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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Andrew – my experience on “optimal
group size” is anything that works. I know that people have spent endless
hours attempting to define the perfect number – but I have never seen
that reflected in an Open Space. I think the reason is that OS groups are
self-organizing/emergent – and therefore natural. In other situations,
the groups are formed by some higher intelligence (The Facilitator). I don’t
think the optimal group size has anything to do with the nature of groups, and
has everything to do with the capacity of the facilitator. In Open Space there
is obviously no facilitator, so the groups can do whatever feels good. And in
my experience, that is precisely what takes place. The largest breakout group I
personally have ever seen was pretty close to 100 – but I didn’t
count. It was dynamite!</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
 12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Harrison</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>

<div>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Harrison Owen</span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>7808 River Falls Drive</span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Potomac,
Maryland   20854</span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Phone </span></font><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
 color:red'>301-365-2093</span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Skype hhowen</span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Open Space Training</span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'> <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/"><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>www.openspaceworld.com</span></font></a>
</span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Open Space Institute</span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'> <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>www.openspaceworld.org</span></font></a></span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Personal website</span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'> <a href="http://www.ho-image.com/"><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>www.ho-image.com</span></font></a> </span></font></p>

<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
 style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>OSLIST</span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>: To subscribe,
unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: </span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'><a
href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html"><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial'>www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</span></font></a></span></font></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On
Behalf Of </span></b>Andrew Rixon<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, February 22, 2006
6:09 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> The largest size of a
session group</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Dear all,</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>I have just returned from OsonOsinOz
and it was great! I sure picked up a few gems. One which I loved was
“being happy with not-knowing” which I’ve blogged about: <a
href="http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2006/02/being_happy_wit.html">http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2006/02/being_happy_wit.html</a></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Anyway, ever onwards, I was
wondering: What have been the largest self-organising breakout group sizes for
sessions raised in OS that you might have seen? </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>(I think there has been some
research into the sizes of naturally occurring groups and what their natural
limits are…?)</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>I will go back now to trying to be
happy with not-knowing. </span></font><font size=2 face=Wingdings><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings'>J</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Warm regards,</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Andrew</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>--<br>
Andrew Rixon PhD<br>
Director<br>
Anecdote Pty Ltd<br>
Skype: AndrewJRixon<br>
Mobile: 0400 352 809<br>
Fax: (03) 9383 6274<br>
Email: <a href="mailto:andrew@anecdote.com.au">andrew@anecdote.com.au</a><br>
URL: <a href="http://www.anecdote.com.au">http://www.anecdote.com.au</a></span></font></p>

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style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>

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