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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=990014218-17022000>I
think it is worth looking at preparation for an Open Space Technology from a
multi-dimensional approach. Here's what is helpful to me.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=990014218-17022000>1. at
the level of content, how the client sees content and what the outcomes of
content are--no preparation is required or desirable--people are always wanting
to hand me volumes of stuff about their topic, and I really don't read it--it
doesn't help and it is not for me to comment on. Even if I read it all, it would
be a drop in the bucket only to what they are really working
with</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=990014218-17022000>2. at
the level of form--I work at form for the Open Space Technology meeting with
great discipline. I have worked at learning the form as taught by and written by
Harrison. And I have attended every OS on OS and any other formum through which
I can hear the learnings of others, be in discussions, and improve my work with
the form of Open Space. I have done hundreds of Open Space Technology meetings
and learned more from each one. In the end, I don't add by volume to what I do
or what I attend to as a result of my ongoing learning and professional
development.I believe the quality improves. Or else I wouldn't bother
with ways and means to learn from others about Open Space nor would I
invest so much of myself in sharing my travelogue through the training I offer.
I keep it simple, but I understand that if some basic essential ingredients are
attended to well, that the Open Space will be more likely to create the
conditions for maximum potential to be realized. The basic ingredients for me
are theme and "givens". My earlier e-mail was saying that the "givens" first
stated, or the "givens" that are apparent may be illusion and that sometimes a
facilitator can assist a great deal by enabling a management team to get clarity
and focus on their "givens". I feel responsible to my ethics on this one. I have
watched enough Open Space meetings unfold to know that unspoken truths surface,
that the level of participation is very frightening for many leaders, that the
leaders are often told "home truths" that are painful. Joy happens and pain
happens. I also know that even well intentioned leaders, when in pain, have fear
reactions afterward--and fear surfaces as things like control moves. Not badly
intended people, just scared people.So, what can I do ahead with them? Except to
spend time with them, to tell stories, to assist them in understanding how
rich Open Space will be and that it may not be all flow and glow. My
ethics on this are like this: I as a seasoned facilitator know that a lot
will surface. And no matter what, Open Space Technology works. One can sit back
smugly and say it always works, and it does. And yet, my personal ethics are
such that I take that which I know and set in place the basics (theme, givens,
logistics as best as I can, no matter how long people need to do this work--I
give a bit of structure and hold the space to enable them to get this done and
don't worry about billable hours in the process). The givens, amongst other
things, include givens about what will happen to the information after the fact.
And I've learned this from hard experience--sometimes I've not done this
well--in one case, it was assumed the book of proceedings was confidential
inside the organization--a difficult topic came up--the firing of the executive
director---and within ten minutes of the end of the meeting, that document had
been circulated to just about every agency in town--it probably would have
anyway, with a given stated about confidentiality or not---but IF the given had
been worked out and clearly communicated that this was to be a public document,
participants of the Open Space may not have written in their reports the
confidential info that it contained. So, what I am saying is that as
facilitators, we have a lay of the land of what might happen, and so we can ask
certain questions of the client so that they can obtain clarity for themselves.
Call this traditional facilitating and too much time if you will, I call it
responsible to my ethics). </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=990014218-17022000>3. at
the level of essence---Open Space Technology is much more than just form. The
essence also needs to be attended to and this is where the preparation of the
facilitator is essential. And this is where I agree with Chris in terms of a day
ahead of the event for personal preparation and a day after the event for a nap,
because one does get exhausted. I tend to do this on my own time. At deep
layers, much is going on. And the facilitator must be totally present and yet
totally invisible and non-intrusive. And this being totally present isn't just
about preparing that day or the day before, but a daily every day discipline of
learning how to be present, in whatever way one does their own personal
discipline and whatever works for each one of us. For me, I meditate daily, I
journal daily, I spend time in nature, I work with items from nature, and I
pray. No one else needs to follow the same. This works for me. And so, if events
around an Open Space are chaotic, if the morning of there is a calamity and so
on, I remain present to myself, to my calm, and I am able to be present to the
Open Space and "hold it" for the group.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=990014218-17022000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=990014218-17022000>I have
been in Open Spaces where the theme and givens are not accurate. I have
witnessed Open Spaces where no time or attention was given to working with the
client on these matters. I have screwed up on not getting accuracy on givens
myself--sloppy work like the time when I didn't uncover that the theme of the
Open Space, which was stated "issues and opportunities for a preferred future
for the organization" was in reality the theme "we need the executive director
to be fired". (this was told to me by the Board Chair in those words at the end
of the Open Space. He had wanted her fired for four years, didn't have the
courage to do it, and this is why he wanted the Open Space meeting. And he went
around planting the seeds amongst participants one by one. The Open Space
Technology meetings were highly successful, none-the-less. The aftermath was not
pretty. We could say, whatever happened was the only thing.... and we could say
the OST meetings was successful...and we could say everybody learned and look
how it all turned out in the long run---because usually in the long run it does
all work out. In the case of the Executive Director, she resigned and got a much
better job and the organization continues to wrestle with its mess. Because I
have knowledge of the power of Open Space Technology, I must wrestle with what
is right for me, and how to live congruent with my ethics and values and my
inner being. Having done this, I share what I know to the best of my ability,
and enable clients to be as prepared for it as I can. And then let go of
attachment to outcome, and know I have given the preparatory work my best. Much
like raising my children--I did the best preparation I knew how--now I hold the
space with no attachment to outcome. I could not just have held the space with
no up-front input for them to work with.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=990014218-17022000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=990014218-17022000>One of
my current clients is a group that is holding an Open Space meeting about
issues and opportunities about seniors. They had a theme "The seniors are
coming"--so was the meeting about seniors of the future and if so, who should be
invited. NO--it turned out the meeting was about present AND future seniors. The
theme now is "issues and opportunities for quality of life for seniors now and
seniors of the future". It took time for the committee to get to this. And it
affected the guest list. And it affected the givens. We would have had a
successful Open Space either way, but it feels good to have done the
clarifying.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=990014218-17022000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=990014218-17022000>Birgitt</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Birgitt Williams</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Make Genuine Contact!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Dalar Associates: organizational
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>effectiveness consultants</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Striving for Success? Ready to exceed
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>your expectations?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Contact us for consulting services,
</FONT><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>training, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>conference and meeting facilitation,
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>and keynote speaking.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2><A
href="http://www.openspacetechnology.com/">www.openspacetechnology.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]<B>On Behalf Of</B> Harrison
Owen<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, February 17, 2000 8:09 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: How much planning and
preparation time do you find you need?<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV>At 12:01 AM 2/17/00 -0800, you wrote:</DIV><BR>
<DIV>>The day after is used for sleeping. Holding the space is the
most</DIV>
<DIV>>exhausting thing you can do (just ask any parent!). I am
completely</DIV>
<DIV>>incapable of any productive work on the day after an OS, so I just
sleep</DIV>
<DIV>>the whole day and bill my client for it. I sort of fudge the
wording on</DIV>
<DIV>>the contract a little so it clears interal audits and that sort
of</DIV>
<DIV>>thing.</DIV>
<DIV>****************************</DIV>
<DIV>Chris -- you are definitely a person after my own heart. I bill the
client for the nap(s) I inevitably take during the event. But I never thought
of the day after. Wonderful!</DIV><BR>
<DIV>All of which raise (for me) a very serious issue. Creating space and
holding space takes a lot out of you. Which means there must be a lot there to
start, it is essential to conserve energy as you go along, and when its over
-- you are going to need a break. As we all know, this is not about "doing" a
whole mess of things. God forbid -- if we tried to operate in Open Space with
the sorts of behaviors we used to use (taking care of all the details etc) ---
ultimate fatigue would be the best result. Rigor mortis is more
likely.</DIV><BR>
<DIV>Keep napping Chris.</DIV><BR>
<DIV>Harrison</DIV><BR><BR>
<DIV align=center>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Drive<BR>Potomac, MD
20854<BR>USA<BR>phone 301-469-9269<BR>fax 301-983-9314<BR>website <BR><A
href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh"
eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com/~owenhh</A><BR>Open Space Institute
websites<BR><A href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"
eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</A><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>