Frank, if there's an email list for the Intentional Communities folks,
how about sending out one saying something like "anyone else on this
list have experience with Open Space Technology? I'd like to experiment
with using OS at an IC gathering. Let's meet for an OS the day before
(some upcoming planned gathering) on (topic)."
Something like that. If the conversation goes on on the list for a bit,
and people get interested, and you aren't "taking over" the event, but
adding an opportunity to it -- who could complain?!
I think back to when I introduced Future Search to our coalition. Right
now it seems impossible that we got 64 people from 4 towns (it was a
regional community well-being focused FS) together for 16 hrs over
three days, including senior citizens, social workers, artists, school
superintendent, hospital president, elected town officials, physician,
minister, high school kids, etc. But somehow it worked -- and I'd have
to give a lot of credit to the strong encouragement of our facilitator,
John van Deusen, who did it pro bono. With his guidance, all I did was
get a community leadership group together for a full day meeting with
him. He guided us through a lot of thinking, showed us a FS video....
and at the end of the day, the leadership group was committed to
bringing in their constituencies, and it rolled on.
Does any of that translate for you working with FIC?
Diane
On Apr 9, 2006, at 12:45 AM, Frank Deitle wrote:
Thank you OS emergency squad!
Even though I know your advise is true before I even ask, I am
reassured by your supportive reminders. You make me laugh Lisa,
calling me a crankypants! I can get so crankypants about OS and I hate
that. It blocks me from finding creative solutions and making the
quality of connections that could lead to productive organizational
transformation. I had a good nap today during some of the committee
meetings and got some good writing done. I also had a few inspiring
side conversations. I've also had some ideas for how I can invite OS
into this organization down the line through a more productive kind of
long term dialogue and relationship building. I just get so impatient
sometimes.
As far as the emergency toolkit is concerned I think it would include
some of the things you all wrote: breathing, writing about what you
are passionate about, don't try to sell OS, butterflying around, use
the law of two feet, etc. I like Harrison's suggestion of an empty box
too. Perhaps I will flesh out these ideas and see if I could put
together a real emergency toolkit!
I keep wondering though about what happens at that turning point when
you identify frustrations with an established way of doing things and
are having that dialogue, how do people begin to effectively suggest
OS as an option? Here are some entries that have not worked for me:
"Well, I know this method that addresses all the things you are
talking about..." (seems to generate instant doubt), or using all the
traditional elevator plugs for OS hasn't seemed to get me very far
either. And perhaps it is just the fact that I am trying to "get
somewhere" that gets me nowhere. I'd really like to hear some real
world experiences of a working dialogue at that crucial point that
generates genuine interest in a new approach.
Thanks again,
Senior Crankypants (Frank Deitle)
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