<div>Harrison, those are some of the wisest words I've ever read. Thank you!</div>
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<div>Jack<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">2008/5/21 Harrison Owen <<a href="mailto:hhowen@verizon.net">hhowen@verizon.net</a>>:<br>
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<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Marc – I have done what you are proposing (actively participate in a gathering I facilitate) on multiple occasions and have never encountered any problems, and I rather think you will have a similar experience. I would never suggest that you try such a thing if it were your first experience facilitating an Open Space, but that is obviously not the case. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The art of Holding Space is of course critical and because it is so different from what most people have come to understand "facilitation" to mean – it is just too easy for the first time facilitator to get sucked into the action and forget to mind the store. But with experience, at least in my experience, you can keep that old intuitive sense alive and functioning even when actively engaged in a conversation of passionate concern to you. As I think about it, this is probably where we all hope to end up anyhow. At some level every conversation is an Open Space, and the more open the space, the better the conversation. And a really great conversation has a powerful (passionate) focus while still being open to everything else that is going on in the environment.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Approaching the same thoughts from a slightly different point of view, I find that when a group really begins to groove/cook/work – space holding is a community activity. In fact, enabling a group to reach a point where it will effectively "hold its own space," might well be the Holy Grail of OST.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">So anyhow, I would think that rather than a problem, you have a real opportunity to enhance your own capacity as facilitator by moving into that marvelously "zeny" place where you are simultaneously attached and non-attached – passionately concerned about an issue and always free to move beyond. And if you want to share this opportunity with your colleagues (different people opening space every day) that would work for me, or at least it always has.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Have fun!</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Harrison</span></font></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Harrison Owen</span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">7808 River Falls Drive</span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Potomac, Maryland 20854</span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Phone </span></font><font face="Arial" color="red" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">301-365-2093</span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Skype hhowen</span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Open Space Training</span></font><font color="red"><span style="COLOR: red"> <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" target="_blank"><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">www.openspaceworld.com</span></font></a> </span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Arial" color="red" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Open Space Institute</span></font><font color="red"><span style="COLOR: red"> <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" target="_blank"><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">www.openspaceworld.org</span></font></a></span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">-----Original Message-----<br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</span></b> OSLIST [mailto:<a href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU" target="_blank">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a>] <b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </span></b>Marc Steinlin (I-P-K)<br>
<b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:18 AM<br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</span></b> <a href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU" target="_blank">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a><br>
<b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</span></b> Going underground as facilitator</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Dear OS list members,</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I have been following this list for almost two years now and have enjoyed many of your conversations, learnings, ideas and inspirational thoughts! Many thanks for all that valuable insight and encouragement!</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I myself over the last 2 years have organised/ facilitated approx. 20 OS all over the world (from Switzerland to South Africa, from Indonesia to Ethiopia), some as large as 70 participants (unfortunately I never had the opportunity for a larger group - would love to try that!), some as small as 5 persons - and I (as well as the participants!) enjoy it greatly each time!</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">We, the KM4Dev (a global community of practice on Knowledge Management for Development; <a href="http://www.km4dev.org/" target="_blank">http://www.km4dev.org</a>) have decided to run this year's annual meeting over 2.5 days entirely as an OS. We are about four persons who have already facilitated OS and are preparing the facilitation of the event.</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">However, all of the four of us are also greatly interested in the topics which will be discussed, it's certain that we also want to propose topics for groups to work on. Therefore my question:</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Is it possible, that a facilitator opens the Open Space, but once the market place starts, she/ he will transform into a regular participant and mingle with the rest? I always attached great importance to "holding space" - I have never been doing anything actively, I have done my best to get out of the way, however I have been there, almost invisible, but still...</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Do you have any experience or advice on whether the facilitator can give up her/ his role and become a normal participant until to the closing circle?</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Alternatively, do you have any thoughts about rotating faciliators: person A doing it on the first day, B on the second day, so that we all have the opportunity to participate in the discussions with our own topics? I guess none of us would want to limit her/ himself for the full duration to just holding space...</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Your experience is much appreciated!</span></font></p></div>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">-marc</span></font></p></div>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><font face="Arial Narrow" color="black" size="1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 6pt; COLOR: black"><br><br><span>IngeniousPeoplesKnowledge</span></span></font></p></div><span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px">
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><span><span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px"><font face="Arial Narrow" color="black" size="1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 6pt; COLOR: black">Marc Steinlin</span></font></span></span></p></div>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><span><font face="Arial Narrow" color="black" size="1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 6pt; COLOR: black">Skype: marcsteinlin</span></font></span></p></div>
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<p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><span><font face="'Times New Roman'" color="black" size="1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 6pt; COLOR: black">'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' <i><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Margaret Mead</span></i></span></font></span></p>
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