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<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>G'day Peggy and All</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>It's wonderful indeed to have the
comprehensive account of your observations and experience to complement
Tom's enthralling report. Maybe Juanita would wish </FONT><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>to add her's too ...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Several queries for you
Peggy:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>. At what stage were the OS principles
and law introduced to the participants? Was this at the first evening circle or
at the Open Space the following afternoon? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>. Did you have any sense
that issues/questions posted in Open Space were related to those which
emerged in the opening Cafe session? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>. You mentioned that you got to
participate in the Cafe. I wonder if Juanita did likewise in the Open Space?
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>. I wonder too if what you interpreted as
'freedom shock' was related to the fact that participants did not know each
other, whether or not they came from different backgrounds. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT size=2>I ask this because I have used
the two processes in combination - in the same order - with people from very
diverse backgrounds and who had encountered each other previously
(they were members of a leadership program). They did not manifest this kind of
distress, at least in my observation. Mind you some of them were </FONT><FONT
size=2>quite taken aback initially by the very notion of turning to face each
other rather than their accustomed experience of someone speaking to them!
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>With love</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Alan </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Hong Kong </FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=peggy@opencirclecompany.com
href="mailto:peggy@opencirclecompany.com">Peggy Holman</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, May 30, 2005 2:04 PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> The World Cafe meets Open
Space</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>You've seen Tom Atlee's description of
the recent "Evolutionary Salon". Here are my reflections,
mostly on the partnership between TWC and OS.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>We began our first evening in a circle
with a check in, people speaking to what attracted them to the
Evolutionary Salon. We described the process that we'd be using for the
conference as a living experiment in being an evolutionary social
system. This let us use our real time experience as a mirror for our
learning.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>The next morning, Juanita Brown took us
into a World Cafe. I got to participate. We focused on a question
about our burning questions. I think I had the honor of experiencing TWC
at its very best. Juanita is a master of her craft. When
reflections were harvested at the end of the session, people said they were
touched by the experience, discovering the feeling of connection to each
other, the synergy among their burning questions. They expressed
excitement at the sense of intimacy and kinship they felt. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>I have to admit that as a participant,
I felt as I did the last time I experienced TWC: constrained by the
expectation of staying at the table. It was quite a contrast for me to
hear the excitement of others in the room! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>We began the Open Space in the
afternoon. Of course, people jumped in with their sessions. They
seemed to be doing just fine. Come the closing circle, several people
expressed distress at their experience. One went so far as to ask if we
could go back to the comfort and intimacy of a cafe-like
format. I thought to myself, "freedom shock" is alive and well.
The mix of people at the conference included scientists and people of
spirit. It seems there was something of a clash of cultures going on in
many of the sessions. I just listened -- no defending, no
fixing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>As is my practice in multiple day
events (learned from Spirited Work), the convening group met to reflect
on how things were going after the evening circle. The meeting was open
to any who wished to join us. A few people did. One wondered if we
needed to do something to "push the group" in the direction we wished
them to go (as if we knew what direction that was!). We discussed
the fact that the discomfort people experienced wasn't necessarily a bad
thing, that it provided an opportunity for something new to emerge. I
encouraged my nervous sponsors to trust that things were going just
fine.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2> </DIV>
<DIV></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>That evening I found myself in a
butterfly conversation with a couple of people distressed by the "yang" energy
they ran into, feeling unsafe to express their "yin" selves. We talked
at length about what it means to take responsibility for what you love.
They left the conversation thinking about how to come fully present tomorrow
in all their "yin" glory. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>The next morning,
someone announced 3 new "yin" meeting spaces. There was much
laughter as people bantered about yin-ness and yang-ness and its
intersection. Turns out there had been LOTS of butterfly conversations
and those who had felt distressed, found their way, dissipating the angst
before it became a real issue. In fact, from that point
forward, the OS just flowed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>A reflection on how TWC affected
the dynamic. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>It was clear that people had a felt
sense of community very quickly through TWC. I think that the move into
OS created that condition that Harrison calls "freedom shock". It's
possible that the contrast heightened the shock. That said, I believe
the sense of connection created during TWC enabled those who were distressed
to seek out the friends they had made rather than completely check out (of
course, being in a remote location would have made it difficult
to leave!). I wonder if that is a benefit of a cafe prior to OS --
to create relationships that might support people to stay engaged if they
have a tendency towards freedom shock?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>THE TWC MEETS OS
EXPERIMENT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>The OS continued as usual over the next
couple days. During our preparation for the conference, the planning
team (Tom Atlee, Michael Dowd and myself) discussed the possibility of
convening evening sessions on "what are we learning?" On
the third evening, Tom and I decided that it would be useful to
do so and that we'd do it using "TWC meets the law of two feet".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Our session question: what patterns do
you see emerging? About 12 people came. We started in groups of 4
with an agreement that we'd come together as a whole to see what we'd
uncovered in about an hour. In the meantime, people were invited to stay
or move as they wished. As context, I said that we knew from the
cafe experience that patterns become visible quickly when people move
around periodically, so moving is useful. At Juanita's suggestion,
we had blank cards in the clusters so that groups could send an idea to
another group if they wanted. They could also send an emissary.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>That was it. Basically, it was OS
with groups of four discussing the session topic. What happened was a
kick. Two groups were quite intent in their conversations, clearly not
moving, just going deeper and deeper. The third group eventually
dissipated, a couple people going to sleep, the others joining the two
hot groups. And then others started arriving. They just opted for
one or the other of the groups. The conversations were animated and
intense. At one point, the group I was in sent a card with an idea to
the other group. In all, I think about 20 people were there by the end
of the evening.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>After about an hour, we came together
as one. First one group described what they'd learned, then the other
group did the same. The second group mentioned that they used the idea
they'd received on the card. The remains of the original third group
added their thoughts into the mix. Llyn Peabody, new to graphic
recording, but clearly in her element, took notes, drawing an incredible
visual map of the weave of our stories. The result
was electrifying and became the basis for some breakthrough ideas the
last day!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>One side note -- someone said during
the session that they often looked for what was missing to understand a
situation. I pointed out that the yin/yang laughter in the morning
signaled something rather remarkable that was missing from our living
experiment of an evolving social system: angst. Rather than
fragmenting into conflict, people had transcended it. That drew a raised
eyebrow or two as people digested how the space had made room for
conflict to be embraced with grace.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>A reflection on the TWC meets OS
experiment</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Next time I'm a participant in an OS
and have a large group, I'd likely split up again in this way. It was a
great way to reflect on our question when the group was large.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Juanita and I talked the next morning
about our impressions of the intersection of TWC and OS. We discussed
several strengths of TWC -- creating a sense of community and uncovering
patterns quickly. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Given my own biases, I wouldn't use TWC
as an opener unless the client had some specific situation that moved things
that way. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>I can imagine experimenting with doing
an evening reflection with people beginning in small groups. I
can see this as a natural flow of the energy as people wander in,
talking together before coming into a single circle. I think
this could be a low key transition that actually makes it easier to
convene the evening circle. By following the energy of people arriving
for the close, inviting them into reflection as they arrive rather than
waiting for everyone before beginning, I think something simple and useful
could occur. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Juanita
suggested explicitly encouraging people post their sessions in the
form of questions. It made me smile when Harrison recently posted:
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I think of every Open Space gathering as a
(potentially) question rich environment. That is why I always suggest to
people that they phrase the theme as a question, as opposed to a
statement.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Questions are certainly a place of
coming together.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>So, that's about all of my musings on
this subject.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>yours, on a warm evening in
Seattle,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Peggy</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
size=2>________________________________<BR>Peggy Holman<BR>The Open Circle
Company<BR>15347 SE 49th Place<BR>Bellevue, WA 98006<BR>(425) 746-6274
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2><A
href="http://www.opencirclecompany.com">www.opencirclecompany.com</A></FONT></DIV>*
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