yeah, indeed flash mob Open Space always a great possibility. Thanks, Skye
On Tue, Nov 11, 2014 at 4:09 PM, Royle, Karl via OSList < [email protected]> wrote: > Great! > > Sent by iPhone > Karl Royle > Head of Enterprise and Commercial Development > > Faculty of Education Health and Wellbeing > University of Wolverhampton > 01902323006 > 07815416698 > @karlroyle. On Twitter > Karlr61 Skype > Www.academia.edu/karlroyle > > On 11 Nov 2014, at 20:51, "paul levy via OSList" < > [email protected]> wrote: > > <http://rationalmadness.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/w3.jpg> > > I wonder if anyone reading this has experiences to share of what I am > about to describe. Most published stories of open space tend to go by the > book. The book is often referred to as the *user * > <http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm>*guide* > <http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm>“, and it tends towards a > process that is largely based on an* instruction manual* > <http://elementaleducation.com/wp-content/uploads/temp/OpenSpaceTechnology--UsersGuide.pdf>. > Dogmatic application manual can then lead, in my humble opinion, not to one > less thing to do, but often one more thing to do. These are “guides” not > rules, and that is the spirit in which they were written. In many cases, > the user guide proves remarkably resilient and applicable. Yet there is > always the next moment, the new story, the moment that needs something > playful. > > There’s a lot in the manual (and the many trainings that have come into > being from it) about sponsors and invitations, and the things that need to > be done before an Open Space to ensure the open spacer er… opens space. I > have no difficulty with the manual. It’s full of good advice and is the > foundation you might just need to open some space. But, hey, what about > this… I’m at a company away day that is looking at product innovation. It > is business critical, and it is floundering. Powerpoint after Powerpoint > has resulted in a stifled audience, and when they get to breakout sessions, > the flipcharts look empty, the energy is low, and it all looks a bit too > quiet. There’s a feeling in the room that the event is dying on its feet. > Several sessions are lost in badly facilitated action planning. I am on the > team and the lead facilitator looks to me for any ideas. It must be because > I am silent and looking knowing and wise. > > Actually I’m seething inside at this over-facilitated, over-designed, > overplanned conference crash. Do you mind if I… I ask, a bit pompously and > the lead facilitator is up for whatever help he can get. I leap up, and > step into the mess. I have a loud voice and it can’t get any worse than > this. An idea has just occurred to me and I decide to hurl it into the > cluttered room. “Er, hey.” I roar. “Why don’t we open some space?” I’m > loud. It goes silent. > > This is what I say: “This is crap isn’t it?” Silence. “Can everyone bring > their chairs and let’s get into a big circle. Tuts, irritation, doubt and > mostly relief. Two minutes later there’s a big circle. > > I introduce open space in about four minutes and quickly crab some flip > chart paper and tack it to the wall, creating four corners at new breakout > spaces. > > I ask people to take their chairs with them and, within about ten minutes > we have a whole bunch of different sessions, many based around action. > > The bosses in the room are gobsmacked. > > We have a two hour open space until wrap up and there’s a huge buzz in the > room from this pop-up open space. > > The invite was improvised and spontaneous. > > The space opened because it wanted and needed to. It popped up and out as > if it were the most natural thing in the world. It transformed the day and > sent the clutter fleeing for cover. It was done without fuss and chairs > from the main circle quickly went into breakout and back again. The > facilitator team were edgy because they felt they were supposed to be doing > something and I dragged them away for coffee. We chatted a bit about > “emergence” and I was looked on as if I’d done some kind of magic. I was > young and enjoyed the attention. I was also looked as as if I was a bit > weird. Well, I am a bit weird. I do wonder if pop-up open space could and > should happen a lot more. > > A lot of open spacers I know loved improvisation and spontaneity, yet when > it comes to open space are a bit locked in the process in the book of > instructions – the manual that tends to overplay the “prep” for the event. > So, I’m waving a flag for pop-up, guerilla open space. Why not open some > space even for the process of open space? Let’s shimmy it a little and see > what falls out. > > “Flash mob” open space has, I think, a big future. My intuition tells me a > fair number of facilitators have done it, and a fair few of them haven’t > reported it, telling instead there more “responsible” by-the-book open > space stories. But why not? Why not open some space on the spur of the > moment? The invite is still there -it just takes a hell of a lot shorter. > The opportunity is always there where an over-organised event is > disappearing up its own proverbial… > > It is also there in an event that has some inbuilt flexibility. Why not > throw some open space into the flexible mix? But best of all, why not open > space when space is there to be open? Self-organisation is often crying out > for a chance in the midst of failing over-organisation. > > So, here’s to some more pop-up open space… > On 11 Nov 2014 19:59, "Peggy Holman via OSList" < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I got the query below from my friend Tom Atlee. It seemed like a great >> question for the list. Since Tom isn’t on it, I told him that I’d forward >> any responses. >> >> appreciatively, >> Peggy >> >> >> Begin forwarded message: >> >> *From: *Tom Atlee <[email protected]> >> *Date: *November 10, 2014 at 12:51:54 PM PST >> *Subject: **Guerilla Open Space?* >> *To: *Peggy Holman <[email protected]> >> >> Hi Peggy, >> >> Thinking about the NCDD conference, I got the idea for "guerilla Open >> Space" to be used in conferences where you want to open the space in the >> middle of a too-organized gathering. It would involve a central website >> with instructions on what to do and why. It would involve passing out >> cards with messages like "Is there something that you'd really like to talk >> about or do here that the agenda here is preventing you from talking about >> or doing?" "Would you like to be learning, contributing, and having more >> fun here?" with the web address on it. Tweets might also be used. Then, >> on the main website it would tell people about how to do a guerilla open >> space, referring them perhaps to meetup.com to arrange places to talk. >> >> Or something like that. Have you heard of such thing before? Do you >> have any thoughts/responses? >> >> Hugs, >> Tom >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________ >> 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 <http://www.engagingemergence.com> >> Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information ecosystem >> <http://www.journalismthatmatters.net/the_emerging_news_and_information_eco_system> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 > > > -- > Scanned by iCritical. > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > -- *Skye Hirst, PhD* President - The Autognomics Institute *Conversations in Radical Self-Knowing* www.autognomics.org @autognomics New Phone Number: 207-593-8074
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