Hi Laurie; I too have had success with short open space technology meetings. I usually hold out for 4 hours, but would not go with less than 3 hours. It is a good way to energize groups and to get their common and individual issues and opportunities on the table and to have some good discussion.
My experience is that it is important to focus the theme for a shorter open space without narrowing the possibilities. Along the lines that Laurel suggsted, you might like to focus on "What are the issues and opportunities for making Ithica Dollars the currency of choice?" That way, people concerned with structure can talk about structure and those who want to take action can discuss that ...or anything else they have passion for. I like to work with the sponsor ahead of time to look at the story line to help with defining the theme (as suggested by Birgitt in past discussions). You might be able to do this in a conference call if time is an issue or in a meeting with the executive committee. Review with them the significant events over the past two years (since the board has come into play). Then ask them what they see their future story looking like after the event. The discussions can help to define a theme. This is also the time that you can talk about givens...what are the non-negotiables in the discussion. While Harrison suggested that givens can be stones around your neck, it is sometimes a good idea to restate some of the obvious. If you are the only paid staff member, the given might be related to your time..and the resources may need to be found to move actions forward. If there are an overwhelming number of issues and opportunities identified, then you might want to set a follow-up meeting or other method to prioritize ideas. A three hour meeting does not allow time to do this well. Good luck with this and hope to hear of your results. Michelle Michelle Cooper RN, MScN The Cooper Group Consultants 200 Crestview Avenue Ancaster, ON Canada L9G 1E2 Tel. (905) 648-4633 Fax. (905) 648-1763 E-mail [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> "Dans la vie, il n'y a pas de solutions. Il n'y a que des forces en marche: il fout les créer et les solutions suivent."Saint-Exupéry * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
