Sandy - Gosh, what a write-up. I learned, and felt, so much reading through your reflection. So rich! Jane
On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 2:41 AM, Sandy Gee <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello again lovely OS community, > I posted a question asking for advice on here a few months ago. It was > about organising a 3 hour OS slot in the afternoon of an Existential > Psychotherapy Conference in a non-ideal setting - A very formal and smart > space with an auditorium in fixed tiered rows. > > I benefitted hugely from all the input I got here as well as at Lisa's > workshop in London and at WOSONOS. > > It happened on Saturday and I'd like to report that it was a great success! > > Though the organisers had been very nervous about it and the setting was > pretty challenging I was well prepared and had found ways to address all > the difficulties... > > For the OS introduction and marketplace I followed Harrison's idea of > making an approximate circle by putting 2 rows of chairs in an arc across > the front of the auditorium facing the tiered rows (the chairs just going > right across where there was a raised platform). It took a number of > devices to get them to co-operate with sitting there - a 'welcome to Open > Space' PP slide projected onto the screen, with the request to 'please sit > in the chairs across the front and the first 3 rows of the auditorium'. I > reinforced it with 'DO NOT SIT IN THIS ROW' signs on all the upper rows > (and string blocking off the rows on the other side). And then when I saw > that they were nervous and reluctant - strong personal appeals to "please > come forward and sit across the front - nothing special or spotlighting > will be asked of you, we're just trying to create a sort-of circle". The > reluctance was very understandable as they had been in that space earlier > with 3 big name speakers just presenting and them all as passive audience. > And indeed this is the style previous conferences have all been. > > I used humour about the awkward and uneven circle - telling them that the > varied height circle was intending to communicate our equality! And I was > able to easily link it all to the conference theme which was 'Challenging > Contexts and Uncertain Landscapes'! Indeed this seemed to help break the > initial ice. > > I followed your idea Lisa of 'implying the circle' by placing the > principles around the perimeter of the circle (having to invent some > creative ways of doing that using string and pegs in places to avoid > anything attached to the walls) and by circling around the space as I gave > my introduction and explanation of the process. Thank you too Lisa for your > advice in your 'thoughts and Ideas' PDF, in which you suggested setting up > my living room with the themes on the wall and practicing circling the > space and speaking aloud whilst imagining being there. That helped me to > get more clear and concise. It helped me to notice where I had a tendency > to get repetitive or long-winded/unclear and discipline myself to keep it > simple and brief enough for the short time I had. I also typed out pretty > much what I would say with coloured sub-headings to orientate me if I > should get a bit lost in the nerves of it all. I only looked at it once, > but the process of writing that and then just having it there helped. This > was a much more formal, bigger and more time constrained situation than > I've done OS in before and all this helped me cope with that. > > Actually the awkwardness and obvious inconvenience of using the auditorium > in that way in some ways helped make the transition to the informality and > 'mucking in' quality OS needs. Following their initial reluctance to sit in > the awkward circle - I was pleased and surprised that they got stuck in > quite easily with the paper and pens for writing up their topics - some > handing paper back for people to write in their rows before coming forward > and others even speaking first with a just blank paper in their hand and > then writing up what they'd said more concisely afterwards. > > We started a bit late but easily got through the marketplace in the 45mins > and off they went to their 1st sessions (11 topics in each of the 2 > sessions). (I managed to wangle an extra 15 minutes on initially proposed > 30 minutes by encouraging the organisers to let me take more of the time > for the OS closure out of the whole conference closure - thanks for that > idea Lisa). > > For session topic zones I used laminated orange A4 sheets with letters on > bamboo poles cable-tied to the chair legs (like at WOSONOS 2012). I > attached velcro re-usable cable ties to the top of the poles which i could > then thread through slots in the laminated A4 sheets to create 'zone flags' > (easier to dismantle and transport) for each of the circles of chairs. > These were set up in other rooms than the auditorium (according to a layout > plan I'd drawn up) and this worked well. > > We had a challenge with the agenda wall being created in the auditorium > but the topic zone areas being in a separate part of the venue. That made > it impractical for people to refer to the auditorium agenda board when > bumblebeeing between sessions. So we simply got moveable boards and, after > the marketplace, we moved them to the hall outside where the OS topic > sessions were taking place. We used light A2 foam boards, used 'dual tack > double-sided tape' to 'post-it' them to the auditorium wall, then were able > to remove and reposition them, after the marketplace, onto doors in the > hall. > > The closing session was back in the auditorium in the awkward circle at > the front and by then people had got comfortable with participating, so > freely offered snippets of their experience of both the process and the > content. Many were energised, enjoyed it, felt excited and had started > conversations they'd wanted to have but didn't know how. One said that this > now felt like a community in a way that it never had before. A few > expressed discomfort with aspects of the process - feeling conflicted in > having to decide whether to stay or move, being much more aware of the > encounter with the people rather than just the material for discussion, > feeling grumpy and rebellious about notetaking and how they felt it > interrupted the process. But even those who had found it uncomfortable also > expressed that they'd got something from it. And the content that they fed > back about was expressed with interest, excitement and edginess. A couple > expressed surprise that it worked when they had felt sure it couldn't! > > Interestingly one of them expressed a sense of slight stiltedness and > flattening of the energy to be back in the formality of the auditorium for > the closure after the freedom of the Open Space sessions and suggested that > if we'd just got people to re-position the chairs in the larger room where > the sessions had taken place it would have retained more of the energy of > OS. I hadn't imagined that this could be possible due to the numbers, but > by that point we were down to about half the participants so it actually * > could* have worked. (About a third left at lunchtime and another third > before the OS closure - apparently very usual at this conference and partly > a result of an overly long and packed agenda). Interestingly - another case > of that 'once they've had a taste, they resist any going back into a more > constricted space' phenomena! > > I personally received a lot of great feedback both directly and in how > people interacted with me - many people seemed to find me easily > approachable and came and talked to me or just dropped in a comment in > passing. A lot were very appreciative, two gave me very specific feedback > on how I had been a great facilitator (unflustered when things went wrong, > informal, warm, clear). A couple expressed dilemmas - what they wanted to > do, but felt too shy (I encouraged them to dare to do it anyway and they > did), another felt a bit bad about not having taken notes (I encouraged him > to consider - was there anything now they were finished that they'd like to > share with the rest of the conference? and just write that - which he did). > > All in all there was a real energetic buzz, people were excited and > appreciative, several things had been started that there were plans to > carry forward further and it looks very likely that Open Space will be part > of next years conference. > > Thank you everyone who helped me with your great ideas and generous > encouragement. I'm thrilled and look forward to more... > > Sandy Gee > *[email protected]* > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > -- ~~ Jane E Lewis LIU Zhi-Lian +886 (0) 932 259 844 HawaiiBreeze (Skype) ~~ Exploring realities
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