<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><title>An invitation for future invitations to WOSONOS</title><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body 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'>Pernilla – It always amazes me how simple things complexify and happenstantial acts suddenly become “intricate tradition.” <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'>Back in the day, long ages ago, having an Open Space on Open Space (OSONOS) seemed like a fun thing to do. I think it took me all of 4-5 hours (total) to organize it, and the “fee” for attendance was $25. Actually, truth to tell, I did charge something like $200 for the first one on the grounds that there was some value added on my part. But after the first one, when it became quite clear that I really didn’t do a thing... we got back to something reasonable. That was $25 to cover Post-its, magic markers, News Print, etc. And when it came to figuring out where it was going to “happen” next – the process was indeed elaborate. Some nice soul just said, “Come See us.” If two people had similar inclinations, but different places in mind, who ever spoke second covered the following year. No fuss, no bother and in 10 minutes time the essential arrangements were made. <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'>I don’t know when or how, but things started to drag on. I am sure a lot of folks didn’t see it the same way I did, but I have to confess that I found my two feet working if the discussion of “next place” lasted more than about 10 minutes... being a person of very short attention span. I have been to most OSONOS’s and loved every one. But a few years ago it did seem to me that we were working much too hard. It also seemed that having <b>THE</b> (W)OSONOS was somehow a strangely competitive situation. Definitely working too hard!<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'>As far as I was concerned anyone, anywhere should invite whomsoever to wherever. OSONOS all over! And just to make the point I tried two such things in Camden Maine. OSONOS-by-the-Sea, I called it. I think I broke my record when it came to organizing time. If I said 3 hours, that would be stretching it. We were filled out in about 48 hours and the fee was $25, most of which I gave to Lisa for her good work. When it came to accommodations, I just provided the website of the Chamber of Commerce, and suggested that anybody who was coming might check it out and find a nice bed/meal/front porch. A local parish let us have the use of their Hall (for a small fee) – and we were in business. Actually the fee that they proposed was so ridiculously low that I doubled it – and we still gave most of the money to Lisa! Go figure.<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'>Maybe it is catching? I notice that Andrew Rixon is welcoming folks to Melbourne and I am looking forward to joining Mrs. Song and friends in Beijing shortly. And then of course Manila is upcoming. And what’s happening in Sweden?<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'>This seems to have gone on for a bit. And I do have a bottom line: If it ain’t fun, don’t do it. And if you are working too hard, that definitely begins to cut into the fun. So Pernilla, in an odd sort of way, I just want to get back to basics – Would that be tradition? Make it fun. Make it simple. Open Space wherever you can, and amazing things always happen. The more the merrier!!!!<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><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"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Pernilla Luttropp via OSList<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, September 30, 2015 3:04 PM<br><b>To:</b> OSList@lists.openspacetech.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [OSList] An invitation for future invitations to WOSONOS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Hi all!<br>At the inspiring WOSONOS in Kraków there were some learning conversations on how this community goes about when expressing and accepting invitations from countries/places to host the upcoming WOSONOSes.<br> <br>In the big circle there were voices that expressed some confusion and discomfort with the process. Others said that whatever happened, they would trust the process. There was also the mentioning of ‘traditions’ and the ways things are usually done at a WOSONOS. And the reminder that traditions are made in every single now and ‘Whatever happens is the only thing that could have’.<br> <br><b>If you are new to WOSONOS<br></b>This is how it’s usually done (I think): the countries that wish to host the next WOSONOS makes an invitation at the closing circle of the WOSONOS and the participants are free to accept any of the invitations. The process of accepting the invitation is sometimes done by some kind of ‘voting’ procedure in order to agree on one place. There is often someone who reminds everybody that the only way to ‘vote’ in Open Space is by applying ‘The law of mobility’. There is no need to only have one WOSONOS, there could be multiple since ‘Wherever it happens is the right place’.<br> <br><b>My view<br></b>I am personally very uncomfortable to use the words ‘voting’ or to ‘make a collective decision’ within an Open Space. One of the beauties with Open Space is taking responsibility for your own engagement. If we all share the same engagement we will walk in the same direction, eventually. But sometimes it takes time for things to emerge.<br>If a group decides on voting there are many good methods and it’s of outmost importance for those present to understand what they are about to do, in order to make an informed decision. Is it a majority decision? How many is the majority? What happens if some vote no? Is it possible to have a ballot vote? Is it the role of the facilitator to sum it up and make the final decision? In my view, we can only express our appreciation for the invitation at the Open Space, offer help if needed and make use of the law of mobility. <br> <br><b>An invitation<br></b>This is an invitation to try something else and maybe to let go of a ‘tradition’. What if we opened up at the beginning of the process in order to see how it self organizes at the end?</span> <br><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>There seems to be something unclear about the ‘tradition’ on how to get information about who is inviting and why. If that information were transparent from the very start of the WOSONOS, it might enable more dialogue with the inviting hosts and between the hosts.<br> <br>The countries/places that wish to host a future WOSONOS could post this on the OSLIST and Facebook and send a gentle reminder a few weeks before the upcoming WOSONOS. The inviting hosts would then be posted on a flip chart at the WOSONOS and announced as a session when creating the bulletin board or at the evening news. As always there is the opportunity to add places, sessions and news announcements up until the closing circle, both on the spot and via other ways of communicating. This would make it easier for everyone to approach the hosts, express their delight or ask clarifying questions. It would also enable the hosts (or their representatives) to come together in a session and find out how they would like to do the invitations in the closing circle. Maybe some will wait until next year? Maybe multiple WOSONOSes in one year? Maybe in different continents at the same time? Maybe with different themes/urgent questions? Let’s embrace chaos and see what emerges! Or ‘Whatever happens is the only thing that could have’.<br> <br>Since the closing circle have a more definite dead line than ‘When it is over it is over’, due to flights and other time restrictions, this prolonged invitation process will open up time for more dialogues and invitations. <br>But then again, as said in the closing circle in Kraków, there is nothing like a good mess in order to learn something new </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings'>J<br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><br>Maybe it has been tried before and in that case I’m interested to know how it worked or didn’t work.<br><br>Greetings from Sweden!<br>Pernilla</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>