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<TITLE>Re: Facilitator must be part of the conversations</TITLE>
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Hmmmm . . .<BR>
<BR>
With regards to the generally accepted role of the OST “Facilitator”<BR>
-- I essentially agree that Lisa provides an accurate interpretation. <BR>
<BR>
And that is why I rarely “facilitate” OST anymore.<BR>
<BR>
My issue is with the concept of “facilitator”. Originally, to facilitate<BR>
meant to make something easier -- from the Latin facilis or fac(ere) <BR>
“to do or make” + -ilis “easier”. So in its simplest expression,<BR>
I could as a facilitator make things easier by: sharing knowledge; or<BR>
increasing the ease of performance of any action or state of being; or <BR>
assisting individuals or groups in accomplishing their objectives through <BR>
conversations on particular topics; or actively participating in engaging <BR>
and involving others in accomplishing objectives.<BR>
<BR>
In the OD world, a facilitator is “someone who skillfully helps a group <BR>
of people understand their common objectives and plan to achieve them <BR>
without personally taking any side of the argument. The facilitator assists <BR>
the group in achieving a consensus on any disagreements that preexist or <BR>
emerge in the meeting so that it has a strong basis for future action”.<BR>
<BR>
In my past experiences with OST, “without personally taking any side of <BR>
the argument” came to mean -- being a “space-holder” and not being a <BR>
“participant”. <BR>
<BR>
When I do this from a "Living in Open Space” perspective, this becomes <BR>
an instance of a Separation Fallacy. The Separation Fallacy supposes that <BR>
it is possible and/or desirable for me to view myself as distinct from the <BR>
systems of relationships and dynamics that I engage (observer, “witness”, <BR>
act in or upon, hold space for, . . . ). This calls for me as a facilitator to be<BR>
“independent” of the other participants -- a proposition which for me is a <BR>
physical and meta-physical impossibility. <BR>
<BR>
My friend Charlie Johnston would call this experience “differentiation <BR>
without integration”.<BR>
<BR>
>From a "Living in Open Space” perspective, I am always “holding space” <BR>
and always full-on participating in every interaction with others and the <BR>
environment -- be it in one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many <BR>
relationship dynamics. As an archetypical “Butterfly”, I am very aware <BR>
that my “Presence” creates a response in the field -- whether I am <BR>
speaking, sleeping, napping, quacking, etc. <BR>
<BR>
So for me, the questions are not about whether I exert undue (and negative)<BR>
influence in a context -- but how I exercise my “Presence” and leadership in <BR>
any situation (any context).<BR>
<BR>
Is the impact of my views, intentions, communications, and behaviors an <BR>
“opening of space” with and for myself and others -- or is the result a “closing <BR>
of space”? Do I need to modify my being and doing?<BR>
<BR>
As a result of my “Presence” and leadership -- does the leadership and creative <BR>
capacity of the individuals and collective manifest and/or increase, or does it<BR>
remain only a potentiality and/or decrease? Do I need to modify my being and <BR>
doing?<BR>
<BR>
Does the individual and collective capacity and practice of Hearing, Seeing, and <BR>
Loving (HSL) increase or decrease as a result of my “Presence” and leadership?<BR>
Do I need to modify my being and doing?<BR>
<BR>
>From a "Living in Open Space” perspective, I am required to “show-up” and “hold<BR>
space” in every interaction -- be it a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many, <BR>
OST conferences, intimate contacts, whatever; I am required to take responsibility <BR>
for what I love; I am required to Hear, See, and Love myself and every sentience <BR>
that I encounter; I am required to be as aware, mindful, discerning, nurturing, and <BR>
compassionate as I can be in each moment.<BR>
<BR>
Because “Facilitator” is such a loaded word with “authority and control” prickles <BR>
studding its exterior and interior usage, of late I have preferred to think about <BR>
what I do as “Hosting” -- from the Latin hospes “receives visitors” with a kind, <BR>
welcoming, and generous reception of or disposition toward or treatment of guests <BR>
(visitors, strangers, emergence, coherence, and disturbance).<BR>
<BR>
I am joyfully content to “host” conversations in which I fully participate in: holding <BR>
space; taking responsibility for what has meaning and passion for me; Hearing, Seeing, <BR>
and Loving myself and others; constantly paying attention to being as aware, mindful, <BR>
discerning, nurturing, and compassionate as I can be in each moment; and working to <BR>
manifest my “Presence” and leadership in ways that increase the leadership and creative <BR>
capacity of the individuals and collectives that I come into relationship with.<BR>
<BR>
In this way, I strive to increase the overall experience of interconnectedness, creativity,<BR>
joy and peace. And hopefully, I can do this without falling into a “Unity Fallacy” where I <BR>
confuse “Wholeness” (multiplicity) with “Oneness” (singularity) -- thus forgetting <BR>
that the converse of “Unity” (oneness or singularity) is “Wholeness” (multiplicity or <BR>
diversity) --> not separateness or uniformity (sameness). <BR>
<BR>
My friend Charlie Johnston would call this experience “integration without differentiation”.<BR>
<BR>
So while “hosting”, I continually challenge myself to hold a view of system “wholeness” <BR>
that includes every aspect of what I can sense and imagine regarding --<BR>
(1) Consciousness (Self-Awareness)<BR>
(2) Whole-Person (physical | emotional | intellectual | consciousness)<BR>
(3) Whole-System (all Stakeholders)<BR>
(4) Community | Relationships (Interconnectedness)<BR>
(5) Whole-Life Cycle (Continuity)<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
In the Field . . . where we meet . . .<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Monotype Corsiva"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:18.0px'><B><I>Mark R. Jones<BR>
</I></B></SPAN></FONT></FONT><B><FONT COLOR="#FF00FF"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Chief Executive Officer<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000080"><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Academy Engraved LET"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:16.0px'>The Sunyata Group<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Academy Engraved LET"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:16.0px'><FONT COLOR="#008000">The Integral Wellness Group<BR>
</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></B><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
PO Box 58788<BR>
Renton, Washington<BR>
USA 98058-1788<BR>
Phone: 425-413-6000<BR>
e-Mail: mark.r.jones@sunyata.ws <BR>
----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="95%"><B>From: </B>Lisa Heft <lisaheft@openingspace.net><BR>
<B>Reply-To: </B>OSLIST <OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU><BR>
<B>Date: </B>Wed, 1 Aug 2007 10:06:27 -0400<BR>
<B>To: </B><OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU><BR>
<B>Subject: </B>Re: Facilitator must be part of the conversations<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="2"><FONT FACE="Monaco, Courier New"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10.0px'>Dear all -<BR>
<BR>
Jack's and Marc's comments make me think that our holding space for the<BR>
group - for both the client and the participants - is the embodiment of <BR>
trust. We breathe, we believe, we trust the people and the process, we<BR>
are always there (in physical presence and or in Harrison's case at times<BR>
in our dream state during our naps ;o) ). We are completely present.<BR>
<BR>
I do not feel it is separate from or outside the group. I feel we are all<BR>
very much interrelated. We are (in the Open Space event) all part of a<BR>
vast living system (of systems, of systems, of systems...)...with one (or<BR>
a duo or team) of us holding space, to be midwife to emergent life, to<BR>
witness, if you will, the marvelous transformation we (the space-holders)<BR>
know is happening at every moment - on levels from the cellular to the<BR>
stellar to the realms we little tiny humans cannot even know.<BR>
<BR>
We breathe, we trust, we hold trust. We help others breathe....and<BR>
trust...and trust themselves...<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Lisa<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Lisa Heft<BR>
lisaheft@openingspace.net<BR>
<a href="http://www.openingspace.net">http://www.openingspace.net</a><BR>
<BR>
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