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<FONT SIZE="2" POINTSIZE="10" DEFAULT="SIZE">Dear Viv,<BR>
one of the ways to open space for folks to think over all they have accomplished is to have a night's sleep before they take the next steps.<BR>
The time arrangement you describe was not very conducive for that. This might possibly be one of the reasons for the agonizing slowness you describe.<BR>
When I talk to sponsors I tell them of my experience and point out the time design necessary for sustainable action planning.<BR>
>From where I stand now after 90 odd open spaces I have facilitated the following design seems pretty optimal: 1pm til 6pm the first day, 9 am till 5 pm the second day and 9 am till 12:30 the third day, the third day being the "outlook and action planning" day. (I found that two full days and a half is just a little bit too much).<BR>
The next optimal is 9am till 5 pm the first day and 9 am till 12:30 the second day (which traditionally is called the "third day").<BR>
If there is no sleep, I strongly suggest to not have a planning session. <BR>
The design I use for the "third day" is very much the same as yours. One thing I do after the reading of the reports (when there is a night between the "diverging" part and the planning part a printed book of proceedings is almost always possible, including a contact list etc.) goes like this:<BR>
"Please put your books down....what you have worked on and written up is prelude for action...it is like a backdrop for the things you might want to do...before you start possible planning take 7 minutes to reflect just on your own what all the things you have experienced and worked on mean to you personally, for your work, your family, your neighborhood....to assist your reflection here are some pens and paper to jot down some notes, just for yourself ...after six minutes I will sound the tempel bells...some of you can do this kind of reflection with the greatest din going on others require silence..."<BR>
After a minute or so there is usually utter silence and concentration, quite a few fetching a pen...<BR>
After six minutes I sound the temple bells in the faintest way I know how to and people come back into the presence...<BR>
Then I continue something like this:<BR>
"Now that you have reflected here is one more chance to use the ressources and treasures in this group. Find someone, this might be the person sitting next to you or someone across that you havent really met yet but wanted to contact all along....and use that persons questions, insights and wisdom to more clearly understand what you have reflected on and then let yourself be used by your partner...I will sound the bells after ten minutes..."<BR>
Within 30 seconds everyone is intensely talking, laughing...pretty noisely in contrast to the intense silence just before this step..<BR>
"Ok, now that you have worked all day yesterday, produced a book of proceedings, read and discussed it all and have reflected alone and with at least one other person what this all means to you the time has come to see what ideas have hands and feet and head and heart. If there is something you feel you need to act on just jot it down put your name to it and post it. And dont forget: The Law of Two Feet is still in force...so if you find that you are neither learning nor contributing...."<BR>
(In a couple of instances people came to me after the planning phase and told me that the reminder about the Law prompted them to stay on!)<BR>
People then get up, announce their project and have it posted on the walls around the circle.<BR>
It usually takes 12 to 15 minutes for all posts to be up and I continue:<BR>
"This is the time to go walk to the project you are eager to act on and see who else gathers there and find out what the next step is. This is not the time for a new discussion or a complete strategic plan, just the concrete next step you want to take. You have 20 minutes...we also posted a sheet you can fill in with the name of the project, who all participates, what the next step is, when a meeting might be and who takes on the role of the contact person. These sheets will all be sent to you as "document 2" in a few days along with the invitation to the follow up meeting eight weeks from now."<BR>
To me this way of action planning is not "convergence". Convergence to me is for instance the Delphi Method (55 dots) which I use solely (in contrast to earlier) as additional data useful for judging the situation on part of the participants but not as the basis for planning. Even after Delphi I have the "outlook" phase as a sort of a hinge between the divergent mode and planning and then the "planning space" that you also described.<BR>
In fact, I no longer feel that prioritization is a good basis for planning. It seems that sustainable action needs the heart and mind of someone pretty irrespective of priorities. Of course, priorities along with a multitude of other data are part of the foundation for my decision on what I will invest my heart and mind in but when it boils down to it, its my passion and responsibility for something I care for and not a communal or other priority.<BR>
<BR>
Wish you many happy planning sessions in open space<BR>
michael<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
On Wed, 11 Dec 2002 14:01:58 +1100, Viv McWaters wrote:<BR>
<BR>
>Hi all<BR>
><BR>
>A few reflections on a recent OS event where I tried a new approach (for<BR>
>me) to converegence. It was a short OS - 3 hours on the first evening<BR>
>and 7 hours on the next day. There were about 60 people from all over OZ<BR>
>exploring the future of Farm Management as a profession. The sponsor was<BR>
>a major university that provides tertiary education for farm managers<BR>
>and wanted to identify issues and future directions. There were three<BR>
>1.5 hrs time slots.<BR>
><BR>
>Lots of diverse topics were posted on the first evening - reports came<BR>
>rolling in - it all worked as it should (except for some folk held up<BR>
>because of road closures as a result of the horrible bushfires around<BR>
>Sydney)<BR>
><BR>
>At OSonOSinOZ Peg Holman mentioned opening the space again for<BR>
>convergence and although i never actually found time to get any details<BR>
>I thought this sounded like a neat way of ensuring that convergence<BR>
>maintains the sprit of OS. I've always been a bit uncomfortable with<BR>
>up-front facilitation of the convergence process.<BR>
><BR>
>Anyway, the sponsor was keen for real actions to emerge - not just talk.<BR>
>So I put together a new reporting sheet with the headings: Action;<BR>
>Champion: Helpers; Why this action is important; Immediate next steps<BR>
><BR>
>When participants were seated back in the circle after lunch - and had<BR>
>had time to read the enlarged reports on the wall - I reopened the space<BR>
>by introducing the need for action, reinforcing passion and<BR>
>responsibility, and talking a bit about what happens (or doesn't happen)<BR>
>when recommendations are made for other people to follow up (nothing,<BR>
>usually!)<BR>
><BR>
>I invited anyone who wanted to announce an action and post it on the<BR>
>wall (with the usual sticky announcing the space) and when they were up<BR>
>invited others to take part in the discussion to develop the action. In<BR>
>the end there were six key actions that emerged with reports completed.<BR>
>Everyone eventually took part in this process.<BR>
><BR>
>But the process of getting any actions posted was VERY SLOW - agonising<BR>
>in fact!!!! I thought that maybe I'd made a horrible mistake, but in the<BR>
>end the sponsor was happy etc etc<BR>
><BR>
>However during the closing circle a few people mentioned that they would<BR>
>have like to hear back from the other groups. Apart from this being<BR>
>something they are familiar and comfortable with, it got me thinking<BR>
>about what I had done and if I could have done anything differently.<BR>
><BR>
>My conclusions are:<BR>
>1) people probably didn't have enough time together to feel really<BR>
>comfortable with each other and OS, hence the reluctance to commit to<BR>
>actions<BR>
>2) I probably should have used the sticky dots for prioritising, simply<BR>
>to allow people to become more familiar with the content of the reports<BR>
>before inviting actions to be posted<BR>
>3) I felt good (even if a bit scary) and i would try this approach<BR>
>again - particularly with an intact group from an organisations and in a<BR>
>longer OS event<BR>
><BR>
>Cheers<BR>
><BR>
>Viv<BR>
><BR>
>***************************<BR>
>Viv McWaters<BR>
>Beyond the Edge Pty Ltd<BR>
>PO Box 665 Torquay 3228<BR>
>Australia<BR>
>(03) 5261 9498<BR>
>0417 135 406<BR>
><BR>
>"Thus the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to<BR>
>think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees. "<BR>
>Schopenhauer<BR>
><BR>
>*<BR>
>*<BR>
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Michael M Pannwitz<BR>
boscop<BR>
Draisweg 1<BR>
12209 Berlin, Germany<BR>
FON +49 - 30-772 8000 FAX +49 - 30-773 92 464<BR>
www.michaelmpannwitz.de<BR>
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An der E-Gruppe "openspacedeutsch" für deutschsprechende open space-PraktikerInnen interessiert? Enfach eine mail an mich. <BR>
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<BR>
Michael M Pannwitz<BR>
boscop<BR>
Draisweg 1<BR>
12209 Berlin, Germany<BR>
FON +49 - 30-772 8000 FAX +49 - 30-773 92 464<BR>
www.michaelmpannwitz.de<BR>
<BR>
An der E-Gruppe "openspacedeutsch" für deutschsprechende open space-PraktikerInnen interessiert? Enfach eine mail an mich. <BR>
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