And not only the hardest part but the most critical part. So much if the perceived success of a participatory event lies in the success of the invitation. A good invitation gives life to the first principle in a way that is beautiful and occasionally astonishing.
Chris -- CHRIS CORRIGAN Harvest Moon Consultants Facilitation, Open Space Technology and process design Check www.chriscorrigan.com for upcoming workshops, blog posts and free resources. > On Oct 16, 2014, at 1:07 AM, John Baxter via OSList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Amen to the time consuming nature of "invitations". > > Of course, if you don't have a discrete list with an established relationship > to each member, the material nature of the activity isn't "invitation", but > marketing and promotion... I haven't worked on a public event where the > promotion was not the hardest part. > > Cheers > > > John Baxter > CoCreate Adelaide Facilitator, Director of Realise consultancy > CoCreateADL.com | jsbaxter.com.au > 0405 447 829 | @jsbaxter_ > > City Grill— An Election Forum More Magnificent Than Any Ever Seen!, Saturday > 18 October 2014 > Connect with your candidates, get your voice heard by joining with others in > your community, and Influence the future of the city > > >> On Thu, Oct 16, 2014 at 3:31 AM, Peggy Holman via OSList >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> I’d echo Christine’s observations about infrastructure. So much of that is >> something that you can take for granted in an organization and requires some >> thought when dealing with public settings. >> >> A couple other distinctions I’ve noticed: >> >> Organizational events are high context. A calling question is asked within >> an existing culture. That’s both a blessing and a curse. It means that >> there’s much that doesn’t need explaining. And it means there are >> unconscious habits of relating and behaving present. Not bad. Just the >> territory. >> >> Examples: I was recently with a group that had an internal clock for half an >> hour meetings. It was interesting watching their rhythm shift over the >> course of the Open Space. For that same event, I spent about 10 minutes with >> the leadership team before we started encouraging them to be themselves and >> participate, like everyone else. They bring a unique and valuable >> perspective, as do others. And their voices carry a weight they might not >> appreciate because of their place in the hierarchy. So if they found >> themselves the center of attention, I suggested that it’s a good time to ask >> a question that gives the focus back to the group. Or use the law of two >> feet and go elsewhere. >> >> Public events don’t have the context of an existing culture. So the calling >> question may have a much wider variation in meaning to people who come. And >> there may be fewer existing relationships and norms. Again, not bad. Just >> different. >> >> Many years ago I was part of a team that did a public event with a calling >> question so broad that people had multiple interpretations of it. The >> question: How do we support a movement toward the conscious evolution of >> increasingly conscious social systems? (See >> http://www.thegreatstory.org/ev-salon2.html). A number of people on this >> list were part of it. People showed up because they were attracted to the >> hosts or something about the question spoke to them. It was wild, fun, and >> creative. And there was a demand on the second day to hear from the >> organizers what we meant by the question, just for more context. >> >> The other thing I’ve learned is that the process of invitation can be much >> more intense for public events. In organizations, the bulk of participation >> is internal. While there are certainly issues with ensuring a spirit of >> invitation, who to invite and how to reach them is pretty straightforward. >> >> For public events, I find that if you want a diversity of folks, inviting >> can be the most time consuming activity of all. I did some work with the >> Forest Service years ago to look at the future of the forests in the San >> Bernardino Mountains in California. They were heading into a rough fire >> season, felt they’d done everything they could do to prepare. While they had >> the public’s attention, they wanted to look to the future, 50 years out. We >> worked with them to identify the range of people who cared, including state, >> local, federal, and regional government, community organizations, chamber of >> commerce, insurance companies (small, but influential), ranchers who leased >> land in the national forests, environmental groups, and on and on. Getting >> the word out to all these folks took some thought. >> >> Peggy >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________ >> Peggy Holman >> Executive Director >> Journalism that Matters >> 15347 SE 49th Place >> Bellevue, WA 98006 >> 425-746-6274 >> www.journalismthatmatters.net >> www.peggyholman.com >> Twitter: @peggyholman >> JTM Twitter: @JTMStream >> >> Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity >> Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information ecosystem >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>> On Oct 15, 2014, at 8:43 AM, Christine Whitney Sanchez via OSList >>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Daniel and all, >>> >>> In my experience, public events have the same buzz and meaningful results >>> as an in-organization OST. I’ve facilitated a number of them that were >>> sponsored by a group of organizations in the community. For instance, >>> Vibrant Phoenix, was a very productive economic development OST, sponsored >>> by two mayors of large municipalities and several local businesses. One of >>> the business sponsors agreed to be the contact for folks who wanted to take >>> their “actionable ideas” to the next level. However, there was no budget >>> and no infrastructure to really keep folks connected the the ideas they >>> cared the most about. >>> >>> This is where the public open spaces generally fall short. Because the >>> ongoing action is not the core mission of any of these organizations, it is >>> hoped that the participants will self-organize going forward. With very >>> few exceptions, this does not happen. I believe that sponsorship for the >>> work after the OST is what is called for. >>> >>> The Collective Impact model speaks to this. It’s nothing new, really, but >>> does represent a simple way to talk about the necessary conditions for >>> sustaining collective action. I now include my version of this model when >>> I talk with potential sponsors to shine the light beyond the meeting so >>> that we can discuss their intentions for providing backbone support for >>> self-organized action going forward. >>> >>> I especially love public Open Space events and look forward to working with >>> sponsors who see the meeting as merely the first small step in >>> collaborative action. There is so much potential! >>> >>> Warm wishes from a sunny autumn morning in the rain-greened desert, >>> >>> Christine >>> <clip_image002.png> >>> >>> Christine Whitney Sanchez, M.C. >>> Phoenix, AZ, USA • +1.480.759.0262 >>> www.innovationpartners.com >>> >>> Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter >>> >>> On Oct 15, 2014, at 6:33 AM, Daniel Mezick via OSList >>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Greetings To All, >>> >>> I notice that there are many big differences between public-conference-type >>> OST events, and OST events arranged for organizations. >>> >>> Do you also notice this? Maybe I am imagining this....just making stuff >>> up... >>> >>> ...maybe not. In many key dimensions, I experience these differences as >>> striking. Even disturbing. >>> >>> >>> >>> And so I have been poking around inside the GUIDE (3rd edition) and I >>> notice that, in some spots, the implication is that the discussion is about >>> a public event. Up to page 18 for example, this implication is clear: >>> >>> >>> <THE GUIDE PAGE 18> >>> >>> Working With The Client if you ARE NOT the Sponsor >>> >>> "To this point I have assumed that you (the reader) will be the sponsor and >>> facilitator of the Open Space, and therefore it is your decision as to >>> whether or not to proceed...(emphasis added.) >>> >>> </THE GUIDE PAGE 18> >>> >>> >>> >>> My current belief is that having the same person in the Sponsor role >>> **and** the Facilitator role is probably a very bad idea for an OST event >>> inside an organization. For the typical public-conference event on the >>> other hand, this seems to work just fine. Kinda like a Barcamp or >>> Unconference.... >>> >>> >>> Another current belief I hold is that OST is the essential tool for >>> creating "Development and Transformation in Organizations". It is best >>> suited for use in organizations. >>> >>> It is interesting to note how the Barcamp and/or "Unconference" formats >>> seem to get the same or as-good results as Open Space, in the public >>> conference setting. >>> >>> Not so inside organizations! In fact, as of now, I don't think Barcamp or >>> Unconference has any chance whatsoever at being effective in bringing about >>> Development and Transformation in Organizations the way Open Space can. >>> Something about the Sponsor? >>> >>> Daniel >>> >>> >>> -- >>> 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 >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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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