A tad of a stretch, my friend. But I will put up with anything for a close association with a proven winner. Gandhi Rules! Really clear space!!
And that ain’t a joke!! Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Dr. Potomac, MD 20854 USA 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer) Camden, Maine 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 (summer) 207-763-3261 www.openspaceworld.com www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Phelim McDermott Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 3:35 PM To: World wide Open Space Technology email list Subject: Re: [OSList] Why I Actually Like Calling it "The Law of Two Feet" And only one letter away from Ghandi! Best regards, Phelim McDermott ________________________________ I generally pick up emails only at the beginning and end of the working day. I am currently aiming to respond the following day. If it is urgent please call me on 07956 187298. _____________________________________ www.improbable.co.uk @openspacer On 11 Dec 2011, at 12:57, Eva P Svensson <[email protected]> wrote: :D Will quote that too :o) Eva Skickat från min iPhone 11 dec 2011 kl. 17:10 skrev Phelim McDermott <[email protected]>: In other words I shall quote you Harrison "Be the space you wish to see in the world!" : Harrison Owen Love Phelim X ________________________________ I generally pick up emails only at the beginning and end of the working day. I am currently aiming to respond the following day. If it is urgent please call me on 07956 187298. _____________________________________ www.improbable.co.uk @openspacer On 11 Dec 2011, at 10:44, Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote: Bernard – Very thoughtful and well done! Thank you!! And a further note on space. I would agree that having sufficient break out space is important, but I think that “sufficient” is always in the eyes of the beholder. Odd way of talking, I guess – but we have all run into situations where there was plenty of square feet/meters – but somehow it seemed cramped (a boring party). As well as the reverse – everybody was packed together, but somehow there was plenty of “room” (a cheerful night at the pub). My take is that space is much more a matter of feeling than physics. I have certainly seen this operational in multiple OST’s. I think of those times when the main room was so cramped, or worse, shaped like a bowling alley – and everybody was sitting on top of each other. As for the “break out” spaces… BUT it all worked magnificently. And the question is naturally, “How come?” Part of it may be cultural dispositions towards large and small spaces. People raised in our far west (Plains states) feel cramped if they can see another person – miles away. By contrast, Italians (some of my best friends) get so close that I, as an American, feel more than a little claustrophobic. Were I to have said something (I wouldn’t) my friends would have been hurt. Something about not liking “their space” I guess. J When it comes to Open Space, I think there may be something else operative – which is what we as the facilitator bring to the party. If our space is fully open (really present and clear of obstructions), I suspect that can and does establish a sense of “spaciousness” which has nothing to do with square footage. By the same token if we come from a place of closed personal space – we are thinking about all the things we should be doing, worrying about the size of the venue, contemplating next week’s assignment, the initial “spaciousness” can be cut by quantum factors. Maybe? Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Dr. Potomac, MD 20854 USA 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer) Camden, Maine 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 (summer) 207-763-3261 www.openspaceworld.com www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bernhard Weber Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 6:19 AM To: World wide Open Space Technology email list Subject: Re: [OSList] Why I Actually Like Calling it "The Law of Two Feet" Dear Peggy and all I fully agree to your YING/YANG interpretation of these two aspects. And when I read, what you wrote, I walked mentally back to my old "politically radical times". In spring of 1976, a big area in Vienna/Austria, that had been used as "Auslandsschlachthof" (forein imports slaughterhouse) by the municipal services was about to be sold to a consortium of garment importers. We thought, we need a real good place for the culture of the young people and - inspired by Freetown Kristiania in Denmark - we occupied the area and the Viennese ARENA was born. For months an unbelievable diversity of groups and activities met there and did wonderful things. We had the bikers club of the Simmeringer (low income area in Vienna) Buam (boys) there, lots of cultural events, even Leonard Cohen passed by and sang for free, there were a children house and a social service, lots of guests from outside coming for concerts and strolling through the ARENA, there was upper and lower class, foreigners like the "Collegium Hungaricum" (at times of the iron curton, do not forget that). We had a system of working groups and a plenary. Decisions taken by both. And it was all joyful and peaceful. In the end, too much money was involved. The city sold the Auslandsschlachthof and offered some petty area nearby for cultural events (still being called ARENA WIEN, but something completely different). We went out without violence but a big "ARENA funeral" walked through the town. And it was over. I was very young then, a student and although having done a good (small) group dynamics trainer training at Vienna University of Sociology before, I simply could not understand, why this all had worked. Well, as the co-founder of the first free school for 10-15 year old pupils, I had some clues that getting rid of the usual "everyday trance" was an important factor, but was still unable to discriminate between the pre-conditions for situations where it worked (like ARENA, free schools, some undogmatic leftist political events....) and when it did not work (IT being high diversity, time pressure, lots of conflicts around,....) For years, even centuries that followed a part of my studies was dedicated to understand exactly this: WHY HAD IT WORKED? I continued my learning about groups and organizations. I learned more about large group dynamics, facilitated learning workshops, became more and more experienced in refined facilitation techniques, etc. But this only increased my impression that nobody could give me a comprehensive explanation. And that theoretically (especially large group theory - wise) it COULD NOT HAVE WORKED. Around 1987 I first heard about something called OPEN SPACE. Nothing very detailed but specific enough to hear about the law of the two feet and the resistance to predefine what the participates would deal with. So without further ado I just tried it at the final event of a district development project at Cape Verde Island (where I worked at that period in time). All stakeholders of the project were invited. With amazing process and results. Some years later, I was lucky and could learn from Harrison how to do it properly and hear more about the knots and bolts. And it was clear. ARENA had been one of these spontaneous, not prepared, OPEN SPACES that happened again and again in the world. And when I was invited to talk at the Pankahyttn (Punks Hut) in Vienna last year (the Pankahyttn is itself a newly occupied - small - space in VIENNA town), it was this learning I could offer: ARENA Wien had worked because the LAW of TWO FEET had been appliable. 1) by the non-rules of ARENA 2) by the enormous space we had, so each of the groups and sub-groups could occupy their own space, come out, go back... And it was applied, not as a rule, but as a natural thing under these conditions. And the de-facto-emergenc of the OS principles had then been a simple consequence in the ARENA context. (The fifth law was not yet formulated last year, so I could only say: "it was not an OPEN SPACE in the sense of OST, but still, the OS spirit was there") And that is the reason why I post this here (in fact it's a small point and nearly a truism): It is true that the YING/YANG of the law of the two feet allows such things to happen. But at a theoretical level we should not forget that there exists a physical pre-condition: ENOUGH BREAK-OUT SPACE So that the (conflicting) groups and individuals can get out of each others way If there is not enough physical space available the law is not appliable Bernd Weber Change Facilitation s.r.o., A Global Partner Who Makes Change Happen in Complex Environments; www.change-facilitation.com, www.change-management-toolbook.com [email protected]; Regional Phone numbers: -Austria: +43 664 135 4828, landline + 431 5968657) -Sri Lanka: landline +94 11 2785859, iPhone +94 777740757 NEW: Intensive Learning Workshop "Playing with the Waves of Change" www.change-facilitation.com/ You want to have the design for a "Playing with the Waves (of Change) WS 2 completely taylor-made according to your individual learning interests & needs & limitations? Then have a look to the questionnaire at www.surveymonkey.com/s/5ZDS6JQ If you get Email from my account <[email protected]> please do not use the reply button but answer to <[email protected]>, because my change-facilitation.org INBOX is not working for the time being. Am 11.12.2011 um 04:17 schrieb Peggy Holman: I just read through several months of OSlist messages and am picking up this old thread because it inspires me to tell a story. Phelim, like others, I like your naming the movement "toward" and "away" in the Law of Two Feet. When I introduce the Law of Two Feet, I speak of these dynamics because of an exchange I had the privilege to witness shortly after I ran into Open Space. It was a conversation between the two people who have most influenced my thinking and practice of opening space: Harrison (of course) and Anne Stadler. For those who don't know Anne, she has been involved with Open Space since the OS in Goa India. I think that was in 1989. Shortly after that trip, Anne, who was a TV producer at the time invited Harrison to make the first video on Open Space Technology, called Learning in Open Space. I'm not positive about this, but I think Harrison and Anne then offered the first OST workshops. Anyway, a few years after that, probably around 1996, during a trip to Seattle, Anne and Harrison were talking about the Law of 2 Feet. Harrison spoke of it as a safety valve. He said something similar to this OSlist message by him from Nov. 24, 2001 [I put some text in bold]: ... I would guess that there are situations where a more active role might be required, but I have never run into one. Even when the level of conflict is very high and the issues are old and deep. For example, in South Africa in the days shortly after Mendela's release from prison we did Open Spaces with such folks as Zulus, Hausa, Afrikaners -- all together, and no problem. I have often wondered why this is true, and my best guess is that The Law of Two Feet provides the needed "safety-valve" Folks come together because they want to solve some issues. At the same time I think it to be true that nobody (save for a few pathological types) really like to blow their cool, so to speak. The desire to solve the issue brings them together, and the Law enables each individual to judge when they need a walk around the block to "cool off." I have seen this lots of time, and never seen it to fail. That made sense to me! Then Anne talked about the Law of Two Feet as a reminder to stand on your two feet for what you believe in. (Unfortunately, I don't have a comparable "in her own words" message.) As I listened to their exchange, all I could think was, "they're both right!" I had a sense that between them, Harrison and Anne had expressed the yin and yang of the law. Sometimes the ability to walk away and cool off is useful. And at other times, remembering the importance of taking a stand is what's called for. That conversation influenced how I've opened space ever since. When I introduce the Law of Two Feet, I talk about these two actions. Sounds a lot like moving towards and moving away, yes? appreciatively, Peggy _________________________________ Peggy Holman [email protected] 15347 SE 49th Place Bellevue, WA 98006 425-746-6274 www.peggyholman.com www.journalismthatmatters.org Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval <http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/> into Opportunity "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become the fire". -- Drew Dellinger On Oct 31, 2011, at 10:14 AM, Caitlin Frost wrote: Thanks for articulating this Phelim. For me the Law of Two Feet is definitely about movement. Nice to notice the "toward" in balance to the "away from" - and underneath that for me is just the invitation to wise movement to follow my flow - to open space for that for everyone. And my practice can be in noticing what would stop me from moving when that feels right, and working with that. I can see how that serves me in life and work both in and beyond Open Space. Your post here sharpened my ear for the phrasing - and in two recent Open Space openings I heard more clearly the speaking of this law as "away from" without the equal balance of towards. I will be more mindful now - when offering it myself, or teaching it to others. I like to think of it like I sometimes see little kids moving around. Not even needing a story to explain why they are moving. There doesn't have to be a reason or problem to leave - they just go when they are ready and find themselves in the next place. Eager faced - 'hey what's happening over here?' Thanks for offering some attention here. Caitlin. On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Phelim <[email protected]> wrote: In open space technology there is only one law. It’s know as “The Law of Two Feet” Some people don’t like calling it this and it is objected to on the grounds of diversity/disability issues. So it gets re-christened “The law of mobility”. However, I think it’s a very useful metaphor and as such think all should have access to it. However that’s not what I want to talk about today. Sometimes people concentrate on “The law of two feet.” as being about leaving somewhere: it might be a session, a person who is dominating a conversation, a topic that goes off somewhere you are no longer interested in, all these are things one might want to move away from. However it’s good to remember it’s a law of TWO feet. Let’s say the first foot or step is away from. Then the second step in terms of our metaphor could be what we are moving towards. If the emphasis is just on the first step the potential energy or even an awareness of the second step can get overwhelmed. Veiled in issues of possibility or social politeness. So remember both aspects of the Law: “away from” but also “towards”. Where have you already taken yourself or your mind? Where inside yourself have you already taken your next step somewhere else? This is a useful thing to remember not least because it might support you over the threshold of your imagined impoliteness or arrogance when you find yourself worrying about the fact that you are leaving somewhere and being rude. Maybe if you focus on where you are going to or where your presence has gone.. Then you could realise it might be rude to have already left a less than present self amongst the group. Or perhaps it’s even arrogant to assume people will even notice that you left. So whether you are attending to “The Law of Two Feet” or “The Law of Mobility: Focus on the TWO feet of the dynamic and as Hal and Sidra Stone say “Sweat the choice”. Love Phelim http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/clusterform ________________________________ I generally pick up emails only at the beginning and end of the working day. I am currently aiming to respond the following day. If it is urgent please call me on 07956 187298. _____________________________________ www.improbable.co.uk @openspacer @Wosonos2012 _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org -- UPCOMING WORKSHOPS in the transformative inquiry process of The Work: Open Heart <http://caitlinfrost.ca/workshops/peace-in-relationship/> - Bowen Island, Nov. 4-6; Weekend retreat, Nova Scotia May 4-6, 2012; The Work at work/business, Edmonton May 26 & 27, 2012 www.caitlinfrost.ca <http://berkana.org/berkana/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=14&id=375&Itemid=525> The Art of Hosting Conversations That Matter, Bowen Island, BC, October 23 - 26th. If you really knew how beautiful you are, you would fall at your own feet. Byron Katie. CAITLIN FROST Coaching and Facilitation Certified Facilitator - The Work of Byron Katie Principal - Harvest Moon Consultants Ltd. www.caitlinfrost.ca _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
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