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At 04:40 PM 6/20/2002 -0700, <font face="arial" size=2>Peggy</font>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><font face="arial" size=2>Harrison
said:</font><br>
<br>
>I find that the long/slow walk/look around the circle is profound.
And if flows very naturally into the opening. My one concern with
"things up >front" is that it delays the time that folks
actually get into the job. <br><br>
<font face="arial" size=2>I have also pretty consistently heard you
invite people to look around the circle and to think of each person as a
treasure to be discovered. I have always interpreted this request,
along with the walk, as your way of "tuning" the group to
themselves and each other.</font><br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>I continue to experiment with when, if ever,
more is useful. I do know that when people do some story telling,
to themselves, the person next to them or the whole circle, something
seems to shift in a good way. I don't yet have any great insight
into the pull I feel between anything beyond walking the circle being an
unnecessary intervention and the experience that a brief storytelling
seems to enhance the
experience.</font><font face="arial"></font></blockquote><br>
True. I do invite them to notice each other. And -- I try to leave as
much space for silence as I can. My recent foray with the Palestinians
and Israelis in Rome was an experience I will never forget. I did
not know it at the time, but it turns out that very few of the
participants had actually been in the same room with each other, and so
quite naturally regarded each other person as a potential enemy. They
all had name tags, but the circle was big enough so you could not read,
so most people had little idea who was Israeli and who was Palestinian.
The power in the silences was overwhelming. You could almost hear the
wheels turning -- who is who? Why did they come? Do I hope? Do I fear? Is
this just going to be another one of those....? We were truly all at The
Edge of Chaos -- and knew it. Which brings me to the real reason I would
never do anything "up front" as a transfer in process -- even
story telling.<br><br>
Open Space (for me) begins in chaos. Yes, there has to be some degree of
safety (I was hopeful that nobody came armed -- the thought actually went
through my head, because I was going to be in the center of the circle!)
-- But being on the edge of chaos for me is essential. It has a wonderful
way of dissolving all agendas -- or at least giving people pause
for thought. Rather like the General who understands that the battle plan
is out the window the moment the first bullet is fired. Or if you don't
like the military analogy -- try sports. The Game plan is up for grabs at
the kick off, tip off, face off -- or whatever. Frankly I hope the
folks are on that fine line between total panic and anxious
expectation. When that happens, the space is incredibly pregnant
with possibility, and the people are like parched travelers searching for
the water. So if the "transfer in" process is designed to make
people comfortable -- I don't think the opening is the time or the
place. If the intent is to "take them deeper" (and story
telling will certainly do that), I know (as a matter of experience) they
they will definitely go deeper of their own accord as the space keeps
opening. So my choice is to let it roll. Starting at the edge of chaos --
folks will get to where they need to. No preparation needed.<br><br>
Harrison <br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Harrison Owen</blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">7808 River Falls DrivePotomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh" eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com\~owenhh</a><br><br>
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