I realize that being more specific would have been helpful. The planning work we do is especially important for a conference/meeting within an organization and might be less important for a conference that is for a network of people.
Birgitt Williams -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Birgitt Williams Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 4:10 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: About Themes for Open Space Diana, We, with our work with Working with OST, are some of the people who do work with the client for some time to get the theme right in relation to the number of days for the OST meeting. If the OST meeting is in Harrison's original variant of 2 or 2 1/2 days, the theme can be worked out just as Harrison says because people will generally do what they need to do on day one including any grief work, and then on day two, get on with solutions and creativity. In shorter OST meetings, the way we work with it in our Genuine Contact program, we work in a longer planning meeting with the client to ensure that the theme is right to the length of time of the meeting (a present focused theme if there is a lot of grief work going on and a future focused theme is fine if the organization is at the open space part of the grief cycle). In our experience, it is difficult if not impossible, to work on themes to do with the future, if the present feels hurting. Birgitt Williams www.genuinecontact.net The purpose of the Genuine Contact program is to assist organizations develop as Conscious Open Space Organizations -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 12:00 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: About Themes for Open Space Diana -- I doubt that there is any such thing as a "generic good theme." But I have found that there are some general criteria: 1)Short -- anything more than a half dozen words is usually too long. 2) Always stated as a question -- questions open space. Statements close it. 3) In the language of the people. Every organization or group of people has its own special language and code words. The theme should be stated in that language/words. This is one reason why a great theme for one group will automatically be a dud for another. 4) Cuts to the heart of the matter -- there is a place for diplomatic statement, but not here. Verbal obfuscation rarely arouses passion -- and you want a lot of passion. A really good theme will be so specific to that group that others will simply not notice it, or if noticed then not inspired. My favorite came from the USWEST Open Space done years ago. USWEST (the phone company) was in disastrous shape. Everybody knew it, and this was particularly true in the (US) State of Arizona. Theme was: "Fixing Arizona?" Believe me, attendance was not a problem. We were turning them away. As for passion and conflict -- we had all that in spades. Lot of folks spend a lot of time working on the theme with the client. I can see the sense of that as it provides an essential opportunity to explore the issues and not incidentally to be very sure that the client (group) really wants to take the trip and is prepared for genuine open conversation with no attachment to specific outcomes. All to the good. But when it comes to creating the theme I have found that (typically) 5 minutes will do it. If the reasons for the OS are hot, bothersome, exciting, anxiety producing -- the essential words are usually right on the tip of everybody's tongue. They need only be captured. And if there is no heat, bother, excitement, anxiety -- why bother with the Open Space. Likelihood is that it will be Blah. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 Skype hhowen Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.ho-image.com OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Diana Larsen Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 10:51 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: About Themes for Open Space As I go into planning for an upcoming open space, I want to take a fresh vie of Themes. Try out some heretofore unexplored ways of thinking about themes. Will you help? 1) What are some avenues you pursue when developing the overarching theme for an Open Space? i.e., How do _you_ go about it? Where do you look and listen for a theme that intrigues your desired participants? 2) What have been some of the most evocative themes you've developed or encountered? When have you been hooked by a theme? 3) What forms the essential elements of a theme? Just wonderin' Diana Diana Larsen co-author, _Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great_ (Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2006) www.futureworksconsulting.com 503-288-3550 * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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