As I read your inquiry I am thinking:<br><ul><li>Do the group feel safe enough to be open with each other?</li><li>Maybe some pre-OST warm up which builds clarity around the aim of the day?</li><li>Did you get them to sign up for the topics they are interested in, even ones happening at the same time?</li>
</ul><br>May or may not be of any use, Smiles Bhav...<br><br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 5 March 2013 05:45, Lourdes Adriana Diaz-Berrio Doring <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:adriana@diazberrio.com" target="_blank">adriana@diazberrio.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Lisa: Thank you for all this sharing, you make me fell safe, it is<br>
strange but that is how reading this makes me fell, I fell that open<br>
space is something that you get to understand much better when you<br>
accumulate experience as you have and I like this explanations that<br>
are precises, clear and very helpful to me.<br>
Adriana<br>
<br>
2013/3/5 Lisa Heft <<a href="mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net">lisaheft@openingspace.net</a>>:<br>
<div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">> Celia - thank you so much for sharing your reflections, observations,<br>
> learning and interest with us. We all learn together, in this sharing.<br>
><br>
> So many things can affect how a dialogue-based event goes, Open Space or<br>
> otherwise.<br>
><br>
> I agree with what brother Chris and others say about invitation - to me,<br>
> invitation - is an essential, important, key part of any dialogue-based<br>
> event. Messaging, strategy, how, whom, why, giving enough advance time for<br>
> people to plan for attending, and many other things. Pre-registration is<br>
> also useful - finding out about people, engaging them with outreach and<br>
> relationship during and after the registration process, and so on.<br>
><br>
> Then there is the selection of what process best fits the overarching<br>
> objective (reason for this particular meeting), Open Space or otherwise.<br>
> Based on an analysis of why, for whom, to what end, context, what came<br>
> before and what follows, how will the information / ideas / relationships<br>
> generated at this event be used post-event, and so on. Then the choice of<br>
> best-fit process to fulfill that - plus documentation design to support<br>
> that, and so on.<br>
><br>
> Then there is the way - if Open Space is the process that fits the situation<br>
> - how we explain the Principles and Law, how we hold the space, and so on.<br>
><br>
> Harrison is correct - there is hierarchy and cultural reasons for being not<br>
> used to self-organization, education systems that do not engage people in<br>
> critical thinking or dialogue, power dynamics - across all cultures. Not<br>
> just Kenya.<br>
><br>
> And there are other cultures where people are expected to be paid for things<br>
> - take for example some clients of some NGOs for whom vouchers are given so<br>
> they can attend, or for whom meals or child care or bus money is offered so<br>
> they can attend... But this in itself does not seem to change the dynamics<br>
> of engagement. It just changes who attends and who cannot or who chooses not<br>
> to.<br>
><br>
> I have facilitated Open Space in Mozambique and South Africa and other<br>
> dialogue-based processes in Zambia. I have not worked yet in Kenya. All has<br>
> gone very well, no problem with culture and and not only that: Open Space,<br>
> when it has been used - has broken through power dynamics and hierarchal<br>
> dynamics and intercultural differences and class and academic level and<br>
> everything else. So I do not see it as different in Africa - although of<br>
> course wherever we work - whomever we work with - it is important to be<br>
> aware of our own cultural filters, expectations and lenses. But Open Space<br>
> itself has a way of working even if we are not the same culture as the<br>
> people for whom we facilitate - because the facilitator very quickly becomes<br>
> invisible - though completely present.<br>
><br>
> There is also the idea of timing. In so many countries such as so many<br>
> African countries - the time of elections is fraught with memories of<br>
> violence and corruption and grief. Could this event have been timed at the<br>
> right time? Would another time of the year have been best?<br>
><br>
> There is also the question of - was it full, complete form of Open Space -<br>
> or was it compressed into a very short time, was it not the complete form,<br>
> and so on - because if not, that can change the dynamics, productivity and<br>
> results.<br>
><br>
> A million questions. A million things for you to share and explore.<br>
><br>
> What does all of our sharing of ideas and questions bring up for you? Upon<br>
> reflection, what would you yourself say? What are your theories about why it<br>
> may not have worked, or worked in the way you thought it would?<br>
><br>
> You teach us so much, in your discovery and learning,<br>
><br>
> Lisa<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
</div></div><div class="im HOEnZb">> _______________________________________________<br>
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<br>
<br>
</div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">--<br>
<br>
Adriana Díaz-Berrio Ph.D. CRHA<br>
(514) 739 2268<br>
<a href="http://www.diazberrio.com" target="_blank">www.diazberrio.com</a><br>
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