Good additions! I´ve really felt like a singing pig, and I dont like lit. So I will try a differnet approach. Thanks a lot, Harrison!
Hege 4. des. 2013 kl. 22:40 skrev Harrison Owen <[email protected]>: > Just to add a thought or two... I have never tried to “sell” Open Space. The > reasons are two. First, when you describe it to anybody who hasn’t “been > there” they can’t believe it, won’t believe it, and – worse – are pretty sure > that anybody who does “believe it” is more than a little bit “off their > rocker” (Americanism for weird, strange, marginally crazy, and such). Not a > strong opening position for a “sales” pitch! Bottom line? Don’t bother. As I > think I have said ad nauseam, Selling Open Space is not unlike trying to > teach a pig to sing. It annoys the pig, and sounds terrible. > > And there is an alternative. Just recognize (in your own mind) that these > folks (whoever they are...) are already “in” Open Space. They are just doing > it badly. Your “offer” is simply to help them to do what they are already > doing – but now with some understanding, expertise, and style. Short take: > you can help them to remember what they already know, and having remembered, > to do everything much better. > > Practically – I find that most people really don’t care about the “process.” > As Eiwor says – they just want results. So explaining the details of the > process, given the liabilities of that explanation (see above), doesn’t make > a lot of sense. What you can do is make some promises that I know can be > kept. Every issues of concern to anybody will be on the table. All will be > discussed. Reports of those discussions will be created. Action groups > will/can be formed. Guaranteed! With one major proviso. People care to do > that. If nobody cares, nothing will happen. But what else is new? > > Harrison > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Dr. > Potomac, MD 20854 > USA > > 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer) > Camden, Maine 04843 > > 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 Hege Steinsland > Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 1:28 PM > To: World wide Open Space Technology email list > Cc: World wide Open Space Technology email list > Subject: Re: [OSList] How to present OST? > > Thank you for this rich respond. Your advices make a lot of sense, and I will > start exercising the conversation and questions tomorrow :-) > Challenging and meaningful! > > Do you still think its alright to invite myself to conversations about their > situation, issues or possibilities? What will be the good way to come in > position for this kind of conversations in your experience? Rhetoric > questions maybe? > > Hege > > Sendt fra min iPhone > > Den 4. des. 2013 kl. 18:52 skrev Tricia Chirumbole > <[email protected]>: > > Thanks for the discussion Hege, and for the feedback Eiwor and Lisa! > > The comments have been very helpful to me - this is a theme that I struggle > with as well as I try to find my place, but not make it about needing or > wanting a place for myself or my interests. > > Yet, still feeling it a valuable endeavor, for myself and for others, to "get > out there" and share practices that I find wisdom in and see need for. > > Challenging to find a way to "spread the word", share something you find > value in, etc. yet not get trapped in imposing, selling, pushing, seeking.... > > > Tricia Chirumbole > US: +1-571-232-0942 > Skype: tricia.chirumbole > > > > On Wed, Dec 4, 2013 at 12:46 PM, Lisa Heft <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi, Hege - > > I agree with Eiwor -and- for any kind of facilitation process or services, it > is really important to talk to clients very specifically about their own > situations, and I will add the emphasis that what you may do best to explore > is the *what* (they need) and *why* (they need something / why a situation is > / why engaging a group in dialogue may be useful) and not the *how*. Not the > method or process, at that initial stage of conversation. > > In my observation it does not really work to sell someone on a vision and > experience you have inside you, but instead, to really listen for those times > when a prospective client has an opportunity, task or issue that you feel may > be helped by convening people in dialogue. And then asking them more and more > about their story of what they see and wish to achieve. Their objectives and > desired outcomes. Before ever talking about the *how*, the process. Because > in all this interaction, you are also gathering information on whether the > process(es) you know are the best-fit for their situation. > > The 'deliverables' (realistically achievable outcomes) of different > processes, including engaging groups in dialogue over different amounts of > time (such as 2 hours versus 2 days) are different - so you listen for that > information as well. I have found that facilitation is not something one > sells. Listening invites the story of what an organization or community > wishes to achieve. It is about them and their energy and their needs and > less focused on the facilitator's own good wishes for that organization or > community to achieve or experience something. > > I actually did an analysis (because I am so like that) of my last 8 years of > clients, a few years ago. How did I get my last 8 years of client work. And > it was not from a brochure or a powerpoint or a CV (resume), or from telling > them that someone like them had success in something, or from talking about > this cool process. It was because they saw me facilitate, or their trusted > colleague did, or because we had a conversation about an opportunity or > situation they were interested in / excited / concerned about, and I > listened, and I asked them to tell me more. And then as the story unfolds, > sometimes you think 'oh that is something I can offer' and sometimes you > think 'oh that is not my area of interest or expertise' and you can refer it > to a lovely colleague. Even if the work is not something that will be for me, > I feel that in this conversation I am supporting the client, the colleague, > the field. > > Just some thoughts to add to the mix... > > Those leaders you are talking with are lucky to have you as part of their > skilled community, Hege... > > Lisa > > > > > > On Dec 4, 2013, at 3:02 AM, Eiwor Backelund <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi Hege, in Sweden OST has become quite well known lately and I have often > worked with it in governmental and municipality organizations, political > parties etc. I think the most important thing to tell your assumed clients, > is not what it is but what results they can get from it. > > Let me know more about what you are after and I will see what examples I > might have. > Eiwor > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Hege Steinsland" > <[email protected]> > To: "World wide Open Space Technology email list" > <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 11:48 AM > Subject: [OSList] How to present OST? > > > Hello out there. > I´M in an " sales - period" trying to get meetings with leaders telling them > about Open Space. > I don't find it easy. > > Should I make a power point presentation showing examples? > Should I just tell about my experience so far, and the effect. > > Open space is not at all well known in my part of Norway, and I find it > challenging to tell about it in a tempting way, that do OST right. > > Any experiences? > Any examples of themes you have done Open space on i Municipalities? > > Love the opportunity to ask for the wisdom out there where you are :- > > Thanks from > > Hege > _______________________________________________ > 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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