Bonjour Suzanne,
What a feat! Ill say more about that but first, Id like to share a couple of things that your story reminded me of. Its about possibilities when people are creating their own post-its with a place and time and secondly, its about creating an endless grid. At the opening, once the topics are posted and before people go to the wall to sign up, I have in the past informed participants that if they want to create additional place and time post-its that are different from those offered at the grid, they can do so using Post-it packs of a different colour that will be placed along the wall when they go to sign up. This additional post-it offering is especially useful when were running out of prepared post-its on the grid. I have learned that its better not to place those post-it packs at the wall before the opening because some participants only catch part of the explanation and some dont pay attention to the grid when they post a topic they pick up the blank post-it and create one. This has meant that groups have ended up creating duplicates and therefore were competing for the same space at the same time. Self-organization will take care of such conflicts but with very large groups and a finite number of spaces, it helps to keep those at a minimum. Your story has also reminded me to start being more systematic in always making that offer of off schedule Post-its, if only to create more space and incentive for creativity and self-responsibility. THE ENDLESS GRID - Another helpful way to deal with the need of many meeting sites. On the grid I post times vertically in the first column on the left because usually, the time possibilities are more limited than space possibilities. The height of the grid (low enough for people to reach post-its) and the proximity of the floor both limit the number of options that can be posted in that column. Placing names or numbers of meeting sites horizontally in the first row gives room to almost endless possibilities if you place the grid far enough from the market place where topics are to be posted. Now back to you in this great adventure you created. What I know of you from different encounters we had and from the many conversations, I am not surprised that you dared make space for OS in the context of that event. It is worth saying that your courage is equal to your trust in people and your profound understanding of the principles of self-organization. Having seen you in action, I think OS is a second nature for you because you have made it a way of life. I was just catching up a bit on the OS List. I cant wait to hear about your future trips in the unknown and to keep on learning from you. Amitié, Diane From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne Daigle Sent: 3 septembre 2009 18:00 To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: [OSLIST] Not ideal but worth the effort Back from Boston after facilitating A Taste of Open Space at the NAMAC (National Alliance for Media, Arts and Culture) Conference. This was my first large event (300+ participants); did not have that much lead time to prepare; and the circumstances were less than ideal: blended with workshops, no opportunity to sit in a circle and for a while, I worried about wall space and ability to use masking tape on the walls of this ornate room in a historical hotel. We used blue painters tape. Looking back, I would not have traded a minute of this experience. Yes, it could have been so much better but ultimately it was worth it based on the number of conversations (20 25 more?) over the 3 days of the conference. I had 90 minutes on the first morning with the plenary group to OPEN SPACE: announce the OS question tied to their theme (Lisa Heft was so helpful in offering some ideas with lots of other invaluable tips too), to explain the principles and the Law, to build an agenda, and to open a marketplace. Within an hour, no less than 15 groups were talking. I called it the Speed Dating of OPEN SPACE clearly indicating that this was just a TASTE of Open Space. I said it would be an opportunity for them to find each other quickly by connecting with others who shared their passion on common topics. I thought I would be a basket case but somehow having meditated twice daily for the 10 days preceding this event, rehearsing on my outside patio over and over, scouring Diane Gibeaults training materials, reading everything I could get my hands on and seeking help from some OS trusted friends who were so very generous, I felt calm, clear and grounded. It wasnt about me; it was about the participants! The night before, working with a few volunteers, I took the time to quietly walk the room and did so again the next morning. And I thought of this audience and my passion for their cause free press, documentary film producers, youth, arts, media, culture, democracy, etc. The hardest part was not having the circle and people writing and posting the topics at the back of the room. Clearly all the OS practitioners are right that you NEED a circle to keep the energy focused in the middle in spite of the fact that I had them visualize a giant circle as part of my intro. Not the same at all! As people were writing and announcing their topics, many started conversations around their tables and I had to bring them back to attention a few times. I feel we could have had 60 to 75 topics in those first 15 minutes instead of the 30 we got. Others topics were added later and some folks posted Summary Reports from their discussions. Over the 3 days, there were six 90 minute OS timeslots on the program not including the Closing (no circle there either). What I invited people to do was to live the 4 Principles of OS and the Law of 2 Feet (Butterfly and Bumble Bee) throughout the conference and even beyond. We had blank post-it notes so they could schedule their sessions anytime, anywhere and they did: in the coffee shop, in the bar (15 people form 10 pm until past midnight), early morning and lunchtime as well as in the assigned locations in our plenary room which became the OPEN SPACE hub. What they said they appreciated most was the gift of choice and freedom. As I watched the conversations happening from afar, I felt such gratitude to have had the courage to do this. People came by to share quietly as I cleaned up coffee cups, trash, etc. The feedback was extremely positive and while I know it could have been better, my commitment to be opening space for people wherever and however I can from the heart is what drives me now. Yes I will always push for optimal conditions as I feel I must. But if I cant get there, I will just try to do my best and not shut the door. If anyone wants to know more, Ill gladly share all that I lived and felt during those three days. I owe so much to this community. Thank you everyone. Link to some of the NAMAC OS photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/namac/page5/ Suzanne -- Suzanne Daigle NuFocus Strategic Group 7159 Victoria Circle University Park, FL 34201 FL 941-359-8877; CT 203-722-2009 www.nufocusgroup.com s.dai...@nufocusgroup.com * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
