcca6/attachment.htm>


More information about the OSList mailing list