Dear Agota, Marina described the context better than I could. As to the opening, there were no speeches. As Marina said, she and Jan welcomed everyone and waters were shared.
Peggy Sent from my iPad 425-746-6274 www.peggyholman.com > On Feb 12, 2014, at 7:25 AM, Тясто Марина В. <[email protected]> wrote: > > Dear Agota, > > Thank you for your interest to this situation. As I've been there too I'd > like to share my impression with you. I think you have perseived that picture > a little bit different. As far as I remember it was an opening ceremony of > the 5 days conference "From the Ideas to the actions". All participants - > women-teams from 5 Siberian regions were sitting in a big circle. Jan Secor > and me as American and Russian co-directors invited delegations to bring > water from their rivers, lakes. American delegation of 4 trainers brought > water from Pugent Sound. Irkutsk delegation brought water from Lake Baikal > and Angara river. Women brought waters from Altai mountains and Ob-River.n > And of course leaders of delegations spoke with great enthusiasm. The > ceremony was so exciting, women didn't know everyone in the big room. And > probably they just wanted to share their excitement with women sitting next > the them. Of course it all was noisy, but really positive and totally > different from Normal Russian conferences when some important speakers will > make speeches to the passively listening participants. I believe that the > conference we are talking about which included 2 days OST was a real > Leadership lab changing women-participants much more than any other > conference or training. > Peggy Holman was one of the wonderful american trainers team, who did many > consultations to women's NGOs in Novosibirsk and Tomsk and travelled with us > to Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude at the Shamanic Tour around Lake Baikal. High > learning - high play! > > All the best, > > Marina Tyasto > Novosibirsk, Russia > > > ________________________________________ > От: [email protected] > [[email protected]] от имени Ágota Éva Ruzsa > [[email protected]] > Отправлено: 12 февраля 2014 г. 14:09 > Кому: World wide Open Space Technology email list > Тема: Re: [OSList] Open Space in dictatorship > > Dear Peggy, > > I would like to reflect to the sentence..." We — the team of 4 women from the > US doing this workshop — had asked the women to introduce themselves. One by > one, they stood and spoke as if they were making a speech to a crowd. In my > minds eye, their words were all in capital letters with exclamation points > (!). The moment the introductions started, the other women started talking > to each other rather than listening to the person speaking. We stepped in and > asked that they listen to each other. Such a simple idea that was apparently > not a cultural norm.".. > > Am I right to assume that in the design there were 4 speeches first offered > by locals, then you, or some of you introducing the process which then was > not received by attention??? Is that it?? > > In this case, I wonder what the situation would be like - say - in the > MidWest among ordinary local people invited to an OS the first time in their > lives? How would they behave after 4 locals giving a lengthy speech about > the importance of.... and the norm for .... and how impressive and humbling > it is to welcome a team of hosts from Siberia to come and introduce them to > their way of working???... > Has anyone asked, ie., the participants who they were? what brought them > there? what culture of talking, sharing and expressing themselves they aplly > in their normal days? etc. > > I really feel we need to be very contextual and cautious in our assumptions > ...but you also know that, of course... > > > Agota E.Ruzsa, > Hungary > > > > 2014-02-11 23:57 GMT+01:00 Peggy Holman > <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>: > I had the privilege of working with Marina in 2001 with a group of women > leaders in Siberia. > > To this day, I remember the opening circle. We — the team of 4 women from the > US doing this workshop — had asked the women to introduce themselves. One by > one, they stood and spoke as if they were making a speech to a crowd. In my > minds eye, their words were all in capital letters with exclamation points > (!). The moment the introductions started, the other women started talking > to each other rather than listening to the person speaking. We stepped in and > asked that they listen to each other. Such a simple idea that was apparently > not a cultural norm. > > By the end of the next day, as they worked together in small groups, the > conversations all seemed engaged and authentic, with real listening going on. > > One thing I learned on that trip was to never assume that I could accurately > interpret what was going on. So I wonder...Marina — how do you remember it? > > appreciatively, > Peggy > > > > > _________________________________ > Peggy Holman > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > Twitter: @peggyholman > > 15347 SE 49th Place > Bellevue, WA 98006 > 425-746-6274 > www.peggyholman.com<http://www.peggyholman.com> > www.journalismthatmatters.org<http://www.journalismthatmatters.org> > > Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into > Opportunity<http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/> > Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information > ecosystem<http://www.journalismthatmatters.net/the_emerging_news_and_information_eco_system> > > "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 11, 2014, at 9:51 AM, Тясто Марина В. > <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > Dear Ulrika, > > I echo Elwin as I also have extensive experience of facilitation OST events > in Russia as I live here, especially with different groups of state and > municipal servants in the classroom environment. At the beginning most of > them looked like having freedom shock being invited to post issues they care > for. But after starting discussions they began to change their way of > communication and learning freely and fully. Always coming to the room for > the reports and closing I've observed totally different people - with much > more self-confidence, positive outlook and friendly feelings to each other. > OST actually gives people the first experience of free behavior , > self-organizing, self-learning and real leadership. I hardly could define > Russian case as a real dictatorship, but I don't know about any bad > consequences for the OST meeting participants. Even though some of them were > saying something like: even though I'd be fired after I will organize > something like this in my office - organization I'll do it and finally tell > the truth. > I'm sure it is important to bring OST to every possible place and share it > with as many people as possible. > > All the best, > > Marina > > ________________________________________ > От: > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > > [[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>] > от имени Elwin and Joan > [[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>] > Отправлено: 10 февраля 2014 г. 18:09 > Кому: World wide Open Space Technology email list > Тема: Re: [OSList] Open Space in dictatorship > > Ulrika, > I have Opened Space countless times in nearly every country of the former > Soviet Union, from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. > In most cases I had the opportunity to return for further development work. I > have never encountered anyone who suffered any retribution as a result of > Open Space participation. To the contrary, I continue to get email thank you > notes from many participants of Open Space dating back more than a decade. > > It always works! > > Elwin Guild > Future Development International > > > > On Monday, February 10, 2014 11:34 AM, Ulrika Eklund > <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > Dear listmembers and all your experience > > I would love to take part of your experience and knowledge about > working with OS in countries operated by dictatorship. A closed space, > where you are used/allowed to think as The party. "Its a lovely country > as long as you follow the rules" > > For example I had a training course with a group working in the > authorities and governmental bodies (national and regional level), and > they listed some of the problems in one area. After they were > encouraged to brainstorm ideas and solutions on the problems. After the > task I asked - what was the new ideas and insight you got? New?! We > repeated what the party already have decided"... so it was more a > memory test :) An other exampel: in the university where I met the > students study a Human rights course sponsered by another country. They > said: "its a good course. Why I asked and the answer was: we are > allowed to ask questions when we don't understand, you know sometimes > you read a text in the book and you don't understand and it doesnot > help to read it many times, here we can ask, and we are also allowed to > discuss. > > So my question - how is Open Space working in this circumstances? How > you know people that think freely are not punished after? > > WIsh you all a lovley week > Ulrika > > > -- > Ulrika Eklund > Bergsgatan 7A > SE-112 23 Stockholm > Sweden > mobile +46-(0)70-699 86 12<tel:%2B46-%280%2970-699%2086%2012> > > -- > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]><mailto:[email protected]> > To unsubscribe send an email to > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]><mailto:[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]<mailto:[email protected]> > To unsubscribe send an email to > [email protected]<mailto:[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]<mailto:[email protected]> > To unsubscribe send an email to > [email protected]<mailto:[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
