Hi Daniel, I use to use both - sometimes a question, sometimes more like a statement. For example on friday i will facilitate an OS around the topic (in Swedish) "Så förverkligar vi Sveriges spårvägsplaner - Möjligheter och Utmaningar" In English it would be approx " In this way we realize Swedish tramway plans - Issues and Opportunities" i.e more like a way to get the fantasy going on different way to come up with ideas. I think that it's not so much if its a question or a statement - more that the theme shall be challenging to the participants. my 2 cents :o) Eva
Bästa hälsningar Eva P Svensson EPS Human Invest AB Co owner Genuine Contact Group Inc Medlem i Beyond Performance Group "Verksamhetsutveckling genom människor skapar långsiktigt välmående företag och organisationer" Anåsbergsvägen 22, 439 34 ONSALA Besöksadress; Norra Allégatan 8, Göteborg Tfn: 0300-615 05, Mobil; 0706- 89 85 50 www.epshumaninvest.se Skype: eva.p.svensson Facebook sida: EPS Human Invest AB twitter:@EvaPSvensson "Jag kan inte lära dig något. Allt jag kan göra är att ställa frågor till dig, och låta dig själv finna svaren." Sokrates 24 mar 2014 kl. 12.05 skrev Daniel Mezick: > Is the OST theme always defined as a question? Is it ever offered as a > statement? I'm not sure. > > I'm not sure because in the USERS GUIDE TO OPEN SPACE book from Harrison, the > story about the theme "Fixing Arizona" is not a question. So, I'm guessing a > non-question is OK. For the record, I prefer a question. And I tell clients > to frame it as a question, on the hypothesis that questions tend open space > and statements tend to close space... > > THE BRIEF USERS GUIDE (http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm) is > silent on the issue: > <BEGIN> > THE THEME -- Creation of a powerful theme statement is critical, for it will > be the central mechanism for focusing discussion and inspiring participation. > The theme statement, however, cannot be a lengthy, dry, recitation of goals > and objectives. It must have the capacity to inspire participation by > being specific enough to indicate the direction, while possessing sufficient > openness to allow for the imagination of the group to take over. > > There is no pat formulation for doing this, for what inspires one group will > totally turn off another. One way of thinking about the theme statement is as > the opening paragraph of a truly exciting story. The reader should have > enough detail to know where the tale is headed and what some of the possible > adventures are likely to be. But "telling all" in the beginning will make it > quite unlikely that the reader will proceed. After all, who would read a > story they already know? > > <END> > > -- > Daniel Mezick, President > New Technology Solutions Inc. > (203) 915 7248 (cell) > Bio. Blog. Twitter. > Examine my new book: The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager. > Explore Agile Team Training and Coaching. > Explore the Agile Boston Community. > _______________________________________________ > 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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