Peggy this is so thoughtfully written and I have seen the conditions you describe though having so much less experience, I could not have even guessed at how many in the room were freedom shocked.
In events like you describe we have established planning teams to invite others and on-line website prior to event where people could start connecting and get to know each other. I think it helps and I know it's one more thing to do but ... Suzanne On Feb 27, 2012 1:23 AM, "Peggy Holman" <[email protected]> wrote: > I'd like to dive under the metaphor of "distributing fish" when opening > space. What I'm about to say may be controversial, but I think it's a > discussion worth having. > > As background, when I first started opening space, I always jumped right > in. Ninety-five percent of the time, following a few words from the > sponsor, I still do. I want to be clear that the reflections that follow > involve a narrow set of circumstances -- say 1% of the time -- when I have > found it useful to give away some fish. > > In that 1% of cases, jumping into Open Space left a sufficient number of > people confused, out of focus, and unsure why they had come that I think it > reduced the potential of the experience for everyone. I'd describe most of > these situations as high in "freedom shock" -- a wonderful term that > Harrison coined to describe, in his words, "the reaction of a very bright, > experienced group of professionals who had suddenly been granted everything > they wanted with no strings attached, and it seemed to terrify them". > > So when the conditions are ripe for a lot of freedom shock -- say, 20-25% > of participants -- I think it's useful to give away a few fish. > > I'm offering my reflections on What does it mean to distribute fish? When > does it makes sense? How do you do it? > > I would love to hear how others see it. > > *What does distributing fish mean to me?* > > It means setting the context with why are we here and who is here with > more than a few words from the sponsor. It doesn't take much but, I have > found circumstances in which setting the stage makes a world of difference > for the effectiveness not just for an event, but for what happens > afterwards. Far more go fishing on their own and with newfound partners > when they've been fed a few fish and learned something about fishing. > > *When does it make sense to distribute fish?* > * > * > *I first ran into the need through the early Journalism That Matters > events (http://journalismthatmatters.org/events-notes/), which brought > together the "whole system" of journalism. When I co-hosted the second and > third Evolutionary Salons (http://www.thegreatstory.org/ev-salon.html) -- > wildly open ended explorations of what it means to be conscious agents of > evolution, they added to my reflections on the need for some work up front. > * > * > * > *Even in these events, most jumped right in and ran with the experience. > Yet there was a notable minority, perhaps 1/4 to 1/3, who were so > disoriented they left or simply wandered around lost. They couldn't figure > out how to navigate the space. Now I can make the case that this was > exactly the right outcome. I have no doubt the experience got them > cooking. So this isn't about right or wrong. It is about overall > effectiveness.* > > I haven't tried to describe the conditions before now but found them > emerging as I thought back on some of the wild rides I've had. When the > following conditions are ALL present, giving away fish is useful: > > * There isn't the infrastructure of an organization or something that > provides an implicit context for all that is happening. > * The question is "big" -- which can seem abstract or unfocused to some. > (Example: What is the new news ecology and how do we create it?") > * The people are coming together just for the event. While some may know > each other, they're all likely to go their separate ways following the > experience. When the group is highly diverse, it compounds the situation. > (Of course, it also increases the potential of the experience when people > have what they need to orient.) > * The majority of people coming have never experienced Open Space or > something like it. (So not only is the content, while attractive or they > wouldn't be there, a stretch, the form is completely unfamiliar.) > * There's no clear sponsor in the traditional sense -- a senior manager > of an organization or an organization that brings an orienting set of > assumptions. (Journalism That Matters and the group of us co-hosting the > Evolutionary Salons just brought interesting questions.) > > In short, if the context isn't easily understood, it's the responsibility > of the organizers to make it so. > > *How do you distribute fish?* > * > * > I've run into the conditions I described above when working with ambitious > societal questions that aren't anchored in pursuing specific activities. > Such circumstances don't lend themselves to experts setting the stage. So > I look for ways in which people answer the questions for themselves -- in > which they create a context through understanding the mix of intentions > present, and who's bringing them. > > In other words, it's still about the people in the room pursuing what > matters to them. > > I've used a variety of approaches to accomplish this, sometimes for an > hour, sometimes for a half a day, depending on the situation and the > desired outcomes: > > * People sharing the questions they've brought with each other, sometimes > with a World Cafe around the conference theme. Sometimes, when there are > some folks who have some deep thinking or practice to offer as inspiration, > 2-3 are invited as "conversation catalysts", to talk for a max of 10 > minutes each, setting the stage for a conversation in the room. > > * Creating a "who's coming" bio book sent in advance can give people a > sense of who's in the room without spending time on introductions. Or > we'll provide some means for people to self-identify the roles they play. > For example, at a number of Journalism That Matters sessions, we've had > stickers for different roles that people could put on their name tags. > > * Setting up a "trade show", where anyone can share their work at a table > for an hour or so. It's lively, informal, and people get to spend their > time learning about what others are doing. It also clears the way for > folks who come with an agenda to loosen their hold on it because they get a > chance to tell their story. > > By the time they're done with these types of activities, I find even the > most freedom shock prone have gotten enough of a grounding to dive into > Open Space. > > > All these activities are informed by the assumption that people have the > answers within them. They are a way to provide more context when it isn't > coming from an obvious source. > > So, that's about it. > > Thoughts? > > appreciatively, > Peggy > > > > _________________________________ > Peggy Holman > [email protected] > > 15347 SE 49th Place > Bellevue, WA 98006 > 425-746-6274 > www.peggyholman.com > www.journalismthatmatters.org > > *Enjoy the award winning *Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into > Opportunity <http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/> > > "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get > burnt, is to become > the fire". > -- Drew Dellinger > > > > On Feb 24, 2012, at 8:06 AM, Harrison Owen wrote: > > Artur – your point about “teaching” is well taken. And given the state of > language at the moment it is doubtless necessary to take the route you > have taken in describing the role of teacher-as-mentor/guide. Couldn’t > agree more! But wouldn’t it be nice if real teaching could be defined and > understood as you have suggested? This whole subject is very pertinent to > me at the moment as I am pulling myself together for the upcoming > conference Manila on “The Future of Learning.” I have agreed to do a one > day dialogue on Learning just to raise and shape the questions – then it is > on to the Maine Event which will be 2 days of Open Space. Should be great > and we will be having folks from all over Asia. You should come! And by the > way so should anybody else on the LIST. Dates are March 27-20 and our > hostess in Sharon Chao at SEAMEO-Innotech. For the details contact Sharon > [email protected]**** > ** ** > ** ** > ** ** > Harrison Owen**** > 7808 River Falls Dr.**** > Potomac, MD 20854**** > USA**** > ** ** > 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)**** > Camden, Maine 20854**** > ** ** > Phone 301-365-2093**** > (summer) 207-763-3261**** > ** ** > www.openspaceworld.com**** > www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)**** > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > OSLIST Go to: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org**** > ** ** > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of*Artur Silva > *Sent:* Friday, February 24, 2012 8:20 AM > *To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list > *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Teach Them to Fish / A Note to My Friends**** > ** ** > Amen for almost everything! And thank you, Harrison, for reminding us of > all this.**** > > > **** > A small observation: I have struggled myself with the same old saying: > "instead of giving a fish, teach them to fish". Yes, if you "give a fish" > you are patronizing and disempowering the other. But, if you "*teach to > fish*" aren't you also disempowering him?**** > **** > Having done professional training and facilitation (intermittently) for 40 > years and teaching at Universities for 20 years, I have come to the > conclusion that *the role of a Professor is not to teach*. It is to *help > the students to learn* and more specifically to "*learn how to learn*" - > anything, anytime, for all their lives... **** > **** > So it is not "to teach to fish"; it is to help them "*to learn* > (remember?) *how to survive*". It may be fishing today, hunting > tomorrow, cultivating in another day, but especially it will change every > now and then, and the student must be prepared to "*learn as a way of > being*" (from the title of a book of your friend Peter Vaill).**** > **** > So, indeed the teacher/professor/facilitator must *learn how to disappear*, > so that the student can surpass the master - at least, if he his younger, > as he probably will continue to learn for a longer time. **** > > But this is not a disagreement because - if I understood well - this is > exactly what your post says.**** > > Warm regards**** > > Artur**** > ** ** > ------------------------------ > *From:* Harrison Owen <[email protected]> > *To:* 'World wide Open Space Technology email list' < > [email protected]> > *Sent:* Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:31 PM > *Subject:* [OSList] Teach Them to Fish / A Note to My Friends**** > ** ** > There is an old saying to the effect that when seeking to help people it > is infinitely better to teach them to fish than to give them fish. The > point is obvious. When you learn how to fish you can feed yourself. The > secondary point may be less than obvious. When you are simply handed a fish > the conditions for learned helplessness and continued dependence, to say > nothing of subservience are created. Even with the best, most altruistic > intentions in the world, a fish handout has its problems. And what does all > this have to do with the price of tea in China? Not much, I guess, but I > think it has a lot to say about our roles as facilitators.**** > **** > One of the things I have always loved about Open Space is that it is not > rocket science. Anybody with a good head and good heart can “do it” – a > reality which has been proved time and time again. Early on I thought the > “magic” lay in the simplicity of the process – but it turned out it was > worse than that. There isn’t any process that “We do” – in fact the process > does us. Yes, I know – you have heard all this before… self organization at > work. We are simply remembering what we already know. But well before I > made any connection between Open Space and self-organization, I was struck > by its simplicity and universality – it simply worked… everywhere. The > immediate impact of this realization was a “tag phrase” I found myself > uttering at every opening of space. At the beginning and at the end I told > the folks,” There is absolutely nothing that I am doing with you that you > cannot do for yourselves.” It was all about teaching fishing.**** > **** > As time went along I found myself working the implications of this phrase. > Substantively, I told everybody who came to me that, while I would be > pleased to open their space, I would do it only once. Should they want to > do it again, I would help from the sidelines, and for all subsequent > gatherings, they were on their own. A second impact on my practice resolved > into a simple phrase: “Think of one more thing not to do.”**** > **** > Having come into the “business” (of facilitation) in the late ‘60’s I > found myself in the midst of a flowering of methods, techniques and > procedures emanating from the emergent OD movement in all of its > manifestations. Suddenly the “simple meeting” became a massive cookbook of > possibilities. Warm up processes, Ice breakers for starters. Interventions > of all sorts during the main course, with “Kumb’yah” and holding hands for > desert. I jest, but only just. Designing such a thing could take months > and involve dozens of people. And when it came to the actual meeting it > almost seemed that the Conference Committee plus assorted Facilitators > outnumbered participants by 2:1. I couldn’t help but wonder…was this trip > really necessary?**** > **** > In many ways, Open Space (OST) came to me as an answer to my questing. It > is true that two martinis helped and marked the birth, but I think the > period of gestation had been going on for a bit. I have joked that my > essential laziness was the primal cause, but more basic was a deep hope > that there had to be a better way. Was it not possible that human beings > could engage in intelligent conversation without “all that stuff?” The gin > helped, I suppose – but the answer was ridiculously simple: Yes – Just sit > in a circle, create a bulletin board, open a market place, and go to work. > All the rest is history, but I wasn’t out of the woods.**** > **** > Given my prior experience, to say nothing of the experience and practice > of my friends, I just could not believe that something so simple could > possibly work without help. Obviously we needed to “prepare” for Open > Space. And so I tried any number of warm-ups and ice breakers – trust > games, relaxation exercises, visualizations and more. Most were pleasant, > maybe even fun – but did they really add value? The only way to find out > was not to do them – and find out.**** > **** > As often happens, the first iteration of the experiment (dropping stuff) > happened quite unintentionally. I was in South Africa in the anxious days > immediately post Apartheid. We needed to do an Open Space -- FAST. Nobody > had ever heard of Open Space, but they were ready to try anything. So we > just did it. No preparation, no warm up, no nothing. Just the barebones: > circle, bulletin board, market place and to work. And to work they went! I > learned something, which has been confirmed again and again as the > experience grew. When space needs to open – Just Do it. But I must confess > that holding hands at the end still can feel good, although there is no > need to sing Kumb’yah.**** > **** > But it wasn’t just the warm ups. As my experience with Open Space was > growing, friends and colleagues were creating their own approaches. Diana > Whitney and David Cooperrider with Appreciative Inquiry and Juanita Brown > with World Café, for example. Wouldn’t it make sense to sequence or combine > all these things? We tried, and it was fun – but did it really make any > difference? Did the work move more swiftly, were the conversations deeper? > Was the follow-on more effective? Despite my best efforts, I could see > little if any improvement, *and I really wanted to*. And to the extent > that there was a marginal plus, that seemed to have less to do with the > cumulative effect of the several approaches – and more to do with the > simple fact that people had been together longer. In fact on multiple > occasions participants would come up to me to ask why we hadn’t done it all > in Open Space? “That is where the cookie really crumbled,” one person said. > (Translation: “That’s where the conversation really got real.”)**** > **** > I know this is an argument I can never win. But the truth of the matter is > that there is no argument and I have no interest in winning. Each of us > must make our own judgment as to what might be the most effective and > appropriate in each situation. That said, the fact of the matter is that in > 27 years of observation I have never seen any group of people have the > slightest bit of difficulty entering into Open Space – even when the topic > under consideration was viciously volatile. Always worked, all by itself. I > have, to be sure, seen situations where the sponsors (and often the > facilitators) were more than hesitant. But for the people themselves – no > problem.**** > **** > I suppose there could be an argument if my basic concern were to defend > this approach (OST) against all others, any combination thereof, or > extraneous heterodoxies. Were that the case, I am sure that I could be > (should be!) accused of a very biased, proprietary self-interest. But my > interest is rather different, and the simple truth of the matter is that I > would be delighted if all methods and approaches were simply to disappear – > right along with every last Facilitator. Throw out the Tool Box and The > Profession! No longer needed. It is all about teaching folks to fish.**** > **** > I judge myself and the impact of my work by a single criterion: How fast > can I become redundant? How soon can the folks fish for themselves? My task > becomes infinitely easier as the simplicity of my approach increases and > the necessity to explain fades away. Best of all would be a situation where > there is really nothing to explain – just Do it. And then remind the folks > that they did it, and can do it again. No more. No less. After that the > only thing left to do is post a sign: “Gone Fishing!”**** > **** > Harrison **** > **** > Harrison Owen**** > 7808 River Falls Dr.**** > Potomac, MD 20854**** > USA**** > **** > 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)**** > Camden, Maine 20854**** > **** > Phone 301-365-2093**** > (summer) 207-763-3261**** > **** > www.openspaceworld.com**** > www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)**** > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > OSLIST Go to: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org**** > **** > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > > **** > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > >
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