Lisa, I smiled as a read how you figure out how many spaces to set up. I'll have to remember it! It makes great sense.
Over the years, I've developed a rule of thumb that works for me. I've noticed that in a mid-sized group, say 50-300 people, about 1/3 of people post sessions. When the group is small, it moves towards 1/2 the people. In really small groups, under 15, there might be more sessions than people. And in larger groups, the numbers drop to about 20%. So that's how I estimate, always erring on the generous side. Your layout instructions are also great! Like you, with really large groups, I like to organize the agenda wall with one time period per wall. And when using a big space for breakouts, I've borrowed Michael Pannwitz's use of balloons with labels as space markers. So many glorious ways to create hospitable space! Peggy On Sep 5, 2013, at 9:43 AM, Lisa Heft <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi, Carms - > > I have been traveling and on client deadlines so I am just wandering back > into this conversation - if I recall, you have just under 4 hours. > Originally you mentioned having 3 sessions. > You might think about having just two sessions. > I would always 'err' on the side of not rushing thinking - because if you do, > only the quick-responder types get to include themselves, rather than the > full diversity of also the reflective thinkers. > Imagine a group of 1000 having time to name their topics after you explain > the process. How much time are you planning for that? > Plus it is so important to have time for closing comments and reflection - > any time at all. > > On this list - we have found that it takes no more than 1 hour 15 minutes for > any sized group (yes, when I have done 3500) for the opening and co-creation > of the Agenda. > > Pardon my forgetfulness - I forget how Sharon did and timed the Opening > Circle, though I remember the visuals she described for placards / topic > signs. > > Because I am a visual thinker and not a numerical thinker, I think of 'how > many topics' first as this: > > Imagine / picture a large group (1000 or more) meeting in discussion > circles-of-chairs of let us say 15 chairs per circle. More than that and it > is hard to hear. > (realize this is just for a first picture - people will pull their chairs > together for a group of 20 or a group of 2). > In the larger Open Spaces - especially shorter ones where you will only have > a few sessions - I observe that people tend to start in bigger groups and > have less time to explore the Law of Two Feet. > If this was a 2-day (for example) Open Space, what I have observed is that > you would notice group sizes becoming more diverse in side - some getting > smaller and more intimate over the course of the sessions because people have > 'found their feet' and realize that a group is two people or that they can > move more amongst the conversations during a session time. > > So. For a larger Open Space so let us say in the 1000-3500 range - I divide > my participant number by 15 to find how many discussion circles there will be > around the room. > Then I add some more circles and more materials because as Peggy says: > abundance. > > For an Open Space of let us say 50 to several hundred people, I imagine > circles of 12 chairs. > > For a small Open Space (let us say up to 50 people) I picture people sitting > in a group of 5 to 7 people (knowing there are groups of 10, groups of 1 in > the actual event). > So I divide my participant number by let us say 7 to find out how many > discussion circles there will be around the room. > Then I add some more circles and more materials. > > Then I add more circles and more materials as above. > > So: whatever that 'how many discussion circles', I just multiply that times > the number of discussion *sessions* we will have. > Like 2, for 2 one-hour sessions. > And I add a little ;o) > > That tells me how many topic signs, sign-in sheets (to pass around each > discussion group), notes-taker forms and so on to put on my / the client's > materials list. > > Then there is the what-is-to-me a separate question of how many topics will > the group generate. > Because I do not need to know how many they 'might' or 'would' generate - I > just need to know how many materials and how much floor space to provide them > for the highest possibility, given my client's / the space's capacities and > resources. > > I find 'how many topics will they generate' - which I will only know when we > have collected all their notes into the Book of Proceedings during (and > usually completed after, with a few more notes trailing in) the event - can > depend on > > - the group and their energies, as much as > - the way I explain that even a group of one is essential and we deserve > their wisdom, too > - the visibility of the process of notes-taking, the documentation design, > the physical presence of a newsroom or news wall or however it might happen > - the naming of the power of documentation as a way to share wisdom across > the groups, not just getting the wisdom from the two or so conversations > someone was a part of > > ... and a few other things that are different every time. > > So I cannot tell you how much a group will generate. I can only tell you how > to prepare enough materials so that if a group is super-fertile, generating > oh-so-many topics - that there will never be a lack of wall space, or room > space, or materials - in order to support all that is possible. > > By the way - a notes about site use. In my larger group Open Spaces - such as > 300-3500 - I lay out the room with the major aisles as a cross (picture topic > sign-making tables / materials in the bottom and left and right 'arms' of > this cross / these widest aisles, picture the top 'arm' of the 'cross' the > main aisle leading to the huge long agenda wall, picture me on a tiny low > platform in the center so they can see me / I can see them). With pre-set > circles-of-chairs all across the room. Each circle has an "A" (example > identification of a discussion space such as A through ZZ), blank paper, > notes-taker forms, pens, participant sign-in sheet to pass - on the floor. On > the walls across the room are big arena-type signs helping people navigate > across a large space - as in an arena (example: "AA through NN" on the wall > to indicate that row of conversation circles). People come in and sit > anywhere to start. To announce topics, they simply come up to the three > sign-making stations (on the arms of the 'cross'/aisles), make their sign (it > already has a time/space post-it on it), announce their topic at the > microphone that stands at their sign-making station, then walk their sign > over to the huge Agenda Wall (or right wall is 10:00 session, left wall is > 11:00 session - whatever works in the huge big room). I still work in the > round, indicating things in the round, holding the circle in the round, > taking 'next topic' in the round. Then they all go off to their first > session, having posted their topic signs on the huge long wall. Signs are > larger-size paper so people can see those topics a bit more easily. In this > way, Opening Circle is still there, just in a circle-of-circles way. Closing > Circle is me reconvening them with a bell, and they are in place wherever > they were for their last session. They come up to the microphones (remember > there is a mic at each of the three sign-making stations) to share Closing > Comments and Reflections. > > It is of course a different way than I think you will be doing it. Just > another way. I find this is an easy way to make a safe room in the event of > any emergency, and so many kinds of people can navigate easily. > > They are lucky to have you, Carms, > Lisa > > > > Lisa Heft > Consultant, Facilitator, Educator > President Emerita, Open Space Institute US > Fellow, Columbia University Center for International Conflict Resolution > Opening Space > > > _______________________________________________ > 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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