Thank you Gail. This is a great story. Christine described so vividly how to find her own center in the midst of chaos. Great reflection and confirmation of how it always works. Our job is to support the sponsors to trust the process.
從我的 HTC 寄出 ----- 原始郵件 ----- 寄件者:Gail West <[email protected]> 寄件日期:2011年3月2日 上午 10:27 收件者:[email protected] 主旨:Re: [OSLIST] Opening space within conflict Dear Christine, I've just shared your wonderful story with other colleagues in Taiwan/Asia - both your personal journey and the magic created by the group. Great sign of possibility in the midst of the conflict we find all around us. Congratulations! Gail Dear all, It has been a great experience ! Till the very last day before the event, tension has been palpable : articles published condemning not only the goal, but also the event, people taking their organization out of the planning commitee... A few supporting but low voices still came out and finally 130 people had subscribed on the 150 expected.. I wonder how many people there would have been if this community had not been in conflict... On the morning of the event, I was tensed, so I went out for a walk a bit before the start.While walking, I experienced suddenly a deep shivering, and then I was quiet, realizing that I had only to trust the process. Just before going back into the sportshall, I got a phonecall : the sponsor has just received the news that a deputy was coming, and wanted to know when this man could talk... So he talk: 2 mn after the sponsor's introduction ;-) And then I started talking. Everything went fine, I just forgot a few nimor details. Then people started announcing topics : rythm of this group was 2-3 pause then 2-3 pause and again 1 or 2 topics then pause. All important and disturbing subjects came out.They decided to combine many topics, and when discussions began, there were mainly bigs groups, and only 1 or 2 whith less then 10 people. This kept true during the whole event. Around midday, I got a few remarks asking for more structure (interestingly from people I would not have expected to) ;-). But then people self-organized again and went back to their groups, and all conveners gathered to the newsroom to type their reports. Newsroom has been a very active point during all the event, with typing and reading the reports and correcting them and discussing them etc.. people looked for accuracy of reports ! On the second day, there were more bumblebees and many feedbacks of great informal conversations. People were very busy all the time, and 35 topics were documented, creating a 126 pages report of impressive quality. Action planning gave 11 projects, and 9 were actively discussed. Sponsor was amazed : this was the first time for years and years that real cooperation had taken place between all those organizations that were usually either competing or in conflict, and all projects were of great interest for the whole community ( definition of central concepts, organization, communication, ethics, training etc..) Now there are a few articles coming out, I hear the words of "magic" and people start discussing of what they will do from all this.. There should be some pictures coming soon here So magic happened It always works ;-) Christine On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 2:40 PM, christine koehler <chris.alice.ko [email protected]> wrote: Dear all, You really are an amazing community, thank you so much for all your answers and mark of support ! Amazing Lisa, you got it all. Indeed the big issue is about to professionnalize or not, and the community is strongly divided about the question. And indeed stated as it is, it's an outcome...Thanks so much for this. You also helped me clarify the importance of the Book of Proceedings, which I had not seen so clearly. You're right , and I just suggested the sponsor that it be the goal of the OS (luckily all has been organized to make it feasible). I told them that it would be their gift to the community, as a thank you for all participants trusting them and making them the gift of their presence to this OS.Let's see what they say. Thank you all for underlying that words must not become barriers, and that change can be made, even at the very end. Catherine, thanks for your suggestion to make my hat obvious. While I had made it clear from the very beginning with the sponsor that I was there as the facilitator and not mediator (in the beginning they suggested that we present the OS as a mediation, and that I woud be the mediator, so I had to let them understand that it was not a good idea ;-)), it may not be clear for all participants. So at the beginning of my introduction I'll take off my mediator's badge (the one I use at Court) that I will have put on my clothing on purpose. I like this idea ;-) Thanks also for advising me to have a look at Peggy's introduction. I'll look for it. Diane, thanks you for your advice. Indeed, like Michael & the Boscop team showed me so often, I also believe that facilitating an OS event is a team work, and my assistant for this event is a wonderful person that you trained recently in Belgium, Jocelyne. I am confident she will handle perfectly all last time logistical details and problems (which I already handled to her last Thursday to be able to concentrate on facilitation). Christian, I love the citation of William Blake on your website : "there are things known and there are things unknown, and in between there are doors". I may say add it to my introduction ;-) Christine, thanks for the picture. Indeed I see yout point ;-) My learnings here these days ; Being part of the system is definitely not the right place for a facilitator. It prevents from seing obvious facts. Here, being part of the system and knowing the people, I was not willing to see where the unconscious control was (although I could feel it, I could not point it). My comprehension of the role of the facilitator has taken me, I think, a step further. I had seen that some of you position themselves as going with the participants through the process, and only warrant of the process, while others were what I would call "champions" of dialogue (or other concept like self organizing or emargence or peace., as I think that it depends strongly of who you are) and would have an "appealing" introduction or closing. Up to now I was belonging to the first category, as I trust the process, but was no trusting myself 100% probably. Maybe it may change...I'll let you know ;-) Thank you SO MUCH Suzanne, Thomas, Steve, Phelim, Chris, Ria, Elaine and you all. I'll open space at 9am next Thursday till Friday 5.30pm. I already feel you are with me, and it helps ! Christine -- Christine Koehler Médiateur Créatrice d'espaces de dialogue et de coopération www.christinekoehler.com Tel : 06 13 28 71 38 * * ========================================================== [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 -- Gail West ICA 3F, No. 12, Lane 5, Tien Mou West Road Taipei, Taiwan 111 8862) 2871-3150 SKYPE gwestica* * ========================================================== [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 * * ========================================================== [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
