Brian, You said: > I don't know if others might be > interested in it, and would be happy for you to add it to the LIST if > you think so.
This is such a WONDERFUL story! I have no doubt others will benefit from it, as I have. Thank you, Peggy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fr Brian S Bainbridge" <bria...@mira.net> To: "Holman Peggy" <pe...@opencirclecompany.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 6:24 PM Subject: Re: OST as a conference track > Dear Peggy > Have read all the inputs since your note. And I can perhaps add a bit. > Did an Open Space parallel track within a 3-day Conference on the > environment in Adelaide, preparing the Australian input for the > Johannesburg Environment Conference later this year. > All of the no-no comments made in other people's comments probably > applied. > BUT > we set up the Open Space in a separate area to which "whoever came were > the right people". And they came and set up sessions and stayed for the > sessions they wanted to be at and they went off to other traditional > conference sessions when it suited them and added new topics as seemed > appropriate - shades of the Law of Two Feet, obviously. > And all sessions were reported on and included in the final document > from the Open Space. > The announced theme was "GEARING UP DOWN UNDER FOR LA21 - THE ISSUES AND > OPPORTUNITIES", and there were 14 sessions, some of which were very well > attended and very electric. > The conference sponsors were delighted with the input that was generated > for the "Final Declaration" of the conference, though they would love > more people to have been involved. > The Open Space sort of concluded before the final session of the total > conference - which they asked me to make happen. And since I really > only know and use Open Space, that's what happened. > Some 300 people, in a theatre setting with a small stage area raised > above the floor by about 18 inches. And a local rule that nothing can > be pinned or taped to walls (under pain of death!), and the need to get > "The Declaration" signed by the appropriate heavies. Very boring and > meaningless. Certainly not any sign of spirit or energy or anything > useful. > BUT, as it happened, a miracle escaped and they accepted my suggestion > that the declaration should be signed and gotten out of the way and > then..... > There was a "Counter-declaration" emerge, and the organizers were > terrified that this might be suggested as the substitute for their > prepared and pre-written declaration. They were right, of course. And > I said "Whatever happens...." > So I arranged for the dais to be cleared of everything. There was a > youth rap-group to do a rap on "do-do-do, not talk-talk-talk" which was > wonderful. Funnily enough, all the people who left (bored) during the > formal signing found their way back into the space by this time. > I though it might be good to draw a big globe/circle on the black floor > of the dais and asked for volunteers to do this. I had some wide orange > tape marked with the word "FRAGILE" (packing tape) and thought that > would be good for such an event. The globe/circle was drawn. Lights > dimmed throughout the room except on the globe/circle area. > Asked the rap-people to hand out to everyone a felt pen and a half-sheet > of paper about 12 x 4 inches. > Invited anyone who cared enough to write on the paper "After the > conference, I am going to.............." and sign it. And then come to > the two mikes at the front of the dais, make their personal declaration, > and then use some ordinary masking tape to stick it to the floor inside > the globe/circle (sticking so that air conditioning would not blow them > away). > There was no way that was not going to work - and it worked > wonderfully. Even the "counter-declaration" leaders were encouraged > (and did it) to put their paper on the globe/circle, right in the > middle. About five people in the whole crowd didn't put a paper up. > And the lady in the wheelchair at the front did. > And I asked those who had done so to form a bank of people at the back > of the globe, and they thought their job was to clap each of the inputs, > which they did endlessly and with increasing volume (obviously) and > enthusiasm. > Asked for quiet, told them the Charles Handy story about the traveller > who waited for the mountain to move and suggested they might be people > to actually move mountains by doing what they had promised. A huge > "YES>>>>" to that. > Invited them in silence to catch the eyes of each other person in the > group and say with their eyes what they would like to share. Fabulous. > Then announced that the last rule of Open Space is "WHEN IT'S OVER, IT'S > OVER" and that it was my honour and privilege to announce that this > conference was now over. Huge cheers and huggings and emotion and > spirit release. > It was marvellous. > One seasoned organizer, two weeks later - said he had been at hundreds > of environment conferences and never had they ever ended on a high - > it's all so serious. Thought this was wonderful. > The chief financier/organizer of the conference - a public servant - sat > next to me later that evening at recovery/drinks/nibbles and said that > she wanted to seriously congratulate me for the way I had done the > closing, that she never believed it could happen, that she had no > alternative and so allowed it to happen, and was stunned and hugely > excited at the way it had all come together so marvellously. > I figure that if we hold to our 4 Principles and One Law, as I did again > on this occasion, miracles can emerge. And they did this time, too. > Peggy, I'll send this direct to you. I don't know if others might be > interested in it, and would be happy for you to add it to the LIST if > you think so. It was a great occasion and a very deep expression of > spirit for those people. That's special. > Cheers and blessings, BRIAN. > > * * ========================================================== 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
