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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Doug wrote: “<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Reading</st1:place></st1:City>
between the lines of your response, Elwin/Chris, you seem to do OS for existing
organizations who are asking you, as the process expert, to come in and make it
easier ("facilitate") for them to come to terms with some issue or
opportunity confronting them. Is this anywhere near accurate?”<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'>Doug I think I understand why you use the phrase, “process
expert,” and I also feel a degree of caution, perhaps discomfort with the
notion. Speaking personally I would admit to some degree of learning and expertise
after opening multiple spaces in odd places. At the same time, I must affirm
that each time I am afforded the privilege of opening some space for a group of
people to do whatever it is they need to do – it comes as the “first
time.” Never before have I been in that time and that space with those
people. I come as a newcomer and need to remember that status. My experience
(expertise) can be helpful, but equally it can very much get in the way. If I
only see what I expect to see (that which my experience/expertise tells me I
should see) there is a very high probability that I will totally miss what is
actually going on.<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 also think it is important to remember that what I “do”
in that space can be done very effectively by ANY person with a good head and a
good heart. As we have all learned, Opening Space is not rocket science. After
all, how difficult can it be to sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, open
a market place and get out of the way? If this is the work of a “process
expert” then I guess we are all equally endowed – which renders the
phrase, “process expert” rather curious at best. <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'>This is not a matter of ideology or philosophy – but rather
experience. Time and again I have watched people who have only read the book,
or even just “seen” an Open Space – do just superbly. Frankly
I find myself cringing when I hear people speaking of Open Space as some
esoteric practice requiring years of experience and lots of training. Even
worse – when folks say they can’t “Open Space” because
they don’t have the experience or training. That to me is a tragedy. From
where I sit, opening space is a completely natural act, which we all do. It is
also true that we can all learn to do it better, and in fact it may take a
lifetime to realize our full potential in this regard. But the same could be
said of all our life. When we actually hit our zenith, it is probably all over.
And the worst thing would be waiting around until we became “expert”
before we start to live. Just Do It!<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'>Harrison<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>
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