[OSList] back full circle about 'planning meeting'

Tue Apr 3 15:53:59 PDT 2018

Birgitta and Chris,

Thank you for awakening the past with the concept of preparing the field.  The sketch you show reflects an old way yet it may hide some critical factors.  The plough lands are back and forth across the field, today such ploughing will because the machine is controlled by GPS and a complex electronic system called total traffic control (TCC).  TCC requires significant prior preparation involving deep knowledge of the complex systems that we calla paddock or field.  TCC is primarily designed to get the best from the field sustainably.

The other reflection is that in this case the plough lands are in straight lines, the one constant feature in nature is that there are very few straight lines.  In fact the presence of humankind is often detected by straight lines.

As we prepare ourselves to facilitate OST this simple and yet profound image of the field being prepared gives us both the promise of a great meeting and the warning about how we, the facilitator, need to know the field and work with the terrain so that the straight lines of our imposition are minimised.

Ploughing used to be a boring job and now it has been transformed by our knowledge and its application to an exciting and interesting task full of expectation of newness and goodness.

Thank you both for reminding me of the new way to prepare a field.  Another element that also rings true to OST is by working with the natural features we open the chance of finding the abundance of goodness.  The slowing down and relaxing are two elements that have helped me realise the abundance of goodness that surrounds me at all times.

My journey continues as I work “with the grain” to expose the goodness and unique greatness I /we are blessed with.

Regards
Robert

> On 4 Apr 2018, at 4:31 am, Chris Corrigan via OSList <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
> 
> I love that picture!  I still use my own version of it as an icon when I am sketching something for a “planning meeting.”
> 
> Thanks for the memories!
> 
> Chris
> 
>> On Apr 3, 2018, at 10:13 AM, Birgitt Williams via OSList <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Dear friends and colleagues,
>> Some of you joined us for the online workshop about Planning for Highly Participatory Meetings. I am an advocate of a well done 'planning' meeting to assist our clients develop clarity about what they are inviting people to...and thus to provide sufficient information to those being invited to make an informed choice about whether the meeting is something that they with to attend.
>> 
>> This method of planning is suitable for conversations with the sponsoring group for an Open Space Technology meeting, a meeting using Whole Person Process Facilitation, or other participatory meetings such as World Cafe. 
>> 
>> Now, let me get to the part of this story that is about going back full circle about the planning meeting. A delightful man Joergen from the Netherlands said, what you are teaching here is not actually about a planning meeting....it would be better if you called it 'preparing the ground'. He went on to say that during the meeting the ground was being prepared with the leaders for a carefully considered meeting AND the ground was being prepared for making the most of the outcomes of the meeting.
>> 
>> I laughed at myself. Why in the world had I ever started calling this a 'planning meeting'??? In my early days with Open Space Technology and Whole Person Process Facilitation, I had adopted a concept that originally came from Harrison about  'preparing the field'. Way back then (yes, some decades ago) I had a friend draw a picture of 'preparing the field' and I used this picture in my original workbooks as a necessary step. Thanks to Joergen, I am back full circle to a 'preparing the field' meeting.
>> 
>> I am attaching the picture. Artist is Virginia Burt, landscape architect.
>> 
>> And if you wish to learn Whole Person Process Facilitation as a great complimentary method to OST, I have an online workshop coming up  beginning next Friday and taking place for three consecutive Fridays. It is a great method to use when carrying out a 'preparing the field' meeting, and for any other time that a more guided approach than OST is needed...yet retaining the same principles and values as OST.
>> 
>> Warmly,
>> Birgitt
>> -- 
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> Birgitt Williams
>> 
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