Hello everyone, this progress report is intended as a giant thank you to everyone who responded to this post and to others who I consulted as I was planning pre-work conversations for a possible Open Space event on Science in October in Washington. Last week, I met face-to-face for the first time with the sponsoring client and a colleague of hers, also a PHD scientist. We spent 2+ days together and it was truly amazing.
I had carefully read everything that everyone wrote in addition to scouring materials on the OS NING pre-work group that Lisa Heft initiated. I’ll admit that I was more than a little nervous at first, a bit intimidated by their many credentials and advanced degrees but within a few hours, I felt quite comfortable and relaxed. I had framed some simple questions under the heading of Purpose, People, Process and Place (borrowing from much that has been said or written in our community), then creating a mind map to guide an exploratory dialogue with them. I had also had a wonderful conversation with Lisa Heft, our esteemed Access Queen who is the leader of pre-work in my book because it is truly her passion and gift. She offered invaluable suggestions with two that were pure gold: 1.To speak in a language that is familiar to them (overarching objectives, desired outcomes, plenary sessions, invitation to have the right tool for our objectives, book of proceedings, reports, dialogue as a tool –the stuff of Open Space really) and 2. Consider doing a simulation of Open Space. Of course, the ripe conditions for an Open Space that Harrison speaks of, which are engrained in us as facilitators, were also in the forefront of my mind. Just as we often meditate as we prepare to Open space, Hold space and Close space, I prepared myself that way with no real attachment to outcome. My goal was to “be” with the client, to listen and hear, be of service and just be myself. I knew I would be asked about action, decision-making and specific outcomes –the stuff of control and predictability that we are always asked about. I was prepared for those questions too though they never seem to go away. The Open Space simulation idea was terrific. As the two scientists were working on the theme in a separate room, I commandeered our small conference room and transformed it into a mini Open Space complete with posters, schedule, post-it notes, masking tape, many chairs in a circle, white paper and markers on the floors, etc. etc. I walked them through the host role which they did beautifully well and then asked them to imagine they were participants sitting in this circle for the first time. In no time at all, there they were on the floor scribbling one topic after another and posting it on the wall. For a few minutes, I even put my facilitator hat aside and began writing topics too. Soon the corner of the wall was just about full. Amazing that in that short time, they got it, enjoyed it and suddenly got excited about what it “feels” like to be in Open Space. They immediately felt the spirit of play and the intensity that comes from publicly announcing our topic and giving yourself permission to follow the Law of 2 Feet. Now I am back home and the next planning stage is well underway with personal and verbal invitations going out and all the other stuff that we do which includes locations, room set-up, dates, etc. If I am grateful now and want to share this with you, it’s because every day in Open Space I am learning so much – Harrison refers to it as a lifetime of learning and I sure hope to live a long life. Learning means there is room to “not know” something that scientists and others, like doctors and leaders can rarely indulge in because society always expects them to know it all and prove it to boot. Hopefully this Open Space will happen and may change how we “do” and “practice” science leaving lots of space for intuition, creativity, innovation and not knowing in order to discover. Again thank you Lisa and others from a most appreciative Suzanne! On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 1:41 PM, Suzanne Daigle <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi everyone! > > Over the past few months I have been working with a Sponsor connected with > international scientists. She is passionate about inviting people to have > new conversations around how we “do” science; how science is funded; the > future of science and education; and the emerging trends leading into the > next era of science. The goal is to experientially engage a highly diverse > group of participants (scientists, policy makers and change agents) in ways > that invite self-organization, collaboration and shared leadership – as > opposed to how people interact in your typical conference. Nationally and > internationally, science faces many urgent challenges not unlike the system > breakdowns that we see in so many areas. Certainly there is a sense that the > basic ingredients for an Open Space are there not the least of which real > issues of concerns, high levels of complexity, diverse groups, great > urgency. That said, the Sponsor feels a certain degree of trepidation about > how independent-minded, self-directed scientists might respond to Open > Space. Not a new question for any of us I know. > > > > It would be helpful if you could share any experiences you’ve had working > with Scientists, globally or nationally. > > Which sectors? Themes? Context? Hurdles? How did it go overall? > > > > Any and all insights appreciated. Will send you buckets of smiles and > sunshine from Florida in return. > > > > Suzanne > > -- > Suzanne Daigle > NuFocus Strategic Group > 7159 Victoria Circle > University Park, FL 34201 > FL 941-359-8877; > CT 203-722-2009 > www.nufocusgroup.com > [email protected] > -- Suzanne Daigle NuFocus Strategic Group 7159 Victoria Circle University Park, FL 34201 FL 941-359-8877; CT 203-722-2009 www.nufocusgroup.com [email protected] * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
