Several people have asked for an outline of the 2 day OS training we did in Taiwan recently, so, belatedly, here it is.
Day 1 Morning: We began with people saying what brought them to the program, each individual drawing pictures of when they had experienced "open space" some time in their lives, then sharing those with others Then we did an Open Space session (a few had never experienced OS and it was a good refresher for the others). I put up 4 possible topics to choose from (others could be added if they didn't resonate with those). They were "What we/I can do to take responsibility for Taiwan's economic future", "New work opportunities with our increasingly high unemployment rate", "How to fully live a high quality life" and something else I can't remember. They immediately chose the high quality of life, so we opened the circle and were off for two 1 hour sessions, quick convergence, action groups and a closing circle. Afternoon: Walked through the steps - pretty much out of "A Users Guide" - and the nuts and bolts as laid out in a manual we prepared. We then had them get into groups - learning teams of 3 or 4 - to share their own experiences of the 4 principles and Law of Feet and get them well grounded. They then dramatized one of them for the whole group and we reflected on our learnings. It was great and lively for mid afternoon activity. Each person then listed at least 5 places they would like to do an OS program and who the sponsor would be. They went back into learning teams where they chose 1 organization and sponsor as their client. It turned out that 3 groups had someone with whom I had been talking about an OS in their organizations so they made good subjects. They did an in-depth interview with the sponsor, worked on the theme and practical arrangements including wonderful invitations. And we closed with evening news. Day 2 morning: After the opening circle, they shared the invitation letters and PR materials created on Day 1 with the whole group. Then returned to their learning groups, created their wall charts, set up their rooms/spaces, and took turns facilitating the OS meeting. (All of this was done in 1 large room). Afternoon: After lunch we met as a whole group to reflect on learnings from the practice, got feedback on their practice sessions, and had an extended question and answer time before the closing circle. Good music and juggling lessons and practice added greatly to the spirit and learning of us all. Since the training one of the actual Open Space events has been held - in a city government early intervention center composed of depts of education, social service and health. Three of the new OS facilitators followed that up with an OS for parents of the children being treated, and they have decided to continue this as a monthly event. Tomorrow I'm going with another facilitator as she opens space for a civil service learning organization group. What a pleasure to be the backup support! I'm so grateful for the many learnings from this list that I've been able to pass on. Our thanks to you all. Gail -- Gail West, ICA 3F, No. 12, Lane 5, Tien Mou West Road Taipei 111 Taiwan Phone: (8862) 2871-3150, Fax: (8862) 2871-2870
