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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I am never quite sure how you would measure “experts” – by the pound, erg, decibel? But in the average crowd at the average conference (however you define “average”) I would be willing to bet my last peso that that the level of expertise present in that crowd is so vastly in excess of that offered by the so called “experts” as to not even be on the same scale. Knowing a little bit about the Agile world, of which Harold speaks, I think that might be especially true. Given 300-400 geeks sitting in a room over against an “expert” or two – where is the contest? I grant you there are always exceptions, and should that expert carry the name, “Einstein” – or the cyber equivalent – New game. But I think that would be a very rare and exceptional game, and I would love to be there, at the feet so to speak. But for all other situations I think the real issue is how to <i>access</i> and <i>aggregate</i> the expertise in the room. Access, in the sense of making it manifest. And “aggregate” in the sense that the complementary bits and pieces are brought together in new and useful ways – which are always emergent. The point is – the new confections of plans, ideas, theories, hunches, and gut feelings never existed before. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Now back to our “experts.” By definition we know, or at least we think we know, what the expert will bring to the table. It’s been said before, it’s in his/her books. In a word – it is all yesterdays news. I confess to total mystification as to why intelligent sponsors/clients would choose yesterdays news over the emergent cutting edge. After you have gone to all the effort, time, and expense bringing the folks (your employees) together why subject them to something which they could just as well find online or between two covers?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Most clients/sponsors doubtless would not choose the words I will use – But the usual excuse, at least as I have heard it – is that the people are too dumb, lazy, or uninspired to make the effort. Assuming for a moment that this is all true should bring up the question, “Why do you (client/sponsor) think the situation will be any different should you force them in a room to be buried in expertise?” And the usual experience is – No difference.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>And there is a nastier question if all the folks sitting in the room are the employees of the client/sponsor. “If they really are as dumb, uninspired and lazy as you presume –what does that say about your recruitment and employment practices?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Doubtless there are infinitely more diplomatic ways of phrasing all of this, but in my practice, the core message/question is an essential part of the conversations I have with my clients. I grant that it may sound like a suicide mission, but my experience is that if you do it well and with sensitivity, the client will thank you for opening their eyes to new and powerful possibilities, all the while helping them to understand why their efforts to date have been less that efficacious. Granted it can be a little dicey, but nobody ever suggested that opening space for peoples’ lives comes without risk. But it is worth it, I think </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;color:#1F497D'>J</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> And it surely beats having to organize another boring meeting, no matter what the fee.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Harrison<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Harrison Owen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>7808 River Falls Dr.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Potomac, MD 20854<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>USA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Phone 301-365-2093<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>www.openspaceworld.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Consolas;color:#1F497D'>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of <a href="mailto:oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu"><span style='color:blue'>oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu</span></a>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html"><span style='color:blue'>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Harold Shinsato<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, January 10, 2011 12:49 PM<br><b>To:</b> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: OS & Open Conferences<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hi Jon,<br><br>There's been a lot of great responses so far. I'll just add a couple experience points. I've attended several of the Agile Open software conferences held in beautiful Open Space where there are numerous "Talking Head" experts who get paid to present and talk in front of crowds that propose sessions, along with those who just had a good question or hot topic. At these open space tech conferences, often times the presenters will be trying out new ideas, and other times they'll be doing the same song and dance they normally do.<br><br>One advantage of the "experts" in the Agile software development field - they've all had it drilled in them pretty darn hard that unless a talk is interactive it's unlikely to be successful. But I'd still call them "talking head" sessions when the "expert" is clearly in charge of the session room and is talking at least 90% of the time. I still tend to prefer the smaller more interactive sessions that go around in a circle - but there was one expert at one of the Agile Open conferences in San Francisco that definitely held myself and the rest of the audience spell bound at their feet - kind of like Harrison mentioned in one of his replies. I was very glad I showed up for that talk!<br><br>The other data point that is inspired by Peggy Holman's Journalism That Matters conferences - and by the Leadership in a Self-Organizing World conference in 2009. At Missoula BarCamp (an OST facilitated event) we actually flew in a professional artists coach from New Jersey. We let the artists coach talk (along with two others - including the Mayor) for 5 minutes before the OST formally started. After the OST opening, this artists coach posted a couple sessions onto the wall like all the other proposed sessions, and she held a couple a very successful sessions held in parallel with other sessions. It definitely works.<br><br>One thing I will say - it takes a very confident and comfortable "expert" to jump into the fray like this. The expert could find themselves rather humbled if some novice offered more spaciousness and opportunity for learning than they did, and no one came to their expert session - or people came and then quickly exited! But I think such "experts" capable of succeeding in an OST conference are probably the only ones worth their salt.<br><br> Harold<br><br>On 1/10/11 5:09 AM, Jon Harvey wrote: <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Dear all</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I think I have managed to persuade a public conference producer to run (and charge for) one of their conferences using Open Space. I debated with her that the ‘talking heads’ type of conference with a smattering of workshops (which are usually mini plenary sessions too) could be so much more valuable and productive if OS was used. I said I would enquire if anyone else had done this – how did it go – what lessons did you draw?</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>This is something of a gamble I recognise, as this will not be quite the kind of issue that has to be solved yesterday kind of context. (Although given the current austerity measures which are sweeping across the UK public services right now – a lot of things have to be solved yesterday!) Also the people gathered will be a community of interest (ie they will all have signed up to come to the topic in questions) but not a community / group in any other way...</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>So what do people think – can this work – has this worked?</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Many thanks</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Very best wishes</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Jon</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>_______________________________________________________________________________</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>-- <br>Harold Shinsato<br><a href="mailto:harold@shinsato.com">harold@shinsato.com</a><br><a href="http://shinsato.com">http://shinsato.com</a><br>twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/hajush">@hajush</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:windowtext'>* * ========================================================== OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>
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