<HTML>
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman" DEFAULT="FACE"><FONT SIZE="3" POINTSIZE="12" DEFAULT="SIZE">In fact, planning meetings are in themselves just plain interesting and fun.<BR>
Show me a gathering of people from ages 6 to 106 that is dull or not fun or not simply hilarious!<BR>
The feedback to the planning meeting experience is always pretty similar (I close a planning meeting with a short 3 minute closing circle): time flew, we got more accomplished than we dreamed of, things became clear, it was fun.<BR>
There is a clear structure (time and roles) and I keep the agreed upon task front and center.<BR>
One thing people know about the system they operate in , like a school, is when people meet, officially and unofficially.<BR>
Where and when do the student body representatives meet? Can that naturally occuring meeting be used to talk about the open space? Is it long enough (and we know that can be very short) to have an open space? If the student body kids go through an os during one of their regularly scheduled meetings (in German elementary schools this might be once a week for two hours) the whole school knows about it the next day. They post their results in one of the corridors, everybody is involved. So the news spreads and people invariable start thinking about it and are already part of the planning process.<BR>
Even though my grandchildren were not participants in the 2108 people os we just facilitated in Germany, I had a whole bunch of them weighing sand at the Baltic and filling little cotton bags to be the anchors for the ballons we used. They really got into the weighing and measuering, carrying all the utensils from the vacation house down to the beach in a waggon....and the next day they created some very fanciful butterflies and bees that were floated at the os. All this stuff also happens in schools, or can happen. Others, like parents, get into planning the catering or what to put onto the gym floor so that you can actually place chairs there (huge roll out carpets in one case, in another, a parent brought hundreds of carpet squares in various colors. The students created a pattern as they placed them onto the gym floor. Others got flowers, organized a band, brought in icecream just after the closing circle. Seems there is no end to having interesting planning and execution of the plans....and it comes out of the system, I did not think up any of this.<BR>
By the way, the idea with the balloons that ho reported on was not mine, one of the technical staff at the tent suggested it in response to someone else's suggestion to have signs suspended from wires strung accross the tent....how much more elegant with the balloons! <BR>
All the resources required are nestled in the system ready to go as long as you have a good part of the system there....and mixed.....kids, parents, teachers, principal, etc.<BR>
peace<BR>
mmp<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
--Original Message Text---<BR>
<B>From:</B> Julie Smith<BR>
<B>Date:</B> Tue, 6 May 2003 09:48:07 -0800<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I'm curious about how you keep planning meetings interesting for people from ages 6 - 106. Please enlighten me! <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</HTML>
<HTML>
<LEFT>
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman" COLOR="#000001" SIZE="3" POINTSIZE="12" DEFAULT="ALL">
<br>
<br>
<br>
<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.</HTML>
*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu,
Visit:
<p>
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html