Hi David,
As Lisa and Harold mentioned, I've experimented with a few different
ways to conduct virtual open space events. Although I haven't tried
this yet, my next attempt in the land of free virtual tools, is to set
up a Googledoc as the marketplace wall with links to Googledoc Summary
Sheets for each session, with a variety of freeconferencecall numbers
for the breakout spaces and use phones/Skype for the audio.
Good luck. Would love to hear about your choices and experience.
Warm wishes from a warm Phoenix afternoon,
Christine
Christine Whitney Sanchez, Partner
Innovation Partners International
480.759.0262
www.innovationpartners.com
On Jan 29, 2012, at 9:50 AM, Harold Shinsato wrote:
David,
This is a bit of the frontier. I see great potential here. Meeting
in person is best - but it is also expensive. For international
peace, harmony, and global connection - there's a huge value in
"virtual open space".
If you can't meet in person - the next best technology right now is
video conferencing if you can afford it. There are cheaper
alternatives - if your people can jump the hurdles. I find that
GooglePlus "hangouts" are very appealing and free - at least for
smaller groups. But people have to leap the learning curve - and
simple URL links to the hangouts can't be sent ahead of time.
Large scale video is not something I've seen working yet. Not to say
it hasn't worked - with enough of a budget. They even call it
"telepresence", I've heard it can be so satisfying. But I've yet to
experience it. Telepresence is probably best when you have split
teams - rather than completely virtual - since the hardware and
sufficient internet speed is not something everyone is going to have
in their homes.
For the budget of most humans in the developed countries - by far
the simplest technology is the telephone. Long distance costs can
also be prohibitive if you're reaching out internationally - but
tools like Skype make that a little easier if not ideal. If the
participants can foot the bill for long distance phone calls - you
can get free telephone conference lines - and no cost to the
organizers. With a little investment - you can get toll free numbers
in your target countries.
The Maestro teleconference system is not a free service, and it
looked promising for "virtual open space", but I've found it quite
lacking. The system was designed for moderated conversations
controlled by the moderator. You can pair people up, set them up in
small groups. But the participants can't do it. And it doesn't feel
like "the law of two feet" to let other people move you around the
break out sessions. I did not see self-organizing happen when people
had to ask to get moved. Maestro does seem to work for World Cafe
though.
What I've heard to be the most successful - from Christine Whitney
Sanchez and a few other open space facilitators - is to hand out
several teleconference phone numbers for the different break out
sessions. You can get all these numbers for free. It takes a little
time to hang up and dial back into other "rooms", so you may lose
people from that. But at least it has worked for large groups.
Another place for virtual open space that seemed promising is Second
Life. But the learning curve is big enough that much of your
conference is likely to end up being a training session in Second
Life. If everyone is willing to overcome that first - then it might
work. You get voice as well as visuals - even if they are cartoons -
but you see who is at your session. Unfortunately - finding private
meeting rooms is a chore in Second Life if you aren't willing to
invest a fair amount (though probably cheaper than renting a
hotel ballroom!)
I think Holger Nauheimber and Juliane Neumann have been working on a
solution for a few years now - including leading the attempt at
Second Life - hopefully they will add something here.
Regards,
Harold
On 1/29/12 8:18 AM, David Osborne wrote:
Hello All,
I am wondering if others could share experiences with virtual Open
Space events? I have a diverse group of somewhere between 20 and
100 people that I would like to bring together in a virtual open
space to address a somewhat urgent and important issue. I have
questions such as...
- How can you do a virtual open space?
- What's the same and different vs. a in-person open space?
- What considerations are important in selecting a technology
platform?
- What are your tips and suggestions for what may work and what may
hinder?
I'm anxious to hear about other's experiences and am appreciative
of your sharing.
David
David Osborne
dosbo...@change-fusion.com
www.change-fusion.com
--
Harold Shinsato
har...@shinsato.com
http://shinsato.com
twitter: @hajush
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