<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 9:12 AM, Patricia Haines <<a href="mailto:levelgreeninstitute@yahoo.com">levelgreeninstitute@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Michael & Friends:<br>
I could use help assessing what worked and what didn't<br>
about the OS at this past weekend's GREEDNING THE ARTS<br>
Symposium in Ithaca.<br>
<br>
The audience was small but very knowledgeable, so the<br>
quality of conversation was very high - but they ended<br>
up NOT wanting to break into OS groups, rather wanted<br>
to stay together as one group. In retrospect that<br>
didn't work well, at least after the first hour.<br>
<br>
During this initial time we got some superb 'bullet'<br>
points down on newsprint. When we switched to action<br>
plans, however, the concept of focusing on ACTION<br>
didn't click - and we ended up on Saturday morning<br>
spinning wheels.<br>
<br>
A lot of solid next steps DID come out of the weekend,<br>
and enthusiasm is high for continuing to develop the<br>
project (project is ARTS AT THE HEART OF A SUSTAINABLE<br>
WORLD, global initiative to integrate the arts more<br>
visibly and pro-actively throughout the sustainability<br>
movement).<br>
<br>
BUT - the plan has been to hold a series of OS-based<br>
gatherings at various places in the US, Europe, Asia<br>
and Africa, to make sure we give voice at the<br>
vision/planning table to the myriad perspectives,<br>
approaches, interests and needs that are out there.<br>
<br>
now I'm wondering if OS is the best way to go for this<br>
process. The panel part of this past weekend's<br>
program - short presentations followed by discussion<br>
- was really great. But the small-group OS didn't work<br>
well - just made folks unfamiliar with the process<br>
confused and annoyed.<br>
<br>
Thoughts? thanks - Patricia Haines</blockquote><div><br><br><br>I am going to share some of my thoughts with you but, before I do, I remind you that you invited my thoughts. I perceive an invitation for me to share my thoughts. I hope you do not perceive any challenge or disagreement in what I say. If I write a thought that is different from yours, well, that's not criticism. At least not in my worldview. I use this protracted disclaimer because there have been times in the past, on this list, when I have offered my thoughts and people have, or so it seemed to me, attacked me for thinking differently. Over here in my worldview, I get to be me all the time, even on listservs. And you get to be you.<br>
<br>It is not very valuable for me to critique your design. I don't know much about your client or your goals for the series of meetings you envision. But I can share with you some thoughts.<br><br>I venture to guess that if you had begun this event by convening a morning circle, presenting the principles of open space and then operning the marketplace, and then gone directly into os, you would have been much less likely to find the group resisting going in to OS after "a series of presentations and discussion". To me, it sounds like you began the meeting using a paradigm very different from OS and then you sought to, well, change paradigms midstream.<br>
<br>Before I would abandon using OS for this project, I would experiment with doing one whole meeting as straight OS. Instead of keeping everyone together for the short presentations, allow the people making those ppresentations to offer the presentations in the market place. Then sit back and hold space for the group, hold space that the right things will happen, the right people will show up at the right presentations and discussions.<br>
<br>For me, the work of holding space for open space is inner work. I think we live in a world that believes in a materialistic reality (the things that are real are the things we can discern with our physical senses) and we live in a world that has believed, for a long time, that order needs to be imposed from without. I believe that all the really great process facilitatoars, yes, even ones who do not consider OS as their primary practice, well, I believe that their real work is not the design of the event, it is not what you see when the facilitator gets up and announces the principles and opens the marketplace. The real work of facilitation is inner work.<br>
<br>I don't know you, Patricia, so nothing I am writing is about you. But I am curious? How did you feel during that meeting?<br><br>I ask that question because in my experience, when I 'feel' that cosmic clockwork of self-organization working all around me as I hold space for an event, those are usually the events that people later report were great. When I don't 'feel' OS percolating in my being and all around me in the meeting that surrounds me, those are the OS meetings that tend to feel a little off, esp. to the clients/participants. I believe that the quality of my inner work powerfully impacts the event.<br>
<br>I can look back and recall OS events that I have facilitated and that were unsatisfying to the client and, usually, if I am being honest, the truth is that I wasn't holding space very well.<br><br>I agree with Michael Herman's advice, to have a good think over all the details, notice whatever you can and, as he suggests stay the course. For me, the most important details to have a good think about would be about my inner experience while the event unfolded.<br>
</div></div>
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