Hi Michael, I am popping in to say that I had a very interesting lesson in using the "talking stick", and after the lesson I refer to the "input object" or "talking object" and I don't use a stick. Often, what I pass around are my "bells" or an object chosen by the client. Now, on to two stories.
The Canadian government had hired me to facilitate a large conference of 300 people. Indigenous Peoples made up one-third of those gathered. The event was three full days, with a weighty topic. After lunch on the third day was scheduled for the closing circle. I placed my talking stick in the center of the circle of chairs before the people returned. As they were coming into the meeting room, all of the Indigenous People stopped at the door and wouldn't come in. I assumed the problem was that I was using a talking stick and they didn't want a non-native to use it. however I was wrong. They were fine for me to use the stick. The problem was that they assumed I was going to start a talking stick ceremony and it could take days. Because they had flights to catch, they didn't want to dishonor the talking stick by entering and then leaving such a short time later as they respected the time it would take to do a talking stick ceremony. Since that time, I have not used a talking stick, substituting a different object. Next story. A wonderful group of people in Nigeria who were learning how to work with Open Space Technology. In the circle, I introduced the "talking object". Silence descended and finally one person spoke up. But Ma'am, the object doesn't talk. Someone else rescued the moment, as I was unsure of what to say. The recommendation was that from that moment on, the object be referred to as an "input object" , with the observation that the object was inviting the person who held it to give input to the whole circle of people. I liked that a lot. The group in Nigeria also taught me to say "You are welcome into the circle" instead of my prior choice of "I welcome you into the circle". in genuine contact, Birgitt [image: Picture] *Birgitt Williams* *Senior consultant-author-mentor to leaders and consultants * *Specialist in organizational and systemic transformation, leadership development, and the power of nourishing a culture of leadership.* www.dalarinternational.com >> Learn More & Register <http://www.dalarinternational.com/upcoming-workshops/> for any of our upcoming workshops here. PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613 Phone: 01-919-522-7750 Like us on Facebook <https://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=6677c35b38&e=e7zyhHfiqG> Connect on LinkedIn <https://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=c26173f86b&e=e7zyhHfiqG> On Wed, Aug 17, 2022 at 6:15 PM Michael M Pannwitz <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear Thomas in Sweden, > > alter Schwede (gosh), what is "inviting/using a talking object for the > speaker"(and inviting the others to be respectful listeners)? > Maybe its the 32 Celsius in this part of the world that disables my > mind/understanding. > > I guess you are referring to passing a talking stick in the closing circle > of an ost event? If that is not the case, read on anyway. > > In that situation, if I recall correctly, I never asked folks to be > "respectful" listeners in a closing circle in my role as facilitator. > Mind you, in other roles it could slip into my language... > > Last time I sat in a closing circle in the role of facilitator was 2012. > (It was also in Berlin and definitely not 32 Celsius, in fact, this > particular sponsor had his events always in January or February, see here > > https://openspaceworldscape.org/events?tag=&q=NACOA&commit=Search > > > I recall what I usually said before passing the talking stick (by 2012 and > earlier I had stopped using the holy talking stick I was given by Canadian > colleagues at the WOSonOS in Toronto in 1997, a small piece of charred wood > that was part of a very old oak... this oak originally was doomed to be cut > down to make room for the Scarborough Civic Center in Toronto but saved by > very concerned folks who convinced the architect, Raymond Moriyama, to > build the center around the oak... not long after that was completed the > oak was hit by lightening and caught fire... everyone who was part of the > initiative to save the oak received a small piece of it... it was so > powerful that everytime I used it I had to cry and others in the circle > apparently, too... I wrapped this powerful talking stick in a cotton bag > and its been sleeping there since then). > Oh no, I keep indulging in my passion to writespeak ad infinitum. Sorry. > > Ok, here is what I said in the os in 2012 with 200 participants at the end > of a three day event in my role as facilitator at the closing circle ritual: > > "This talking stick works like this: Coming your way you don't think > about anything beforehand. When it reaches you, hold it, and hold it for > a moment. Don't pass it on right away, just hold it for a moment. And > then if something surfaces, you say it. And the others listen. And if > nothing surfaces, we listen into the silence. And if you say something > from the heart, then we listen with our hearts." > (I also remember now, that these words, spoken after the 200 had entered a > phase of silence, intensified the silence widening the space for listening, > speaking, reacting in non-verbal interventions, singing a song, getting up > and bowing into the circle...) > > Right, I introduced them into the ritual in a way one might speak to an > actor before the take. > It worked this last time in 2012 and had worked every time before without > me requesting respect or other such stuff. > > Respectfully yours and hoping you are in a cool nook in Sweden and all > the best for your motorbike ride to the WOSonOS in Bilbao at the end of > September with Jo > see here > > https://www.openspaceworldmap.org/worker/jo-topfer > > > and maybe some of the others I have seen coming to European OSonOS > (Learning Exchanges) such as the biker Andrea from Italy, riding his bike > all the way from Italy to Utrecht/Netherlands in 2013 see here > > https://www.openspaceworldmap.org/worker/andrea-moretti > > > Love and Peace > mmp > > This email above is in response to what Thomas in Kungsbacka/Sweden wrote > to Michael in Boise/USA in the string started by Christine Koehler in > Paris/France: > 5 days OST in 3 langages. Practical and general considerations > > "Wow Michael, this makes so much sense and I experience it stronger every > time when inviting/using an talking object for the speaker (and inviting > the others to be respectful listeners) – both in-person and online. > Powerful, beautiful and healing for the soul, I believe. > Thomas" > > Michael M Pannwitz > Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany > +49 30 7728000 [email protected] > > See the Open Space World Map with 511 Open Space Workers living in 77 > countries and active in 142 countries worldwide: www.openspaceworldmap.org > > And see books/ebooks and task cards on open space and other related > treasures, most in German, some in English, some > multilingual:https://www.westkreuz-verlag.de/de/Kommunikation > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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