<p>It seems that there always is ba choice between living as a master of one's own life or a slave.</p>
<p>Our role seems to be a herald of the good/bad news that the choice is open. </p>
<p>Well, what's our choice as a community of Openspacers? ;-)</p>
<p>spark</p>
<div class="gmail_quote">2012. 2. 28. 오전 1:06에 "Harrison Owen" <<a href="mailto:hhowen@verizon.net">hhowen@verizon.net</a>>님이 작성:<br type="attribution"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Well done Peggy – and you really have my curiosity aroused. All about the 1%! I do understand that some significant percentage of the participants (did you say 20%?) appeared “disoriented” – and you are certainly right that a good dose of Freedom Shock can be unsettling, and might be the cause. My problem is that I don’t think I have ever encountered such a situation – at least with the numbers you indicate. This is not to say that every OS I have done had a 100% satisfaction rate, that Freedom Shock didn’t ruffle a few feathers, or that nobody ever left. But honestly, I have never seen anything such as you describe.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Just to be absolutely clear – I am not doubting you for a minute, nor am I even vaguely suggesting that you are somehow “inadequate” as a space opener. I’ve known you too well and too long to even suspicion that. So what’s the difference. What have I missed?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">It could well be that my own powers of observation are less than acute, or if acute, then blinded by a natural bias – believing that everybody MUST love OS. All possible, but even with a with a very dark pair of rose colored classes, I don’t think I would miss 20-30% of the folks walking out.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">The closest thing to what you describe that I ever experienced came in two rather strange, and never to be repeated situations. The first was not an Open Space per se, but rather a training program back in the days when I offered a whole mess of lectures and a little bit of Open Space. Hopefully I can be forgiven, but that is what “training programs” used to be, so we all thought. In the case, a substantial number of the attendees had come with the explicit purpose of discrediting Open Space and substituting their own understanding of what training and facilitation was all about. Needless to say I didn’t have a clue when we started that was the situation, but I sure found out – and once the cat was out of the bag I simply took a walk (Law of two feet) telling all the participants that when they figured out what they wanted to do, and if wanted me to be a part of it – just let me know. It was all very interesting, and in a very curious way – total open space!<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">The second situation occurred rather early on in my Open Space journey. A group of trainers and facilitators asked me to “demonstrate Open Space.” Not knowing any better, I asked them to come up with some sort of theme and “we did it.” We sat in a circle, created a bulletin board, opened a market place – and everybody left -- muttering, “Is that all there is?”<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Never again!<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">One thing I have thought of which might be the difference is that in virtually all cases (certainly in the last 20 years) when somebody comes to me they want an Open Space. Or putting it the other way around, it is never the case that I was trying to convince somebody to use Open Space. Indeed there have been any number of situations where after talking to the people I suggested that they go out and see if they can figure any other way to achieve what they had in mind. Should they run out of options please to come back and I would be happy to talk. Just for the record, the return rate was about 50%.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">So what do you think?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Harrison<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Harrison Owen<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">7808 River Falls Dr.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Potomac, MD 20854<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">USA<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Camden, Maine 20854<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Phone 301-365-2093<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">(summer) 207-763-3261<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com" target="_blank">www.openspaceworld.com</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="http://www.ho-image.com" target="_blank">www.ho-image.com</a> (Personal Website)<u></u><u></u></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 OSLIST Go to:<a href="http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></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"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> <a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org" target="_blank">oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org" target="_blank">oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Peggy Holman<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, February 27, 2012 1:23 AM<br><b>To:</b> World wide Open Space Technology email list<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [OSList] Teach Them to Fish / A Note to My Friends<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal">
<u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">I'd like to dive under the metaphor of "distributing fish" when opening space. What I'm about to say may be controversial, but I think it's a discussion worth having.<u></u><u></u></p>
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">As background, when I first started opening space, I always jumped right in. Ninety-five percent of the time, following a few words from the sponsor, I still do. I want to be clear that the reflections that follow involve a narrow set of circumstances -- say 1% of the time -- when I have found it useful to give away some fish.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">In that 1% of cases, jumping into Open Space left a sufficient number of people confused, out of focus, and unsure why they had come that I think it reduced the potential of the experience for everyone. I'd describe most of these situations as high in "freedom shock" -- a wonderful term that Harrison coined to describe, in his words, "the reaction of a very bright, experienced group of professionals who had suddenly been granted everything they wanted with no strings attached, and it seemed to terrify them".<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">So when the conditions are ripe for a lot of freedom shock -- say, 20-25% of participants -- I think it's useful to give away a few fish. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I'm offering my reflections on What does it mean to distribute fish? When does it makes sense? How do you do it?<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I would love to hear how others see it.<u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><i>What does distributing fish mean to me?</i><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">It means setting the context with why are we here and who is here with more than a few words from the sponsor. It doesn't take much but, I have found circumstances in which setting the stage makes a world of difference for the effectiveness not just for an event, but for what happens afterwards. Far more go fishing on their own and with newfound partners when they've been fed a few fish and learned something about fishing.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><i>When does it make sense to distribute fish?</i><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">
<span>I first ran into the need through the early Journalism That Matters events (<a href="http://journalismthatmatters.org/events-notes/" target="_blank">http://journalismthatmatters.org/events-notes/</a>), which brought together the "whole system" of journalism. When I co-hosted the second and third Evolutionary Salons (<a href="http://www.thegreatstory.org/ev-salon.html" target="_blank">http://www.thegreatstory.org/ev-salon.html</a>) -- wildly open ended explorations of what it means to be conscious agents of evolution, they added to my reflections on the need for some work up front.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Even in these events, most jumped right in and ran with the experience. Yet there was a notable minority, perhaps 1/4 to 1/3, who were so disoriented they left or simply wandered around lost. They couldn't figure out how to navigate the space. Now I can make the case that this was exactly the right outcome. I have no doubt the experience got them cooking. So this isn't about right or wrong. It is about overall effectiveness.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I haven't tried to describe the conditions before now but found them emerging as I thought back on some of the wild rides I've had. When the following conditions are ALL present, giving away fish is useful:<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">* There isn't the infrastructure of an organization or something that provides an implicit context for all that is happening.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal">* The question is "big" -- which can seem abstract or unfocused to some. (Example: What is the new news ecology and how do we create it?")<u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">
* The people are coming together just for the event. While some may know each other, they're all likely to go their separate ways following the experience. When the group is highly diverse, it compounds the situation. (Of course, it also increases the potential of the experience when people have what they need to orient.)<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal">* The majority of people coming have never experienced Open Space or something like it. (So not only is the content, while attractive or they wouldn't be there, a stretch, the form is completely unfamiliar.)<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal">* There's no clear sponsor in the traditional sense -- a senior manager of an organization or an organization that brings an orienting set of assumptions. (Journalism That Matters and the group of us co-hosting the Evolutionary Salons just brought interesting questions.)<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">In short, if the context isn't easily understood, it's the responsibility of the organizers to make it so. <u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><i>How do you distribute fish?</i><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I've run into the conditions I described above when working with ambitious societal questions that aren't anchored in pursuing specific activities. Such circumstances don't lend themselves to experts setting the stage. So I look for ways in which people answer the questions for themselves -- in which they create a context through understanding the mix of intentions present, and who's bringing them.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">In other words, it's still about the people in the room pursuing what matters to them. <u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">
<u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I've used a variety of approaches to accomplish this, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for a half a day, depending on the situation and the desired outcomes: <u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">* People sharing the questions they've brought with each other, sometimes with a World Cafe around the conference theme. Sometimes, when there are some folks who have some deep thinking or practice to offer as inspiration, 2-3 are invited as "conversation catalysts", to talk for a max of 10 minutes each, setting the stage for a conversation in the room. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">* Creating a "who's coming" bio book sent in advance can give people a sense of who's in the room without spending time on introductions. Or we'll provide some means for people to self-identify the roles they play. For example, at a number of Journalism That Matters sessions, we've had stickers for different roles that people could put on their name tags. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">* Setting up a "trade show", where anyone can share their work at a table for an hour or so. It's lively, informal, and people get to spend their time learning about what others are doing. It also clears the way for folks who come with an agenda to loosen their hold on it because they get a chance to tell their story. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">By the time they're done with these types of activities, I find even the most freedom shock prone have gotten enough of a grounding to dive into Open Space.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">All these activities are informed by the assumption that people have the answers within them. They are a way to provide more context when it isn't coming from an obvious source.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">So, that's about it.<u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Thoughts?<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">appreciatively,<u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Peggy<u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">_________________________________<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Peggy Holman<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="mailto:peggy@peggyholman.com" target="_blank">peggy@peggyholman.com</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"">15347 SE 49th Place<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"">Bellevue, WA 98006<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"">425-746-6274<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif""><a href="http://www.peggyholman.com" target="_blank">www.peggyholman.com</a><u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif""><a href="http://www.journalismthatmatters.org" target="_blank">www.journalismthatmatters.org</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Enjoy the award winning </span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/" target="_blank">Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif""> <br>"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become <br>
the fire".<br> -- Drew Dellinger<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif""><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal">On Feb 24, 2012, at 8:06 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:<u></u><u></u></p>
</div><p class="MsoNormal"><br><br><u></u><u></u></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Artur – your point about “teaching” is well taken. And given the state of language at the moment it is doubtless necessary to take the route you have taken in describing the role of teacher-as-mentor/guide. Couldn’t agree more! But wouldn’t it be nice if real teaching could be defined and understood as you have suggested? This whole subject is very pertinent to me at the moment as I am pulling myself together for the upcoming conference Manila on “The Future of Learning.” I have agreed to do a one day dialogue on Learning just to raise and shape the questions – then it is on to the Maine Event which will be 2 days of Open Space. Should be great and we will be having folks from all over Asia. You should come! And by the way so should anybody else on the LIST. Dates are March 27-20 and our hostess in Sharon Chao at SEAMEO-Innotech. For the details contact Sharon<span> </span><a href="mailto:sharon@seameo-innotech.org" target="_blank">sharon@seameo-innotech.org</a></span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Harrison Owen</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">7808 River Falls Dr.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Potomac, MD 20854</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">USA</span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)</span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Camden, Maine 20854</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> </span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""><a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org" target="_blank">oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a><span> </span>[<a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org" target="_blank">mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a>]<span> </span><b>On Behalf Of</b>Artur Silva<br>
<b>Sent:</b><span> </span>Friday, February 24, 2012 8:20 AM<br><b>To:</b><span> </span>World wide Open Space Technology email list<br><b>Subject:</b><span> </span>Re: [OSList] Teach Them to Fish / A Note to My Friends</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">Amen for almost everything! And thank you, Harrison, for reminding us of all this.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""><br><br><br></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">A small observation: I have struggled myself with the same old saying: "instead of giving a fish, teach them to fish". Yes, if you "give a fish" you are patronizing and disempowering the other. But, if you "<b>teach to fish</b>" aren't you also disempowering him?</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">Having done professional training and facilitation (intermittently) for 40 years and teaching at Universities for 20 years, I have come to the conclusion that <b>the role of a Professor is<span> </span><u>not</u><span> </span>to teach</b>. It is to <b>help the students to learn</b><span> </span>and more specifically to "<b>learn how to learn</b>" - anything, anytime, for all their lives... </span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">So it is not "to teach to fish"; it is to help them "<b>to learn</b> (remember?) <b>how to survive</b>". It may be fishing today, hunting tomorrow, cultivating in another day, but especially it will change every now and then, and the student must be prepared to "<b>learn as a way of being</b>" (from the title of a book of your friend Peter Vaill).</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white">
<span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">So, indeed the teacher/professor/facilitator must<span> </span><b>learn how to disappear</b>, so that the student can surpass the master - at least, if he his younger, as he probably will continue to learn for a longer time. </span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""><br><span style="background:white">But this is not a disagreement because - if I understood well - this is exactly what your post says.</span></span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""><br><span style="background:white">Warm regards</span></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
</div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""><br><span style="background:white">Artur</span></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><hr size="1" width="100%" align="center"></span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Harrison Owen <<a href="mailto:hhowen@verizon.net" target="_blank">hhowen@verizon.net</a>><br>
<b>To:</b><span> </span>'World wide Open Space Technology email list' <<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org" target="_blank">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>><span> </span><br><b>Sent:</b><span> </span>Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:31 PM<br>
<b>Subject:</b><span> </span>[OSList] Teach Them to Fish / A Note to My Friends</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><div>
<div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>There is an old saying to the effect that when seeking to help people it is infinitely better to teach them to fish than to give them fish. The point is obvious. When you learn how to fish you can feed yourself. The secondary point may be less than obvious. When you are simply handed a fish the conditions for learned helplessness and continued dependence, to say nothing of subservience are created. Even with the best, most altruistic intentions in the world, a fish handout has its problems. And what does all this have to do with the price of tea in China? Not much, I guess, but I think it has a lot to say about our roles as facilitators.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>One of the things I have always loved about Open Space is that it is not rocket science. Anybody with a good head and good heart can “do it” – a reality which has been proved time and time again. Early on I thought the “magic” lay in the simplicity of the process – but it turned out it was worse than that. There isn’t any process that “We do” – in fact the process does us. Yes, I know – you have heard all this before… self organization at work. We are simply remembering what we already know. But well before I made any connection between Open Space and self-organization, I was struck by its simplicity and universality – it simply worked… everywhere. The immediate impact of this realization was a “tag phrase” I found myself uttering at every opening of space. At the beginning and at the end I told the folks,” There is absolutely nothing that I am doing with you that you cannot do for yourselves.” It was all about teaching fishing.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>As time went along I found myself working the implications of this phrase. Substantively, I told everybody who came to me that, while I would be pleased to open their space, I would do it only once. Should they want to do it again, I would help from the sidelines, and for all subsequent gatherings, they were on their own. A second impact on my practice resolved into a simple phrase: “Think of one more thing not to do.”</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>Having come into the “business” (of facilitation) in the late ‘60’s I found myself in the midst of a flowering of methods, techniques and procedures emanating from the emergent OD movement in all of its manifestations. Suddenly the “simple meeting” became a massive cookbook of possibilities. Warm up processes, Ice breakers for starters. Interventions of all sorts during the main course, with “Kumb’yah” and holding hands for desert. I jest, but only just. Designing such a thing could take months and involve dozens of people. And when it came to the actual meeting it almost seemed that the Conference Committee plus assorted Facilitators outnumbered participants by 2:1. I couldn’t help but wonder…was this trip really necessary?</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>In many ways, Open Space (OST) came to me as an answer to my questing. It is true that two martinis helped and marked the birth, but I think the period of gestation had been going on for a bit. I have joked that my essential laziness was the primal cause, but more basic was a deep hope that there had to be a better way. Was it not possible that human beings could engage in intelligent conversation without “all that stuff?” The gin helped, I suppose – but the answer was ridiculously simple: Yes – Just sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, open a market place, and go to work. All the rest is history, but I wasn’t out of the woods.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>Given my prior experience, to say nothing of the experience and practice of my friends, I just could not believe that something so simple could possibly work without help. Obviously we needed to “prepare” for Open Space. And so I tried any number of warm-ups and ice breakers – trust games, relaxation exercises, visualizations and more. Most were pleasant, maybe even fun – but did they really add value? The only way to find out was not to do them – and find out.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>As often happens, the first iteration of the experiment (dropping stuff) happened quite unintentionally. I was in South Africa in the anxious days immediately post Apartheid. We needed to do an Open Space -- FAST. Nobody had ever heard of Open Space, but they were ready to try anything. So we just did it. No preparation, no warm up, no nothing. Just the barebones: circle, bulletin board, market place and to work. And to work they went! I learned something, which has been confirmed again and again as the experience grew. When space needs to open – Just Do it. But I must confess that holding hands at the end still can feel good, although there is no need to sing Kumb’yah.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>But it wasn’t just the warm ups. As my experience with Open Space was growing, friends and colleagues were creating their own approaches. Diana Whitney and David Cooperrider with Appreciative Inquiry and Juanita Brown with World Café, for example. Wouldn’t it make sense to sequence or combine all these things? We tried, and it was fun – but did it really make any difference? Did the work move more swiftly, were the conversations deeper? Was the follow-on more effective? Despite my best efforts, I could see little if any improvement,<span> </span><u>and I really wanted to</u>. And to the extent that there was a marginal plus, that seemed to have less to do with the cumulative effect of the several approaches – and more to do with the simple fact that people had been together longer. In fact on multiple occasions participants would come up to me to ask why we hadn’t done it all in Open Space? “That is where the cookie really crumbled,” one person said. (Translation: “That’s where the conversation really got real.”)</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>I know this is an argument I can never win. But the truth of the matter is that there is no argument and I have no interest in winning. Each of us must make our own judgment as to what might be the most effective and appropriate in each situation. That said, the fact of the matter is that in 27 years of observation I have never seen any group of people have the slightest bit of difficulty entering into Open Space – even when the topic under consideration was viciously volatile. Always worked, all by itself. I have, to be sure, seen situations where the sponsors (and often the facilitators) were more than hesitant. But for the people themselves – no problem.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>I suppose there could be an argument if my basic concern were to defend this approach (OST) against all others, any combination thereof, or extraneous heterodoxies. Were that the case, I am sure that I could be (should be!) accused of a very biased, proprietary self-interest. But my interest is rather different, and the simple truth of the matter is that I would be delighted if all methods and approaches were simply to disappear – right along with every last Facilitator. Throw out the Tool Box and The Profession! No longer needed. It is all about teaching folks to fish.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>I judge myself and the impact of my work by a single criterion: How fast can I become redundant? How soon can the folks fish for themselves? My task becomes infinitely easier as the simplicity of my approach increases and the necessity to explain fades away. Best of all would be a situation where there is really nothing to explain – just Do it. And then remind the folks that they did it, and can do it again. No more. No less. After that the only thing left to do is post a sign: “Gone Fishing!”</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>Harrison </span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style>Harrison Owen</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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