<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Hello list members,</DIV><DIV>My name is Allison and I have been around Open Space since experiencing it in 1996 at the Uni of Western Sydney.</DIV><DIV>I've mainly used OST for spacious conference 'papers' and I was at the OSonOSinOz in Marysville.</DIV><DIV>Hi to everyone on the list, especially those I've connected with before.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>This is my first week as part of the OSLIST, I've been too scared to join in case of being overwhelmed by information.</DIV><DIV>I'm trying to study and 'trust the process' of learning, but sometimes get rattled by deadlines and trying to meet them.</DIV><DIV>Now I'm sorry I didn't join the group earlier - I'm enjoying the conversations.</DIV><DIV>I also feel a bit rude asking the following questions when I am so new to the list.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>By the end of November (oh gosh!) I need to write a conference paper entitled "The Pros and Cons of Open Space Technology".</DIV><DIV>I assume the papers are being published prior to the event.</DIV><DIV>My offer of a 90 minute interactive OST session was rejected, and another suggestion was made to me, which I accepted as a challenge.</DIV><DIV>(The organiser's response to my proposal is copied, with his permission, after my signature below.)</DIV><DIV>What I originally wanted to do, as I have done before, is to offer an invitation to delegates to attend a 90 minute OST session. </DIV><DIV>I then co-create a paper with participants on the day for possible publication.</DIV><DIV>The topic is usually one about which the conference community feels passionate and/or divided.</DIV><DIV>But I find, in this case, that a paper is expected to be written before the conference.</DIV><DIV>Though it seems there may also be web space for conference 'discoveries' to be posted after the event.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>In preparing this paper, I am having difficulty writing the "Cons" part.</DIV><DIV>I have ideas about when Open Space is inappropriate (eg when no is space available). </DIV><DIV>But I'm not aware of its limitations (if any exist) when circumstances for its use are favourable.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Also, I would like the participants in 'my' presentation to be as involved as possible, but find the 10 minute rotation a challenge.</DIV><DIV>I haven't experienced these rotating sessions at a conference before.</DIV><DIV>I thought I'd speak to each group for 2 or 3 minutes about OST then hand out 'proceedings' pages.</DIV><DIV>Then I might ask people to chat and give me written feedback for the last 5 minutes or so before they move on.</DIV><DIV>Maybe there'll be a wall for news at the conference where I can post these forms as they are returned?</DIV><DIV>I won't cope with recording or remembering all the conversations myself and prefer to let my role melt away after each intro.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>(Someone might also like to analyse why I get myself into such challenging situations. </DIV><DIV>I'd pay a generous fee for an effective therapeutic intervention.</DIV><DIV>Agreeing to this revised topic seemed like a good idea at the time. How quaint.)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>If anyone has any suggestions, especially about OST limitations, I'd appreciate reading them.</DIV><DIV>Thanks for the group member's inspiring and heartfelt messages so far, I'm delighted to hear of the spread and diversity of the work.</DIV><DIV>In my attempt at brevity, I hope I have given enough details to explain my situation.</DIV><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV>Allison Baensch.</DIV><DIV>(Presently in cumulus-cloudy Clifton Springs, Victoria, Australia - on Corio Bay and near one end of the Great Ocean Road. Warm sun, cool breeze.)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><B>The conference organiser's response to my original proposal:</B></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">1. Most (or many) [... Network] members would have experienced the use of Open</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Space (tehnology) at least once. Some would be quite skilled in its proper</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">use.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">2. Some (even many) probably have serious reservations about its value in</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">many situations (especially among people not used to speaking in public).</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">3. I have never seen at an [... Network] event, any paper that reviews the pros and</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">cons of Open Space, and perhaps talks about the ways that its limitations</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">can be overcome.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Personally I think that a short oral/interactive session on the main</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">principles of Open space, and its pros and cons - could be very useful and</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">could fit nicely into the Interactive sessions - where you would have 10</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">mintes to present the same clear message to a number of small groups that</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">rotate past your station.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">I have read your abstravt and see that it would need to be changed to fit</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">the different purpose and structure outlined above. Let us know what you</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">think about the idea of a short session - in which you could sell the</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">ideas of Open Technology (you can expects some serious oponents among the</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">audiences - could be very lively).</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BODY></HTML>*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist