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Hello Rob,<br><br>
Congratulations on your first!<br><br>
The way I look at it is that in preparing for an Open Space gathering, I
create a sturdy and safe container in which the process can unfold. Once
the process is unfolding, I let it go. The only thing I watch for is if
the space feels still open. So if people try to take over the process, I
encourage them to do their thing inside the process, as a session in the
Open Space. That usually works well. That is the only thing I stick my
nose into. Anything else is off limits for me.<br><br>
If people take long breaks and don't go back to their sessions (as
happened a few weeks ago) - I let them have their break. After all, Open
Space is supposed to be one big coffee break. And who am I to tell them
to go do something? They decide where and how they are most
productive.<br><br>
So I always try to think what the container needs so that it can be a
safe and productive place for the process to unfold. I think it needs a
clear and compelling theme that is advertised beforehand. It needs the
four principles and the law of two feet. I think it needs an agenda that
is empty at the start and that is filled by the participants based on
their passion and responsibility. I think it needs some structure in time
and space so anybody who wants to be in a specific session knows where to
go and at what time. And it is nice if there is a nice big room with lots
of air and light and a big empty wall on one side and if the management
is open to the outcome of the conference.<br><br>
So maybe I have missed one or two, but those are basically the essentials
for the container. Once I have secured those, I can let the rest go. And
my only task is to watch over this safe place until it is done.<br><br>
I often have the feeling that people in The Netherlands find it rather
difficult to use the Law of Two Feet. I have asked for feedback about my
introduction, and people tell me that I explain it well and that they
understand it and like it. But still they feel inhibited to walk out on a
conversation. I have learned to let that go too. I can do only so much,
after that it is op to the folks themselves. Next time, I may try to put
a few extra posters of two feet around the room, as a gentle reminder.
But if people need the experience of bering bored and feeling unhappy
before they take the hurdle, who am I to take that experience away from
them?<br><br>
Now I think you did pretty well. I think I would have been a bit more
structured with the agenda. And I would have put it on the wall, so it is
easier to take a look at when you are going from one session to the
other. But it sounds like it worked fine! If folks are happy and get
results, that is what counts.<br><br>
Thanks for sharing! Hope to see you at a stammtisch some day.<br><br>
Koos<br><br>
At 12:07 23-11-2011, Rob van der Eyden wrote:<br>
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Hello all,<br>
<br>
I still wanted to share some of my experiences in the Open Space I
facilitated a couple a weeks ago. The event was a ‘Veranderdiner’
(Changediner) that we organize a couple a times a year for a network of
people interested in behavioral change. Topic this time was: ‘What can I
do to make the world a better place?’. About 20 people showed
up.<br>
<br>
We had positive reactions on the event, lively conversations, new people
met. Valuable experience gained in facilitating an Open Space. All good.
About the Open Space ‘technique’:<br>
· We asked the
participants to set up the circle of chairs for them self. Worked really
well.<br>
· The agenda we had lying
on floor in the middle of the circle. After a short introduction, I asked
the participants for their topics / sessions. Lot of (very diverse)
topics were raised, each put an a paper. Each paper was put somewhere at
the agenda, but mostly not at a specific location / timeslot. That was
probably because I did not put post-its on the agenda, that could be
taken by everyone that wanted to host a session (so will do that next
time). So we ended with a stack of topics suggested to be discussed, but
no agenda yet…<br>
· So on to ‘signing up’:
based on the discussion on the OS List, I decided to ask the participants
to sign up for the topics they were interested in by putting their name
on that paper. Result? Nobody did that, but the buzz did certainly get
going. And probably a bit different than it should, because we did not
have clear topics assigned to location/timeslot. I ‘managed to’ leave it
to the group to figure it out. There were some participants that started
trying to organize the whole thing (“let’s do it like this…”), but in
some way several groups formed about some topics (which were probably all
different from the ones posted in the first run) and they got to work and
have a good time.<br>
· I did feel some
struggle within me during the event. Before we got started one of the
participants told me about a (to me very good and clear) topic he wanted
to discuss, but for some reason he did not raise it in the group, but
chose to raise another topic (to me very vague). I felt some regret,
decided to let it go, but when another topic related topic came up, I did
make a reference. That went nowhere, so probably I should have stayed out
in the first place. Later when I listened in to some of the
conversations, I got the feeling that some participants were more
involved than others, so I started wondering ‘why don’t they use their 2
feet?’ and ‘should I remind them about that possibility?’ I did not. Any
other experiences on that? I had the idea that participants still feel it
as not done / not polite to leave a session… Guess I am still
trying to find the balance letting the group do it themselves and trying
to influence / taking care of the participants <br>
· We closed with a nice
‘talking stick’ closing circle with warm reactions. <br>
<br>
So probably I did not do it all by the book, but still I look back to a
great event and am looking forward to try again ;-)<br>
<br>
Again: thank you all for sharing your thoughts on signing up
earlier.<br>
<br>
Best regards,
Rob <br>
<br>
<b>Van:</b> oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org
[<a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org" eudora="autourl">
mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a>] <b>Namens </b>Rob van
der Eyden<br>
<b>Verzonden:</b> dinsdag 8 november 2011 21:30<br>
<b>Aan:</b> 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'<br>
<b>Onderwerp:</b> Re: [OSList] Signing up for sessions<br>
<br>
Wow! How good to see how ‘alive’ this open space community is. Thank you
all for all your valuable thoughts on signing up. I will try to find my
way based on your suggestions and I will share my experiences with you
afterwards.<br>
<br>
Best regards, Rob<br>
De Veranderarchitect B.V.<br>
Rob A.I. van der Eyden<br>
<i>"Change is disturbing when it is done to us, exhilerating when it
is done by us" (K. Moss Kanter)</i><br>
Parkietstraat 30, 1171 HV Badhoevedorp<br>
<b>M</b>: <a href="tel:%2B31%20%280%296%20512%2072%20127">+31 (0)6 512 72
127</a><br>
<a href="mailto:robvandereyden@veranderarchitect.nl">
robvandereyden@veranderarchitect.nl</a><br>
<a href="http://www.veranderarchitect.nl/" eudora="autourl">
www.veranderarchitect.nl</a><br>
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