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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Steve<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>I love this story, and your insight.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>I will definitely remember this and try it
out. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>I have run some other kinds of workshops
(not Open Space), where it’s not unusual for people to get in touch with
strong emotion, such as anger. My sense is that people who are very angry,
deep down, really just need a hand on the shoulder or a hug, but the challenge
is getting close enough to them -- without getting hit ;) . Just standing
near them is a good starting point.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>(I would probably one little touch …
that perhaps when standing next to a person in a difficult frame of mind, a
moment or two of silent meditation might be useful. Something about
compassionate intent … and not seeing them as the ‘problem’.)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Your story reminds me of a familiar
scenario in Open Space: Someone charges up to the facilitator, demanding
that some change be made to the format, and when the facilitator says, “Why
don’t you suggest it to the group,” the participant goes away and
does nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>It seems that people have different codes
of behavior, depending on whether they are anonymous (e.g. internet chatrooms),
in public, being seen by someone in authority, seen by the group, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Definitely something to keep in mind …<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Thanks for sharing this,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Marty<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
lang=ES style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>De:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=ES style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">OSLIST</st1:PersonName> [mailto:<st1:PersonName w:st="on">OSLIST</st1:PersonName>@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>En nombre de </span></b>Steve Engle<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Enviado el:</span></b> jueves, 15 de enero de
2009 02:50 p.m.<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Para:</span></b> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">OSLIST</st1:PersonName>@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Asunto:</span></b> [<st1:PersonName w:st="on">OSLIST</st1:PersonName>]
An Experiment in Closing Space</span></font><span lang=ES><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'>Hello, my name is
Steve Engle, I am a recent graduate of the Lisa Heft school of Open Space
facilitation, having happily attended her December workshop in San Francisco.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'>During our
practice Open Space in Lisa's class, one of the sessions discussed the problem
of dealing with personalities that were too big for the Open Space. By
this we meant people who would overpower or otherwise possibly negatively
affect the container. One of the strategies we came up with was from some
reading in some of the OS materials where a facilitator spoke of Closing Space
on potentially destructive personalities to the container by simply standing
near them.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'>Last night I was
attending my daughters High School basketball game, and near us was a parent
who found it necessary to comment loudly and negatively about the quality of
the refereeing. While we could have easily taken on the burden of
ignoring this annoying person, I decided to conduct an experiment, and I
"closed space" on this person by reseating myself right next to
him. I never established eye contact, or spoke to this person, I merely
sat next to him. The result was very successful, and the person's
negative comments ceased.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'>love and light,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'>Steve<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:71.4pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=ES style='font-size:12.0pt'>* *
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