[OSList] Space invaders and using your two feet
Michael M Pannwitz
mmpannwitz at gmail.com
Sun Feb 20 02:41:28 PST 2022
Dear Bhavesh,
The Law of Two Feet (this is, of course, no Law but tongue of cheeck
speak of the Man with the Hat) has not felt to me as a reminder to be
responsible for where I want to be.
In my intro to the process I say in the role of facilitator: "And here",
pointing to the large poster on the wall of the space or on a large
pinboard on the edge of the outer circle or floating above the crowd of
2108 supported by large balloons, have a look here
> https://openspaceworldscape.org/events/165-jetzt-meine-leidenschaft-meine-verantwortung-ueber-die-tagung-hinaus-now-my-passion-my-responsibility-beyond-the-conference
"is the Law of Two Feet which has to be utterly adhered to as it is a LAW:
I honor a group with my absence if I neither learn nor contribute
something. If I am learning something I stay, if I am contributindg
something I also stay.
But if neither, then I'll do the group and especially myself the favor
of taking my feet... ", and here I imitate the Man by looking at my feet
for 3 seconds lift them and run a short distance in front of the
assembled crowd... continuing:"... and move to a space which is more
productive for me... or to take a nap." (At this point folks usually
laugh out loud, incited by my awkward running style)
Now all this has nothing to do with taking responsibility for where I
want to be. I am focusing on this because I as facilitator am not in any
way responsible for what anyone does, under the assumption that everyone
is naturally "responsible"... and I adress it in the systemic context we
are in when in an os event, and that it is selforganisation all the time.
Regarding space invaders - which I rarely have encountered probably
because I am such an awsome event myself, especially when totally
present and at the same time invisible - I do intervene.
My first intervention is to do nothing and wait (at this point I
understand why I am being paid for this job). If the crowd is kind of
struck and silent, also waiting, I still wait. Usually, this
intervention does get addressed by a participant, which causes another
participant to react... and results in a short exchange in which usually
someone then gets the space invader to see that the group does not oust him.
If no participant intervenes and I have counted to 10, I ask: "Who else
feels like Charlie?" This always works, one or several other
participants will say something. The main advantage of participants
participating in this is that the space invader immidiately sees that
he/she is still part of the group, not an outsider.
Another observation I have made is that some space invasions are
aggressive while others are certainly productive but not executed
completely.
At one event, one participant got up to introduce his issue (others had
posted issues before him) and said: "I have the most important 5 issues
that need to be worked on!" and deposited his 5 issue sheets in the center.
Here I intervened right away and reminded him that the issues have to be
announced and posted on the Bulletin Board and that he shoulc say his
name. Somewhat nervous he picke up his 5 issues, spoke to them and then
posted them on the Bulletin Board.
Later in the day he approached me and said: "Michael, nobody signed in
for my issues! This was an important lesson for me."
So, its not about what is allowed or not. Its about how space and time
for selforganisation are expanded right then and here. Thats what I
recommend facilitators to focus on.
The utmost the facilitator can do in case stuff gets out of control and
nothing works is to leave the space.
I have experienced this twice in os events.
First event was the gathering of 300 Imams and Rabbis in Sevilla where
HO facilitated and I was his assistant. The participants kept posting
isssues without end and even after allocating 15 minutes more they kept
going. When the time was over, HO turned to me and spoke into the
mikrophone "Michael, please take over!" and left the room. It took only
minutes that the participants stopped posting issues and moved into the
phase to walk up to the Bulletin Board to sign up for issues they wanted
to work on.
The second example was an os with facilitators from different approaches
in which I was participant.
In the closing circle of the first day, one participant insisted on a
discussion of a particularly critical aspect. He ignored the
facilitators suggestion to post his issue for a session after dinner or
the next day. No, he wanted to continue. The facilitator pointed to the
schedule and the amount of time left. At the end of the agreed upon time
he stood up and left the room.
Two minutes later, the entire group left, too.
What about other stories on The Law and Space Invadors?
Right now I am returning to the breakfast table where we are talking
about the urgent recommendation of the German Government to all German
citizens presently in the Ukraine to leave the Ukraine and return home
immediately.
War?
Greetings from Berlin
mmp
Am 20.02.2022 um 08:18 schrieb Bhavesh Patel via OSList:
> It's an interesting one because:
>
> * The Law of Two Feet - is about us choosing to take responsibility
> for where we want to be.
>
> * Space Invaders - is the idea that NOT everything is allowed, and if
> it feels like someone is controlling the space for another, then the
> facilitator does something about it.
>
> So it's an interesting grey area between when it is more about the Law
> and when it is more about Space Invaders and stepping in... and who is
> the facilitator when it comes to this loop anyway?
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, 20 Feb 2022 at 03:58, Harold Shinsato via OSList
> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>>
> wrote:
>
> The OSList is intended to truly be "whoever comes is the right people".
>
> The "Law of Two Feet" is hopefully something we take seriously here.
>
> I wish there was a feature in the OSList where you could "walk away"
> from a conversation without having to leave the OSList. Well, you could
> just ignore the conversations where you are neither learning nor
> contributing.
>
> Another option most email systems have ways are message filters that
> could automatically delete what you don't want. That is an option. With
> a little effort that would be a way to employ "The Law of Two Feet" or
> the "Law of Mobility".
>
> Best wishes to all!
> Harold
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--
Michael M Pannwitz
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin
+49 30 7728000 mmpannwitz at gmail.com
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