<html><div>>Is conveneing a session whilst facilitating the event
abandoning (albeit </div>
<div>>temporarily) the role of space holder. Is it confusing for the
participants? </div>
<div>> I have seen Harrison doing it although that was at an OS on OS
for </div>
<div>>facilitators.....ANy responses?</div>
<div>></div>
<div>></div>
<div>>Andrea.</div>
<div>**************************************************************</div>
<div>I don't think there is any hard and fast rule here -- very few such
things in Open Space, but keeping first things first and being attentive
to you comfort level are critical -- I think. The first thing is the
recognition that your only real job is to preserve the safety of the
space -- holding space in other words so that the participants can do
their jobs, whatever they may be. In a truly contentious group this will
take every ounce of focus and presence you can muster. Convening a
session of your own under such conditions is, in my experieince, risky at
best. The problem is obvious. As your attention is drawn to your session,
you will inevitably become less present to the group as a whole. There
are times, however, when everything is going along just swimingly and the
total participant body takes responsibility for the space. Under these
circumstances, do your thing.</div>
<br>
<div>One final consideration. No matter how comfortable I may feel, I
have never done a session in the first part of the Open Space. If it is a
two day event I wait for the second day. This accomlishes two things.
First, it gives me time to be sure that the space is really safe.
Secondly, by the second day, folks seem prepared to accept me as just
another participant -- which I guess is also an indication of the safety
of the space.</div>
<br>
Harrison
<br>
<div align="center">
Harrison Owen <br>
7808 River Falls Drive <br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA <br>
301-469-9269 (phone) <br>
301-983-9314 (fax) <br>
email owen@tmn.com<br>
Website
<a href="http://www.tmn.com/~owen" eudora="autourl">http://www.tmn.com/~owen</a><br>
Open Space Institute website<br>
<a href="http://www.tmn.com/openspace" eudora="autourl">http://www.tmn.com/openspace</a></html>