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<P class=MsoNormal align=left><SPAN><FONT size=3><STRONG>Two Open Space
Trainings in Ottawa Within a Month -</STRONG> Both Different and
Exciting<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p><FONT
size=3></FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN>And Harrison Owen will bring it to another level next
month in Ottawa again, with over 20 participants joining in the two sessions on
“Organizational Transformation” and “Spirit of
Leadership”.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN><FONT size=3><STRONG>A FIRST</STRONG> public Open
Space training <STRONG>in French -</STRONG> at least in North America
- welcomed 17 participants from different corners of Canada and the
Americas: from Manitoba to Haiti and to the east coast. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">They
were avid to learn the thinking behind this novel approach as well as the how
to. Their openness to letting go and doing things differently lead to a very
intense experience. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Some
of the ha-ha’s sounded like:</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">“I
will never want to facilitate like I did before!” </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">“I
feel I just bit in all aspects of this new great way of<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>facilitating." </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">“After
30 years of facilitation, I had lost any desire for it. I’ve surmounted my
resistance and now even feel enthusiastic about trying this approach.”<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> This
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">participant
who had never even experienced an Open Space, prepared in the course of the
training to facilitate his first Open Space a day after returning home. He
brought OS in this open community event that had been planned in a traditional
way. As he reported, he had to let go a lot of his own desire to bring in OS as
he had just discovered it. But, understanding the fundamental principles and
philosophy, he was able to open the space enough for the magic of
self-organization to happen.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>The email the whole group received from that
participant on the morning following his event was bursting with excitement - I
still feel it as I recount it - and spoke tons of the growth possibilities OS
offers for everyone who let themselves be<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>touched by it. </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Needless
to say, we as trainers – Jacqueline Pelletier and myself – continued to feel
nourished by this training experience. We had given two previous trainings in
French but they were offered internally in an organization.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This was the first public one and the
diversity among participants was a valuable element for the quality of the
learning, our included. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Diane
Gibeault<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> </SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-CA><FONT size=3><STRONG>Second OS Training in Ottawa – a month later
</STRONG></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT size=3>Eighteen participants took some
steps on their learning journey with Open Space Technology at the February 21-23
English workshop in Ottawa.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For
some of the participants it was their first steps, having not been participants
in an Open Space before and not being able to get Harrison’s “Open Space
Technology: A User’s Guide”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some
bookstores said it was not longer available, the publisher says otherwise.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Most were independent consultants or
wanted to soon be one while others were internal consultants or leaders in
business, government and not-for-profit organizations.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT size=3>The journey included
preparing the group to “sponsor” its own open space as we would with a client,
experiencing Open Space and convergence and practice in the opening.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT
size=3>There was also lots of conversation and story telling, based on the
groups’ questions, about what facilitators do and don’t do and about how to “be”
in Open Space.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN></FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT size=3>As
in the past, Diane Gibeault and myself as trainer-facilitators provided
materials, both on paper and electronically, that we have found useful in
preparing for successful events. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN lang=EN-CA></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT size=3>We
were pleased with the positive feedback on the workshop and to each of us
personally.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Participants liked the
sharing of stories about Open Space events and its possible uses.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>People also liked the “implementation of
the principles and law in the training”, “the diversity of approaches in
providing learning….experiential, modeling, role-playing, direct instruction and
story telling”, “excellent resources to go home with”, “the networking”, “the
free flowing atmosphere, high level of participation”, “the practicing of
Opening the Space”,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“bringing
spirit into the room openly”.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN lang=EN-CA></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> </SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">We learned again
about the relationship between experience and reflection and how to more
intentionally improve both for participants.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We learned that there are still people
out there starting on their journey with Open Space Technology who want the
guidance of those who are a little further down that particular road.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is great learning and high
play.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Larry
Peterson</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>