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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>This is the newest principle for OS that Funda and I are
proposing…after our experience in OS yesterday </span></font><font
size=2 face=Wingdings><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;
mso-ascii-font-family:Arial;mso-hansi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:
Arial;mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings'><span
style='mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings'>J</span></span></font><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Ok, just around the days when we have been contemplating on
“whatever happens is the only thing that could have”, I will share
with you a brief reflection on this open space we experienced, a first for me,
Funda and for all who attended…and perhaps dwell a little bit on what
could we have done different or what can we do different in the future…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName ProductID="Funda Oral" w:st="on"><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Funda Oral</span></font></st1:PersonName><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>, whom you
know from this list, facilitated this meeting and I tried to support her to my
capability. This was the first time we opened space together in <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region>, so it was quite a historical day for all
of us, considering the work Funda has done in the last years to invite people
to open space in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region></st1:place>…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Today we co-hosted a group of people who are passionate
about improving the public transport in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Istanbul</st1:City></st1:place>.
Their immediate focus was saving the traditional ferryboats of <st1:City w:st="on">Istanbul</st1:City>
which are one of the important symbols of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Istanbul</st1:City></st1:place>
that reflects the spirit of this city. <span class=GramE>Saving because the
municipality wanted to get rid of them to bring in new and fast sea buses.</span>
So by taking a stand on the maintenance of these ferries, this group actually
is one of the real citizens’ movements in Turkey that has some effect on
local decision making…the theme of today’s meeting was to come up
with activities for 2006 to improve sea transport and saving the ferries…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>All in all it went well with a little more chaos than
usual…groups were formed, exciting conversations were held, actions were
proposed…and Funda did a great job in opening the space…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>However convergence was a little disaster in my view, and
good news is that I was hosting it </span></font><font size=2 face=Wingdings><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family:Arial;
mso-hansi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-char-type:symbol;
mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings'><span style='mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:
Wingdings'>J</span></span></font><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>there could be many reasons for this but I tend to blame myself or the
group for the outcome. When it was convergence time, we re-opened space where I
invited people to announce the actions they want to take. By the time I could
finish my sentence, some people had left the room, some wondering around, some
chatting to the person next to them, two people shouting at each other…I
invited the group about 3 times and nothing changed. At the end, someone read
some proposed actions from the previous <span class=GramE>session,</span> put
them on the floor and people who were interested signed up. By that time half
of the group had left already. Unfortunately we didn’t even have a
closing, because we couldn’t maintain the energy of the group anymore.
The meeting finished an hour earlier than the proposed time.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Now, whatever happens is the only thing that could have. But
for my own sanity, I need some practical help here. <span class=GramE>Because
this seems to be the general group dynamics over here and I am having a hard
time as a facilitator to deal with it.</span> Not only it makes me feel
incompetent, it makes me also lose hope at certain points about being able to
do any useful work over here…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>My main challenges are that people don’t listen well,
they don’t concentrate during a meeting, so they miss and don’t
follow the instructions and the groups are not able to converge. In all of the
meetings I attended so far, I found myself watching in awe how people disappear
before we are able to say, so this meeting is finished. And naturally there is
no conclusion. I then feel all the energy that was built up during a meeting
gets wasted before we could channel it into something constructive…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I have been told that being young and female does not help
in Turkish culture. I do not accept this as an explanation. <br>
I would like to know whether any of you worked in a similar cultural setting
where it was difficult to shift the group energy beyond the individual to the
collective, where listening and focusing was a challenge…and people
proceeded the way they wanted to. To which degree do you or do you not
interfere? What do you do, when you propose a step and one (or more)
participant suggests something else before your next step? (<span class=GramE>this</span>
happens so often here, drives me crazy, even if you say no, we cant really do
that, people go ahead anyway) What are the conditions for being able to <span
class=GramE>converge</span> a group whose energy is all over the place?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I am really interested in improving the flow under the
conditions I described above and I am asking for practical suggestions…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Thank you! <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><b><i style='mso-ansi-font-style:normal'><font size=4
color=purple face="Rage Italic"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Rage Italic";
mso-bidi-font-family:Vrinda;color:purple;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;
mso-bidi-font-style:italic;mso-no-proof:yes'>f i l i z</span></font></i></b></em><em><b><i><font
size=4 color=purple face=Pristina><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:
Pristina;mso-bidi-font-family:Vrinda;color:purple;font-weight:bold;mso-no-proof:
yes'> </span></font></i></b></em><b><i><font size=4 color=purple face=Pristina><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Pristina;mso-bidi-font-family:Vrinda;
color:purple;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;mso-no-proof:yes'><br>
</span></font></i></b><font size=2 face="MS Serif"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"MS Serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-no-proof:yes'>approach
love and cooking with reckless abundance!<br>
</span></font><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;mso-no-proof:
yes'><a href="http://www.barakam.blogspot.com/"><font size=2><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>www.barakam.blogspot.com</span></font></a><br>
<a href="http://www.bugday.org/"><font size=2><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>www.bugday.org</span></font></a></span></font><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-no-proof:
yes'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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