Dear OS list, I just joined this list yesterday and, instead of my usual sit-and-lurk-until-it-feels-safe, I thought I'd just jump right in to share about my first real-life experience with Open Space, and what we did in the way of closure and convergence of OS topics.
I had the wonderful opportunity of co-facilitating the Open Space meeting with Kay Vogt. Kay, having done many OS gatherings before, provided a terrific model, and what happened with the group was phenomenal, making me a real believer in the power of OS. So here I am, thanks to Kay and to that experience! The meeting was FCE's (Foundation for Community Encouragement) annual "Community Continuity Conference", and the Open Space was designed to complement the rest of the program, the Open Space being preceded by a day and a half of FCE-style community-building. Our OS section was a 1-plus day component of the 4 day conference, and 90 people from all over the US and abroad were in attendence. Kay, evidently like many OS practitioners, isn't fond of the "prioritize and vote for 10 topics" way of converging, and suggested we do something different. Fortunately for us, it wasn't expected that the group would emerge with action plans, but it was important that we provide a meaningful closure and synthesis. Kay was intrigued with how, at a corporate retreat I'd led a few weeks before, I had used skits instead of reports, as a way of bringing to life the initiatives that emerged. She wondered if we might do something similar with this group. Late afternoon of the first day, after the OS sessions had completed and reports had been entered on the computers, we gathered the whole group together. Using a silent "affinity" process (all 25 topics on the wall on post-its, the group forms around and begins to move the post-its until they form into distinct groups - an amazing process, and fun to watch!), they generated four groupings. Then, we had them self-select into four sub-groups to do the presenting, each group retreating to one of the break-out rooms, using the last hour of the Open Space day to prepare for the next morning's presentation. Not all 90 participated in creating presentations (which was OK, of course), and each group had 8-12 people presenting. Their instructions (as summarized on a flip-chart that afternoon) for the skits were: - 7 MINUTES TOTAL (we were going to be short of time, having been told by the conference coordinator that our two hour closing for Open Space the next day was cut to 45 minutes(!!). We told the presenters that the entire group would break out into wild and appreciative applause at exactly 7 minutes, no matter where they were in the presentation, even if they were mid-sentence. They received this news with enthusiasm and it only increased the excitement and challenge.) - CONVEY: essence, meaning, feeling, direction, impact,... - BE CREATIVE (around this bullet, in different colors was: "dramatic", "theater", "TV or game show", "action", "mime", "voice/music", "role-play", "mime", "news cast", "body movement") - INVOLVE as many people as possible - Have FUN! Be OUTRAGEOUS! - NO talking heads (ie., nobody reading listed items or a summary for the group) It was incredible! There were four presentations, each of them were done without energy-draining introductions (eg., "this is what we decided to do, blah, blah, blah"), and one was done completely in mime. Even with no, or very few, introductory words, it was powerfully clear what the essence of each was. One group, without asking or even gesturing to invite the larger group (simply by modeling it themselves at the end of their 7 minutes), had all 90 people standing, singing, moving, and clapping along with them with revival energy and spirit. All four presentations were electrifying. After the presentations, in the final closure, we asked all 90 participants to think of a single word that would describe their experience, and then for them to stand, one by one, saying that word aloud, until all 90 were standing. After all were standing, they were to come to the middle of the circle and take one of the 90 sets of proceedings that were stacked there, and that would end the session. They popped up randomly and with great energy, it was like a popcorn-Sparticus happening! There was great excitement and energy that morning, and they made memorable, moving, and creative presentations whose life, meaning, and healing will live with the group (and me) for a very long time. Dave Discovery-Dialogue-Direction, Inc. (3D) 1191 Tolo Trail Moscow, Idaho 83843 tel (208) 882-6880 fax (208) 882-6861 mailto:[email protected] http://personal.palouse.net/3d
