[OSList] Space invaders and using your two feet
Michael Herman
michael at michaelherman.com
Sun Feb 20 20:11:37 PST 2022
for me, it actually is a kind of law: "you and only you know when you are
learning and contributing as much as you can."
a law, as chris corrigan taught me to say, "...that's not like a speed
limit, but more like the law of gravity. defy it at your own risk!"
having pointed this out in an opening circle, i then suggest that everyone
in circle has the same job, the right AND the responsibility, to use their
two feet and/or whatever else they use to get around, to go wherever they
need to, to maximize their own learning and contribution.
in the end we don't care if they move... what we want is highest learning
and highest contribution.
for me, in open space, personal passion/freedom is always bounded/informed
by responsibility/contribution to the whole.
i think our pulsation between these apparent opposites, passion and
responsibility, learning and contributing, me and us, past and future, and
so on... is what drives it all. we can't get stuck. we have to keep
moving. each of us, for all of us.
learning and practicing this kind of pulsation, between apparent opposites,
is for me the most important thing we invite in open space. it's in the
going back and forth that strengthens us.
michael
--
Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
312-280-7838 (mobile)
MichaelHerman.com
OpenSpaceWorld.org
On Sun, Feb 20, 2022 at 12:49 PM paul levy via OSList <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
> 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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>>> --
>>> Michael M Pannwitz
>>> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin
>>> +49 30 7728000 mmpannwitz at gmail.com
>>>
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>>
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