Harrison -<br>Inviting people to live the Open Space principles and the Law of 2 Feet throughout the conference and beyond was my invitation. Doug said it was a little sneaky; Harrison said the whole thing becomes rather subversive: "Stealth OST". No criticism intended and none taken on my part. But it got me thinking and then grinning like a Cheshire cat.<br>
<br>Well the irony of it all is that OST is all about that. The beauty is its simplicity and covertness. It worked for me by awakening my activist soul and putting the conformist me in a box somewhere. Being French, I'd say that OST can be the Bastille of Independence, Freedom, and Choice...the thing that awakens the dormant "passion" and "personal responsibility" in individuals. Society and companies do not easily embrace the chaos, confusion and conflict that you describe in Wave Ride often preferring the Closed System Hoax with its illusion of control and predictability rather than the messy alternative. Not working so well these days though! <br>
<br>Now back to those 4 simple principles with the Law of 2 Feet, the Butterfly and the Bumble Bee and what they stir "inside" people when you let yourself experience them cause you can't really know it by reading it. They awaken feelings, emotions, connections, thinking on a more conscious and unconscious level, listening, participating, sharing, authenticity, fun and the list goes on -- all of the stuff that we are taught to control and contain. And then surprise, once that's released, creativity emerges, purpose, action and results which come under that beautiful law of nature called self-organizing --nothing new, always been there. OST I think invites this hope and magic back into our being and our lives. Sneaky, subversive, stealth....yes indeed! Fitting reflections for this Labor Day Weekend 2009! Thanks guys!<br>
<br>Suzanne<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 7:46 AM, Harrison Owen <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hhowen@verizon.net">hhowen@verizon.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;">
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<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Suzanne --</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">So you had fun! Great!! And as I read
along I had this strange sense of déjà view all over again, to quote the great
Yogi. This is where we started with improvements!! OST was born out of the
recognition that the really juicy part of a large conference happened in the
coffee breaks, to which I would add the bar, long walks, and just hanging out.
Sure there were formal presentations and elaborate processes to include people,
expand people, transform people. But for the most part the formal sessions
provided stuff we had heard before or could have read in a book, and all the elaborate
processes seemed great at the start, but simply couldn’t hold a candle
compared to a good conversation at the bar or wherever. </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">My learning from your experience for which
I thank you – is that the good old informal, self organizing system is
alive and well, and it will function regardless of all efforts to structure and
control. And if you offer a little support (your “anywhere, anytime
sessions”) it only gets better. Doug is right – the whole thing
becomes rather subversive. You might call it Stealth OST.</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">My real learning is that we haven’t
invented a thing. “It” (self organizing systems) always was. We may
acknowledge its presence, support its process, but at the end of the day –
it will do just fine all by itself. Of course it would feel better if folks
stopped trying to organize a self organizing system.</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Harrison</span></font><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"></span></font></p>
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<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Harrison Owen</span></font><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"></span></font></p>
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<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Website <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com" target="_blank">www.openspaceworld.com</a> </span></font><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"></span></font></p>
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<p><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">OSLIST</span></font><font color="navy" size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font><font color="navy"><span style="color: navy;">To
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<p><b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; font-weight: bold;">From:</span></font></b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> 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>Suzanne Daigle<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Thursday, September 03, 2009
6:00 PM<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> Not ideal but worth the
effort</span></font></p>
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<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Back from
Boston after
facilitating “A<font color="red"><span style="color: red;"> <b><i><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Taste</span></i></b></span></font>
of Open Space” at the NAMAC (National Alliance for Media, Arts and
Culture) Conference. This was my first large event (300+ participants);
did not have that much lead time to prepare; and the circumstances were less
than ideal: blended with workshops, no opportunity to sit in a circle and for a
while, I worried about wall space and ability to use masking tape on the walls
of this ornate room in a historical hotel. We used blue painters’ tape. </span></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Looking
back, I would not have traded a minute of this experience. Yes, it could have
been so much better but ultimately it was worth it based on the number of
conversations (20 – 25…more?) over the 3 days of the
conference. I had 90 minutes on the first morning with the plenary group
to OPEN SPACE: announce the OS question tied to their theme (Lisa Heft was so
helpful in offering some ideas with lots of other invaluable tips too), to
explain the principles and the Law, to build an agenda, and to open a marketplace.
Within an hour, no less than 15 groups were talking. I called it the
Speed Dating of OPEN SPACE clearly indicating that this was just a “TASTE
of Open Space”. I said it would be an opportunity for them to find each
other quickly by connecting with others who shared their passion on common
topics. </span></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I thought
I would be a basket case but somehow having meditated twice daily for the 10
days preceding this event, rehearsing on my outside patio over and over,
scouring Diane Gibeault’s training materials, reading everything I could
get my hands on and seeking help from some OS trusted friends who were so very
generous, I felt calm, clear and grounded. It wasn’t about me; it
was about the participants! The night before, working with a few volunteers, I
took the time to quietly walk the room and did so again the next morning.
And I thought of this audience and my passion for their cause – free
press, documentary film producers, youth, arts, media, culture, democracy, etc.
The hardest part was not having the circle and people writing and posting
the topics at the back of the room. Clearly all the OS practitioners are right
that you NEED a circle to keep the energy focused in the middle in spite of the
fact that I had them visualize a giant circle as part of my intro. Not the
same…at all! As people were writing and announcing their topics,
many started conversations around their tables and I had to bring them back to
attention a few times. I feel we could have had 60 to 75 topics in those
first 15 minutes instead of the 30 we got. Others topics were added later
and some folks posted Summary Reports from their discussions.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Over the
3 days, there were six 90 minute OS timeslots on the program not including the
Closing (no circle there either). What I invited people to do was to live
the 4 Principles of OS and the Law of 2 Feet (Butterfly and Bumble Bee)
throughout the conference and even beyond. We had blank post-it notes so
they could schedule their sessions anytime, anywhere and they did: in the coffee
shop, in the bar (15 people form 10 pm until past midnight), early morning and
lunchtime as well as in the assigned locations in our plenary room which became
the OPEN SPACE hub. What they said they appreciated most was the gift of choice
and freedom.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As I watched the conversations happening from afar, I felt such
gratitude to have had the courage to do this. People came by to share quietly
as I cleaned up coffee cups, trash, etc. The feedback was extremely
positive and while I know it could have been better, my commitment to be
“opening space” for people wherever and however I can from the
heart is what drives me now. Yes I will always push for optimal
conditions as I feel I must. But if I can’t get there, I will just try to
do my best and not shut the door. If anyone wants to know more,
I’ll gladly share all that I lived and felt during those three
days. I owe so much to this community. Thank you everyone. </span></font><br>
<br>
Link to some of the NAMAC OS photos: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namac/page5/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/namac/page5/</a><br>
<br clear="all">
Suzanne<br>
-- <br>
Suzanne Daigle<br>
NuFocus Strategic Group<br>
7159 Victoria Circle<br>
University Park, FL 34201<br>
FL 941-359-8877; CT 203-722-2009<br>
<a href="http://www.nufocusgroup.com" target="_blank">www.nufocusgroup.com</a><br>
<a href="mailto:s.daigle@nufocusgroup.com" target="_blank">s.daigle@nufocusgroup.com</a><br>
<br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Suzanne Daigle<br>NuFocus Strategic Group<br>7159 Victoria Circle<br>University Park, FL 34201<br>FL 941-359-8877; CT 203-722-2009<br><a href="http://www.nufocusgroup.com">www.nufocusgroup.com</a><br>
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