<div dir="ltr">Thanks for this letter, Michael Herman. You have expressed much of what I think.<br><br>AND . . . I have one specific response, below.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 2:10 AM, Michael Herman <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:michael@michaelherman.com">michael@michaelherman.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div dir="ltr">thanks for opening this conversation, lisa. <br><br>to me, the most important thing about osonos is that it is our chance to practice what we preach, open to and in the world. in recent years, it seems to me that we have strayed from our core practice in two important ways: scarcity and design. perhaps these are two sides of the same coin.<br>
<br>over the last some years, we've come to take a year to plan something that is supposed to be about not planning and designing in advance. we've convinced ourselves that we must have only one "world" osonos. we make a big deal out of that *one* but tend, at the same time, to ignore the 7 or 8 years running that haiti has hosted an osonos and a raft of stammiches, for instance. <br>
<br>i do not understand how the os community imposing the structure of a single 'world' osonos per year, with all the queueing and jockeying that goes on around the eye of that needle, is any different from leaders we work with (or don't get to work with) holding tight to the notion that there can be only one speaker at a time, one powerpoint presenter per hour of annual meeting, one round after another in a big group, with regular breaks to recover and adjust the setup for the next speaker.<br>
<br>what would a truly open space approach to osonos look like? <br><br>i think it would be a bulletin board, where anyone could announce a gathering, an osonos, where the theme would be "open space". i'll refrain from making the plan and theme even as complicated as "the practice of open space". like any breakout session, the host would choose a time and a place. when folks arrived in their corner of the world, they would step into the circle of few or many friends and colleagues. they would tell something of their story, how they came to post this invitation. and they would invite everyone present to say something of why they'd come. these everyone sayings would, of course, begin as topics announced and posted. in some years we might have many osonos events, some years few, but in no years would we have a single, most important, "world" osonos. they would all be important. encouraged. announced. documented. photographed. access queened. connected. simultaneous. messy. local. global. open. spaces.<br>
<br>there would be no concern for who would go to india or australia or camden or whatever. the right people would find their way. and when people needed help getting to some osonos far away, they could ask for it. you and anyone else could help run the side bulletin board that was its own little open space on getting to an open space on open space. how does a two-year lead time fit with whenever it starts and whoever comes is right?<br>
<br>yes, i might not see you and peggy and brian and michael and larry and chris at *the* world open space. the usual suspects would not be able to support, encourage, or whatever the "growth of open space" in one particular region. we couldn't talk about "bringing open space" to this "underserved" place or another, as we sometime have in the past. but as far as i can tell, just about the whole world is underserved. we could all be going to many places, trusting that we are all in the same place, with many breakouts scattered world around. and all the side conversations could be about "which one are you going to?" instead of "which one is ready or right or will be supported and held up as *the one* that everyone should go to this year, the only one that will be called 'world'.<br>
<br>and then maybe the world os conference call would be opened to anyone who was in the moment of making a whole world invitation to gather in their corner of earth, to talk about open space. why should there be only two people allowed from each country or each "institute" on such calls. would we ever suggest such a system in one of the events we facilitate? </div>
</blockquote><div><br><br>I have always chafed at the exclusivity of the world os conference calls. It has never felt like an open thing and as a group purporting to be about OS, the closed nature feels wrong to me.<br><br>
</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div dir="ltr"><br>
<br>i'll be very interested to hear what others are thinking on this. perhaps i'm too much the purist, or not much of a planner, but my favorite osonos gatherings have been the really really simple ones, mostly before we started lining up and and taking turns. what we be lost if we made more space for more open spaces on open space each year? what would an open space on osonos look like? how would it function on an ongoing, worldwide, anyone can come, anyone can host, no planning required basis? that's what i'm really wondering now.</div>
</blockquote><div><br><br>I believe all are free to do the things you suggest.<br><br><br><br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div dir="ltr"><br>
<br>i'll go back to my painting and carpentry now, but will be listening in between, looking forward to what the rest of everybody else might have to say.<br><br>thanks, again, lisa. <br><br>michael<div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c">
<br><br><br><br><br>
<br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 8:34 PM, Lisa Heft <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net" target="_blank">lisaheft@openingspace.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-US">
<div>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hello, dear colleagues </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Get yourself a cup of tea (or other beverage
of your choice) as this is a long message...</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">First, thank you for your patience as we
work to complete the WOSonOS 2008 Book of Proceedings for distribution.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We are just waiting for a few more
individuals who had wanted to send in their completed session notes in post-event
for inclusion in the Book.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">So: as soon as those come in (very soon I
promise) we will first send the Book to all the WOSonOS 2008 participants, and
then let you know here on the OSLIST where it will be posted for your own
reading enjoyment.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And next, a little thing I have been
thinking about. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am interested in hearing your thoughts.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And here is a bit of background.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">At the WOSonOS last month, there were two </span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">invitations</span></font></b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> made for the WOSonOS to
come to someplace welcoming in the world, for 2009 and for 2010. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">You may remember that June 18<sup>th</sup> message
from the June 'OS Groups or Institutes Call' that was ** posted on
OSLIST. This call is an every-few-months gathering of one or two
representatives from each Open Space Institute or Group about 15
countries are represented. I also attend those calls as Access Queen,
because I communicate with and support each year's Host Team and Askers
as needed, no matter where in the world the WOSonOS may be. In the notes
from that meeting, you probably read that Taiwan was interested in inviting for
2009 and bringing a nice contingent to the WOSonOS, Berlin was interested in
2010, and also if you look in earlier calls notes, Hungary, France and Estonia were
also thinking of inviting for a future year perhaps 2010 or another
year they felt ready to do so. You may also have read in those notes that
at the Kiev conference (2007) there was a discussion about having these
conferences' locations and dates announced </span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">two years ahead</span></font></b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
as it is very hard for both the Host Teams and some of the travelers to plan
for these things with less than one years' advance notice. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(Our Host Team worked for over one year on
this WOSonOS, for example. Other Host Teams may need even more time
because there is not a large OS community yet locally and the majority of
people who come to these WOSonOSs seem to come over land so this is
just my observation but a strong local OS community seems so essential for
supporting an event like this. Plus I think it is incredibly useful for
prospective hosts to attend a few WOSonOSs if possible to see how it is the
same and yet different from a client OS, to experience some of the traditions,
and make their own design and decisions based on some of that observation and
experience. Again just my opinion, but to me, this seems incredibly
useful.)</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And there was also conversation and support
for moving the conference </span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">back and
forth across the world</span></font></b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> over this land,
over that ocean, over someplace else next so that some people would
miss coming for some years but others would be able to come because of
the sharing and moving across the world of this lovely event.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">My Host Team was interested in designing
something thoughtful, supportive and useful for both the invitation process and
as appropriate any deliberation process, should there have been
more than one inviting team for 2009 and 2010. Typically, these
invitations get made live at the WOSonOS by the inviting Host Team or a
representative (Brian B of Australia and I once invited the world to India for
the 2004 WOSonOS to represent that year's host, Janet Pinto; Thomas
Herrmann and Eva P Svensson of Sweden offered my third year's invitation
at Kiev last year to represent me - and you can see what happened!). Some
of us on the Host Team had ideas for designing a discussion / consensus /
decision process and we wanted to know who was offering an invitation so we
could welcome them, create time in our event schedule for them, and support all
inviters through this invitation and decision process with thoughtful process
design. I asked all the conference registrants, too, if anyone was
thinking of inviting, just so we would know and design the time and approach to
support each potential hosting group or individual.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(I had also talked to a few folks who had
expressed an earlier interest and so had some of my colleagues such as
Gerard, Karen Davis and others and it seemed as if those others who had
been interested felt it would be better to make their own invitation in another
year though the Hungary inviters asked that the Berlin event be held
close to the 2010 OD Summit if possible, for potential attendance at both
events).</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">As it turns out, at this invitation portion
of the WOSonOS there was </span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">only one
inviting team for 2009</span></font></b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (</span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">Taiwan</span></font></b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">, their second year of
invitation) </span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">and one
team for 2010</span></font></b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (</span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">Berlin</span></font></b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">). So there was no
need for any decision-making. Although fabulous Gerard Muller stood up
and reminded me to stop....and breathe....and ask one more time if there was
anyone else thinking of inviting the WOSonOS to their country. I bow to
you, Gerard. The silence was nutritious. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">As it turns out, nobody else came forward. So
we celebrated our next 2 years of hosts (!!! 2009 Taiwan !!! !!! 2010 Berlin
!!!), and at the end of the conference as is our tradition the 2008
(San Francisco) Host Team passed the lovely WOSonOS talking stick to the 2009
(Taiwan) team.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">So. </span></font><b><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">My thoughts for your discussion are...</span></font></b></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">As Access Queen, I often think of 'what
will help different kinds of people participate if they have a passion to do so'.
I do not get to all the WOSonOSs in person, but I know it is very very powerful
to receive an invitation from a potential Host Team in person
to get a sense for their country, their culture, their personality. And
powerful to make decisions in person with whoever comes - with conversation,
and listening, in-person. I am not sure how one would get such an
amazing, experiential sense of someone inviting especially someone from
another culture and country in written form only. Especially if
their home language is not in English, as this list conversation usually is.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">However sometimes I wonder if there would be
a way to bring the invitations to the larger OS community including those
of you who cannot come live to the WOSonOS.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am guessing there are some of you who feel
'it is just fine that whoever comes to any given year's event in
person collectively hears these invitations and decides / agrees on the future
year(s) locations.' You are fine with a diverse group of colleagues
being there to hear and feel and taste and sense what future potential hosts
are offering. You are like the butterflies in the room.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am guessing there are some of you who feel
'I would like to be included too and I do not get to go to these live
events. I wish there was a way I can be included'. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Maybe some of you feel both of these things
at once.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I do not have an answer and I for
one am one of those people who is fine with whoever being there getting to make
a decision. That is how I have experienced and enjoyed many Open Space-like
organizations' or communities' decision-making processes. They
use each others' energies and participation in that fluid and trusting
manner, and whoever is at a given meeting gets to make the decisions, whether
all are present at that meeting or not.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">However: I want to invite you to share your
thoughts, dear colleagues. As I am just one person. And I feel like there
is a conversation here that is waiting to happen.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I look forward to hearing the conversation,</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Lisa</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<pre><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">** You can find the brief notes from that recent international call in our own June archives (see below my signature for the web address for the OSLIST archives), or take a look at the complete notes for each of those phone meetings at <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/cgi/netwiki.cgi?WorldOSonOS" target="_blank">http://www.openspaceworld.org/cgi/netwiki.cgi?WorldOSonOS</a> </span></font></pre>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="black" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;">___________________________</span></font></p>
<p><b><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue; font-weight: bold;">L
i s a H e f t</span></font></b></p>
<p><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue;">Consultant,
Facilitator, Educator</span></font></p>
<p><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue;">O p e n i n
g S p a c e</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net" target="_blank"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">lisaheft@openingspace.net</span></font></a></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.openingspace.net" target="_blank"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">www.openingspace.net</span></font></a> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br></div></div>-- <br> <br>Michael Herman<br>Michael Herman Associates<br><br><a href="http://www.michaelherman.com" target="_blank">http://www.michaelherman.com</a><br><a href="http://www.ronanparktrail.com" target="_blank">http://www.ronanparktrail.com</a><br>
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