Hi, Csaba -
I have had (for example) 850 students in a sports hall, where
chairs were not allowed on the lovely floor.
I do not think concentric circles are required - even though that
is something I try for in other situations. However as we have
shared on this list over the years - a circle feeling / formation
/ presence / indication and working 'in the round' is essential.
I agree with Barry that you can mark the open space in the center
or have volunteers standing on the (their bodies create it)
outline of that free space in the center, to indicate and inform
that people entering the room are invited to be seated (outside /
around that shape). You do the same thing for Closing Circle
comments and reflection.
Csaba - I do not know if your space is similar to other athletic
hall spaces however I find that in a gymnasium or similar space
**sound** and **visibility** and **agenda wall space** are the
main issues.
- sound sounds like it is coming from everywhere
- when someone stands to name a topic, visibility for them and
sound are important because the space plays with sound. If people
are seated (therefore very low) and a bunch of people are
standing waiting to announce their topic - that may block
everyone's vision and it may be hard for them to focus on the
topic convenors' words (given the sound issue). So you might
consider having the topic convenors announce at a place at the
edge of the circle (or two places opposite, with microphones?) in
an aisle so the line of people ready to announce goes down the
aisle instead of inside the circle in front of all viewers.
- If you do decide to set up two announcing stations instead of
one, and because the sound in a sports hall can come over big
speakers therefore sounds like it is coming from everywhere, you
might do something to physically / visually indicate (say, if you
have two positions from where people are announcing their topics)
who is currently speaking. Again: this can help the focus in such
a space - for example you (in the center) could turn to and
indicate whoever speaks next so the audience can get that sense
better.
- Agenda Wall can be hung or placed but sometimes sports hall
walls are not as welcoming to tape and sometimes the halls
themselves are more humid which is also not so good for tape - so
it is a good thing to investigate
Most of all, I may be sharing these ideas based on my own
experiences but of course your sports hall, your own style or
experiences may lead you to do it differently. These are just
some things I have noticed in a gymnasium / sports hall
environment.
One other thing - you may not know who in your group of 270-300
students has visible or invisible physical disabilities - and
when we think of students sitting on the ground, it usually feels
right and good. Ideally, if people pre-register you can ask a
question in the registration process about whether people have
any food needs or mobility or other access issues and mention
that seating for most people will be directly on the floor. If
you cannot do this, it might be great idea for your lovely
volunteers (or you, if you area team of one) to mark some very
clear aisles (any certain kind of tape on the floor allowed?) for
access, notice as people come in if there are people with
wheelchairs or crutches and so on - where would they go? Perhaps
a mat on the floor in one section designated for disability
access, with a few folding chairs on that or room for
wheelchairs?
It both helps the people with diverse physical abilities and
offers the awareness moment to the rest of the student group.
Just an idea.
Cheers from a star-filled early California morning, Lisa
Lisa Heft Consultant, Facilitator, Educator Opening Space
[email protected] www.openingspace.net
Ask me about the The Power of Pre-Work workshop for facilitators
-August 18-20, 2010 - San Francisco and the Open Space Learning
Workshops - October 15-18, 2010 - Medellin, Colombia and December
15-17, 2010 - San Francisco
Join me on OSLIST - the World Open Space community in
conversation (English)
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html and at the
Open Space World Community space (all languages)
http://openspaceworld.ning.com
On Jul 17, 2010, at 2:23 AM, Csaba Lengyel wrote:
Hi all,
We will facilitate an OST event of 270-300 students in a sports
hall, where it is not possible to bring in chairs. Here comes a
question, how can we set up the opening circle? Participants
will sit on the floor (they are fine with that), but how can we
make sure that they actually for concentric circles?
Have you had any similar experience? Or have you got just some
idea, how to solve this issue?
Thank you in advance!
Csaba
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