Hi Viv, Marvellous to hear from you, and yes, I did mention that you and Brian are doing a GREAT training course in August. :)
>Learning to facilitate open space is the easy bit, I think. Learning to >be present in open space is the hard bit - something I still struggle >with as a facilitator. True! I just tried to breathe, listen and believe in the people participating. I remember you mentioned 'the struggle' .. aptly put, I experienced it first hand! :) That reminds me actually... There is a great story about a quote. Once a young prince went to a master craftsman with a ring which he wanted engraved. He said to the master craftsman that he wanted it to be engraved with something which would help him in his times of most need, and humble him in his times of greatest triumph.... When he returned to pick up the ring, engraved upon it were the words: "It will pass..." Warm regards, Andrew -- Andrew Rixon B.Sc(hons) PhD Urban Water Infrastructure CSIRO- Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology http://www.cmit.csiro.au P.O Box 56 (Graham Road), Highett, 3190, Victoria, Australia Tel: +61 3 9252 6363 Fax:+ 61 3 9252 6249 Mobile: 0400 352 809 Email: [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Viv McWaters Sent: Friday, 29 July 2005 8:44 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Self-correcting OS : Learning and Humility Hi Andrew Congratulations on giving OS a go! The theme the facilitators ended up discussing - trying to understand open space - is the very reason why OSonOS is such a fantastic experience and why so many of us go back (or try to :-) year after year to learn more (and reconnect). Learning to facilitate open space is the easy bit, I think. Learning to be present in open space is the hard bit - something I still struggle with as a facilitator. This is some of what you experienced first hand on Wednesday night. It also interests me how other facilitators react to OS - sometimes as facilitators (and I'm speaking just for myself here) we like that feeling of (supposed) control that comes from more structured facilitation processes. OS is always such a revelation for both participants and facilitators. I hope you told them all that Brian and I are delivering some OS training soon <big grin> We do lots of stuff on getting a 'good' theme... Cheers Viv On 28/07/2005, at 2:00 PM, Andrew Rixon wrote: > Dear All, > > > > Last night I had my first opportunity to give the OS gift to a group. > Being a member of a facilitator network group we (my wife and I) were > given the opportunity to facilitate a meeting, of course, selfishly I > chose to use open space. The theme which we came up was "For a great > meeting: What would you like to do?" ... We tried to come up with a > theme which would allow for new & spontaneous members to feel part of > the theme as well as, I guess, an existential theme which might just > work. > > > > What emerged however was a new theme that the participants spent the > whole evening discussing "What is this strange animal, open space?" .. > Challenging as it was, I practiced the art of silent facilitation and > let the group evolve and emerge with its discussions, sometimes I was > drawn out with a question which I felt I could help... > > > > Interestingly, initially there appeared to be a lot of discomfort, > that, at a facilitators network meeting, there was no clear 'leading > facilitator' to stimulate and prompt the group... by the end of the > meeting however (just 2 hours which flew by the way) everyone felt > energised and inspired in some way. > > > > It seemed like there was some ability for OS to self-correct itself > based on the true passions of the participants... > > > > Moral of the story: There is good reason why choosing a theme (and a > good one!) is important. > > > > Ps- > > > > I miss you too viv. J > > > > > > -- > > Andrew Rixon B.Sc(hons) PhD > > Urban Water Infrastructure > > CSIRO- Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology > > http://www.cmit.csiro.au > > P.O Box 56 (Graham Road), Highett, 3190, Victoria, Australia > > Tel: +61 3 9252 6363 > > Fax:+ 61 3 9252 6249 > > Mobile: 0400 352 809 > > Email: [email protected] > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > Harrison Owen > Sent: Thursday, 28 July 2005 8:19 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Not in Halifax > > > > Viv -- you will be missed for sure. At least I for sure will miss > you!!! > > > > Harrison > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Dr. > Potomac, MD 20854 > USA > 301-365-2093 > 207-763-3261 (summer) > website www.openspaceworld.com > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Viv McWaters > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 7:28 PM > > Subject: Not in Halifax > > > > Greetings from a cold and wet 'downunder' > > As you prepare to gather in Halifax, I'm sitting here in my office > wishing that the Jetsons had turned out to be true and that I could > teleport, miraculously, from one side of the world to the other. I'll > just have to be content with the miracle of electronic communications > instead :-) Having sprung an open space event on an unsuspecting group > on Friday and received confirmation of a major national OS in a few > weeks, training with Brian in August, and not being in Halifax when I > had planned to be there - well, OS is pretty much on my mind. I've > also > been mentoring a couple of people who are using OS and I'm always > reminded how a depth understanding of OS makes decisions about what to > do or not do quite straightforward, while a superficial understanding > of the mechanics raises all sorts of questions. Hence the importance > and significance of OSonOS where we can delve into those sometimes > murky depths. So I'll experience Halifax vicariously through Oslist > and > will look forward to all the goss when Brian returns. Have a great > OSonOS! > > Cheers > > Viv > > *************************** > Viv McWaters > Beyond the Edge Pty Ltd > PO Box 665 Torquay 3228 > Australia > (03) 5261 9498 > 0417 135 406 > > "Thus the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to > think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees. " > Schopenhauer > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > * * ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * > ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist *************************** Viv McWaters Beyond the Edge Pty Ltd PO Box 665 Torquay 3228 Australia (03) 5261 9498 0417 135 406 "Thus the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees. " Schopenhauer * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
