[OSList] Space invaders and using your two feet

paul levy paul at cats3000.net
Sun Feb 20 11:49:16 PST 2022 

I haven't called it a law in years.

That is because it isn't a law. It is an eternal invitation.

Paul

On Sun, 20 Feb 2022, 16:08 Bhavesh Patel via OSList, <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> Thanks Michael, always appreciate the time you take to write longer emails
> and share stories.
>
> The way you intro the Law is pretty much exactly how I do it as well,
> using almost the same language. That for me still involves using my freedom
> to take responsibility for my learning, contribution, productivity, and
> where that is going to happen or not going to happen, at the same time
> never fully knowing and always responding to all that is happening within,
> between, and among... self-organisation, or as Morin says
> eco-self-organsation!
>
> I also have a very similar approach to space invaders, and have rarely
> encountered one. There was one time when a person twice the size of me, a
> former head of a big brand, took the mic for me and told everyone to stop
> putting up topics on the second morning, because he had done a full
> analysis of day 01 and could now tell us what we needed to do. I told him
> that was great and kindly asked him to write it up and stick it up, but he
> held on to the mic and repeated that this was not necessary and now we all
> needed to listen to him and... there was a stand-off with both of us
> holding the mic, until one of his peers asked him to let the facilitator do
> his job, he backed off, and guess what, not many came to his session, and...
>
> I have also used the walk out approach when nothing was happening, on
> reflection I think I needed to leave the room for that group to truly
> believe the power is in their hands to post topics!
>
> I guess what I was trying to think about was what to do when someone is
> clearly speaking in a way that is offensive to others... people can use
> their two feet, the facilitator can also walk out of the room, what else is
> there... I don't think OST = anything and everything is ok... so I was
> reflecting on that... not sure if I am making sense to anyone???
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, 20 Feb 2022 at 12:41, Michael M Pannwitz via OSList <
> oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
>> 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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>> >
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>> --
>> Michael M Pannwitz
>> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin
>> +49 30 7728000     mmpannwitz at gmail.com
>>
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