Neat story Chris. Marks Marks & Margaret McAvity Site 50, Comp 16 Galiano Island, BC, VON 1P0 CANADA Tel 250-539-2881 (Gal) Tel 604-827-0305 (Van) Tel (604)-328-4406 (mob) mcav...@primus.ca (us) mcav...@netinfo.ubc.ca (Marg) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Corrigan" <cor...@interchange.ubc.ca> To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 4:11 PM Subject: Working over a theme with a group on a conference call
> Today I was working with a steering committee of nearly 15 people on a > conference call setting a theme for a national Aboriginal youth > conference in Open Space. Most of the participants were government > workers, and a few were Aboriginal youth. > > It is damn near impossible to get across the idea that a theme must be > visceral when you can't gaze into people's eyes, but we came up with > another litmus test. When I asked how one draft of the theme grabbed > people, comeone said "grabbed me where?" to which I replied > "well....where DID it grab you." She replied that it grabbed her around > the ankles. I asked what it would take to make it grab her in the gut. > > >From that point on we checked in with the theme by referring to > anatomy. Whe we got something I would ask where it grabbed people, and > the replies would tell us about how close we were. > > After a time an Inuit youth blurted out the line that would become the > theme and there was silence. I suggested that her contribution grabbed > me in the gut and everyone else agreed. We dwelled on the moment for a > second. What does it feel like to be grabbed in the gut like that? How > is it dnifferent from where we were being grabbed earlier? > > The process worked well, as it got people in touch with the little spark > of passion that we are going to be fanning into flames in a month or > so. I think that I would say that this is a taste of OST, for those who > haven't experienced it: you will be invited to be grabbed in the gut. > > I'll return to this little tool when I'm next working with bureaucrats > on a conference call...trying to re-introduce the concept of feeling > into work. > > Just thought I'd share. > > BTW. Richard's theme grabbed my gut too....for the most part. I > suggested to him off list that he might try "Men in Transformation: How > will we grow the next generation of fathers?" > > Cheers, > > Chris > > -- > CHRIS CORRIGAN > Consultation - Facilitation > Open Space Technology > > http://www.chriscorrigan.com > cor...@interchange.ubc.ca > > RR 1 E-3 > 1172 Miller Road > Bowen Island, BC > Canada, V0N 1G0 > > phone (604) 947-9236 > fax (604) 947-9238 > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
