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Hi Lisa,<br><br>
Yes, I completely agree with your summary of essential aspects of Open
Space. And that we should only call it Open Space when it is.<br><br>
Very important what you say about the presence of the facilitator. Like
the unconditional trust that the participants will do what is right for
them and their purpose. Like being there without doing very much - just
holding space. These things have a great influence in face-to-face
facilitation, but they are very subtle and hard to record or measure. At
the same time, they are a key difference between good meetings and great
meetings. So I would like to look for ways to build this into the design
of the system. I have no idea yet how to do this, but maybe others
do.<br><br>
Koos<br><br>
At 23:51 29-8-2012, Lisa Heft wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">I am glad of this part of the
conversation - I think it is truly useful to know 'inside and out' the
human dynamics of what someone sees, moves like, feels in face-to-face
interaction and facilitation - in order to design virtual and other
technical tools to approximate that. And important to know what one loses
or gains in human dynamics, inclusion and interaction - when one adjusts,
hybridizes, stretches or omits any part of a process.<br><br>
Koos, thanks for your kind words - and I look forward to seeing you at
the WOSonOS. I have a very nice photo of you at WOSonOS 2003 as a group
of one. It makes visual to me a lovely reflective moment.<br><br>
It's interesting to think how - in Open Space we honor the visionary -
the group of one. Who is encouraged to explore and write their thoughts
even if nobody else comes to their discussion. How to support and honor
that person in this online / phone call environment.<br><br>
It is also interesting to think of multiple modalities - how different
individuals absorb and exchange data / sensing / communication / feeling
in a face-to-face event.<br>
Online: often people who do are not of the culture to hang out in online
spaces disappear from the process or the conversation - because they
cannot 'feel' it. Which is why facilitation online is more than just
setting up rooms where people can go. Good facilitation online highlights
what's happening to those who may not have the ease or culture to go seek
it. So I like these ideas about making so many things visible and visual
for the not-usually-online sorts of people.<br>
Also some people do not absorb much orally - or via text - but instead
absorb and navigate kinesthetically, relationally, graphically.<br>
One of the basic approaches to designing a learning environment (for
example) are to design everything everywhere to include multiple
modalities (kinesthetic, relational, audio, text, graphic, reflective
thinking / silence and so on) - to include / welcome / honor people who's
mode is not text-based, computer monitor-based, audio.<br><br>
Something else to consider - this is personally important to me as I like
to call tools by their names so non-facilitators can understand and
access what they will need for different tasks and deliverables - and I
imagine important to you, Brian, so you do not call some new product by a
name that implies otherwise: When can it be called 'Open Space' and when
has it morphed to become some very lovely facilitated / interactive /
dialogic process - but no longer namable as 'Open Space'.<br><br>
This is true for what we do face-to-face and what we create
online.<br><br>
There are so many great things facilitators do that include a group
co-creating an agenda, or breaking into small groups and being able to go
from group to group, or posting things on walls, or sitting in circles.
And they work. But they tend to work differently / hold together
differently / have different deliverables and dynamics than Open
Space.<br><br>
And whenever I have heard from someone who said, 'Yes, we did Open Space
and it did not work at all / felt funny / was rushed / had no 'there
there' - it turns out that it was a few parts of Open Space-like stuff -
but not the full form. <br><br>
When I say 'Open Space' I mean its complete form. Otherwise I drop the
name and that is fine, also. But I do not call something l-i-k-e Open
Space, 'Open Space'.<br>
Just as I do not call something l-i-k-e World Cafe, 'World
Cafe'.<br>
Important for me to know that clients and others using these tools know
what they are picking up and applying - just as it is to know what a
hammer or a sewing needle do. What tool for what job / what deliverables.
Especially when dealing with humans and their time and their emotions and
their important work and interactions.<br><br>
So what is the form which we can name as Open Space? <br>
You may feel differently than me, dear colleagues, and I welcome your
other opinions, whether I may agree with them or not.<br>
I think - as a learning community - our periodically exploring this can
help Brian and others know when to not name the final product 'Open
Space' but to find some other great name - or to not use a process name
at all.<br><br>
I will begin here and see what you think:<br><br>
What is Open Space?<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>- Opening Circle including the naming and posting of
participant-driven topics <br>
<dd>(hopefully not rushed, to include the reflective thinkers as much as
the quick-responders; not voted on, crowd-sourced or clustered - so even
the visionary thinker's topic has equal presence and even a group of 1 is
valued; ideally not done in advance of the circle - so people can 'play
off of each others' energies and ideas rather than just get their stuff
up there)<br><br>
<dd>- Principles and law<br>
<dd>(ideally with explanations that honor the group of one / visionary
thinker and the self-care-as-productivity that the principles and law
invite)<br><br>
<dd>- a participant's ability to move between groups, and to have side /
butterfly conversations; ability to 'see what is happening in the
room'<br><br>
<dd>- facilitator not as an interventionist or 'helper'<br>
<dd>(more visibility than usual may be necessary online to equal the
non-interventionist presence / holding space an Open Space facilitator is
and does)<br><br>
<dd>- continuous session times <br>
<dd>(what I mean by that: not a one hour here, then another hour the next
day sort of thing) and (if possible) multiple session times <br>
<dd>(Michael - this is for the meeting part - I understand what you are
saying for the open open ongoing space you mention. And yes: a bit
trickier across international time zones but I agree Koos - bounding the
time does its part to create the container even with the flexible
participant-driven whenever-time within the container)<br><br>
<dd>- Closing Circle for comment and reflection<br><br>
<dd>- documentation of the conversations so more than just the members of
a group get to learn from each other; so participants can reflect upon
and integrate their learning post-event<br>
<dd>(participant-driven documentation of some kind - any kind - is such
an amazing and natural output of Open Space that is different than other
dialogic process - I would hate to lose this part - though I am not
attached to its being disseminated to participants 'before they leave'
the event - to me, it can also happen post-event)<br><br>
</dl><br>
I know that many OS events are wonderfully successful without what I
personally see as ideal. But those are often the times when I drop the
name.<br>
Again: I welcome others' completely different opinions and experiences. I
welcome great new designs and processes. Including new tools and
processes that take their inspiration from other great tools and
processes.<br>
And: I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the naming of things,
dear colleagues.<br><br>
Lisa<br>
<br>
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