It’s amazing that we have all been around this long… :-) On Aug 28, 2014, at 1:48 PM, Peggy Holman <[email protected]> wrote:
> For the historical record…. > > As Michael mentioned, the original concept was mine. I convened a session at > OSonOS in Toronto in 1997 called “Day 3” — as in what happens on day 3? > > The phrase “opening space for action” is mentioned in the notes. I know I > brought the idea to the session because I remember going into the session > feeling like I might be bringing a breakthrough. I think that phrase emerged > out of the session. > > I’ve posted the notes from the session here: > http://peggyholman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/OSonOS-V.Toronto.1997.Day-3.pdf > > (I don’t know whether to be pleased or appalled that I could find OSonOS > proceedings from 17 years ago!) The notes provide a nice perspective on how > thinking evolved from voting to synthesizing to opening space for action. > > I seem to recall that Michael was the first to try it and tell its story on > the OS list, though looking through the archives, Diane Gibeault, who was > also at the session, is the first reference I located. (Was she the first?) > An exchange between Diane and Michael on the OSlist is copied below. > > > Peggy > > > > > > Begin forwarded message: > >> From: "Parkinson & Gibeault" <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: Concluding Open Space >> Date: August 23, 1998 at 2:33:25 PM PDT >> To: <[email protected]> >> Reply-To: <[email protected]> >> >> Hello Michael and everyone, >> >> In June you responded to my report on a different way of converging in OS. >> You were then "catching up with e-things after being gone". Well, I am doing >> the same thing now that the post holiday folly is winding down. >> >> First, thank you for your comments. I like your suggested question and >> intend to use it in my next OS in September. It will be the first time I use >> the tree metaphore for convergence with a large group (250 people). I will >> be co-facilitating with Jacqueline Pelletier a long time facilitator who >> also trained with Harrison Owen. We will report on how it went. If other >> people have used this approach particularly with large groups, I would >> welcome their comments and suggestions from their experience. >> >> 2.Dot vote: Because the time investment question gets dealt with in action >> plan discussion groups to which people participate, I use the dot voting to >> give the organization another piece of information: independantly of where >> people chose to invest time, what do they think the overall priorities for >> the organizations are. The reason being is that people may feel more >> comfortable and competent to contribute to an issue but may want to >> communicate what they think (priorities) about the big picture. >> Participants have in fact asked to make that distinction. >> >> Look forward to more discussion on all this, >> >> Diane Gibeault >> >> Diane Gibeault & Associé.e.s/Associates >> 191 Juliette Ave. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1K 2T5 >> (613) 744-2638 Fax (613) 744- 3347 >> >> Michael Herman wrote: >> >>> hello everyone, >>> >>> just catching up with e-things after being gone... >>> >>> special thanks to diane for taking action on our conversations re: >>> converging and for reporting it...i'd add a couple of little details by >>> way of question, suggestion, concern.... >>> >>> 1. the notion of priority setting and the question you used to open the >>> last day seems to have the potential to allow an escape into planning >>> mode and out of passion+responsibility mode...what do think of the more >>> blunt question..."what are you going to do now?" or "what can you do >>> now?"...still intending that these individual actions would be lead to >>> the emergence of priorities? >>> >>> 2. recently was present for a dots-voting session...i questioned the >>> strength of the passion+responsibility link in this particular session i >>> was in and thought the link could be tightened by asking folks to take >>> dots in proportion to the amount of time they expected to invest in >>> doing the actions being voted on....for example, at my meeting (about 30 >>> volunteer leaders at my church) i would have suggested taking one voting >>> dot for every hour per week a person expected to work on these projects >>> over the next six months. >>> >>> as you can see, my concern is to get the most honest view on day three >>> of what can really happen going forward, what people are really ready to >>> do and not just what would be nice...that said, i also really like the >>> idea of going through the opening process again, to demonstrate that the >>> opening/questioning process is an everyday working thing, not just an >>> annual planning thing. >>> >>> thanks again, >>> >>> michael herman > >> > > > _________________________________ > Peggy Holman > Executive Director > Journalism that Matters > 15347 SE 49th Place > Bellevue, WA 98006 > 425-746-6274 > www.journalismthatmatters.net > www.peggyholman.com > Twitter: @peggyholman > JTM Twitter: @JTMStream > > Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity > Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information ecosystem > > > > > > > > > On Aug 28, 2014, at 1:02 PM, Chris Corrigan <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Two points…first…yes Michael and I hammered on that opening space for action >> process back in 2002 or something…there are several methods and practices >> now published by different folks on how to move on from a day or two of open >> space. Let your context be your guide. I for one am glad we moved on from >> voting being the only way. >> >> Michael, as for the tool, basically it works like this. You project a phone >> number up on a screen and invite people to text things to that number (the >> number is acquired through a service called Twillio which can assign a >> number for this purpose). At the backend, the software spits out different >> kinds of outputs. In the past we have used word clouds and spreadsheets for >> tabulating data. You could have two rounds of texting…one round could be an >> invitation for people to text three words that sum up their experience…you >> can instantly generate a word cloud of that information, which gives instant >> feedback. You could then ask people to choose from a number of options just >> by texting a number representing their preferred option. The software can >> generate a CSV file which is then easy to put into a spread sheet and >> generate a graph from. The whole process can happen pretty much instantly >> and the real time feedback can be used to guide subsequent discussions. >> >> And I can’t emphasize enough how easy it was to work with Luke on this. If >> you need a tweak, give him a call. If you want to work it yourself, th >> ebasic code is open source. >> >> Chris >> >> On Aug 28, 2014, at 11:08 AM, Michael Herman <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> wow. and this might be the answer to my technical question, chris. i'll >>> check out this new tool and include it in the site updating. specific >>> words, specific tools. this is exactly what i was looking for. >>> >>> as i go off to try to understand the new tool. can you say more here about >>> how it works. you've got 200 or 300 or 50 or whatever folks in the circle, >>> day three, or two weeks after a one-day event, or sometime. you've got a >>> set of proceedings from the first time. maybe you've re-opened the space. >>> or are going to. there is some interest in polling the crowd. now what? >>> >>> in the old days, we numbered the issues and everyone ranked their top ten. >>> how does this new tool make work? what do you ask them to text into the >>> center? what do they send? how is that processed and turned back to the >>> group? does the form of this make it necessary to ask about individual >>> issues? what possibilities are opened by the new form? how does it not >>> devolve into a simple yes/no polling or how does it support ongoing or >>> in-the-moment conversation? >>> >>> i guess i'm really wondering if this is a tool for converging or diverging, >>> or both. and how that works. can you put it in that old familiar context? >>> or is that the wrong way to think about it? >>> >>> thanks, m >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> Michael Herman >>> Michael Herman Associates >>> 312-280-7838 (mobile) >>> >>> http://MichaelHerman.com >>> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org >>> >>> >>> >>> On Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 12:52 PM, Chris Corrigan <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> Yup…Opening space for action is still the best way to get things moving. >>> It has several advantages, the best of which is that it allows people to >>> digest themes and ideas that cross through many many sessions. Often you >>> can have a project come out on the action day that takes care of issues >>> raised in several different sessions. >>> >>> It allows for convergence to happen within the heart, and for those with >>> the passion who are willing to make time to initiate something to call it >>> in. It has always resulted in much better sustained result, in my >>> experience. >>> >>> Sometimes though, there is a need to vote on things, and what I have done >>> recently is to hire a developer called Luke Closs to build a little a tool >>> called SMSHarvest and you can find that at www.smsharvest.com. Basically >>> it allows people to use their phones to send a text to a number. That text >>> can contain any kind of information including preferences, and text….we >>> deliberately designed the tool to be useable without any sign up and to be >>> totally familiar, as almost everyone knows how to text and if you don’t >>> someone can show you or do it for you. Easy. >>> >>> You can use the tool for free, or throw some money Luke’s way as a mark of >>> appreciation. And if you want him to build a tweak for you, he does that >>> well, quickly and directly to what you need. >>> >>> Chris >>> >>> >>> >>> On Aug 28, 2014, at 8:40 AM, Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Actually I still have the old software, but I agree with Michael. There >>>> are much better ways. The problem for me with that software, as with all >>>> efforts (including Sticky-dots) to prioritize the issues that were raised >>>> on the first day or so of the OS is that it is measurement of >>>> “yesterday’s passions.” Very much like the most recent Quarterly Financial >>>> Report... all it tells you about is old news. On a standard 2 ½ day OS, >>>> when the 3rd day dawns, everybody had had a night to sleep on everything. >>>> Almost inevitably a lot will have changed. Hot issues will merge with >>>> other hot issues, hot issues will cool, new issues will have been thrown >>>> up thanks to the interaction of the preceding two days. There is also the >>>> question of Actionable Issues (which is the focal point of the 3rd day) >>>> which don’t necessarily include all the issues previously discussed. I >>>> believe Chris Corrigan started it all when he talked about “opening the >>>> space for action.” Anyhow that is what he did, and I do as well. Very >>>> simple procedure which I think I covered in the 3rd Edition of The User’s >>>> Guide. Nowhere near as elegant as Michael’s “Praxis” – but it will do in a >>>> pinch, and is not in German. J >>>> >>>> Harrison >>>> >>>> Winter Address >>>> 7808 River Falls Drive >>>> Potomac, MD 20854 >>>> 301-365-2093 >>>> >>>> Summer Address >>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave. >>>> Camden, ME 04843 >>>> 207-763-3261 >>>> >>>> Websites >>>> www.openspaceworld.com >>>> www.ho-image.com >>>> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives >>>> of OSLIST Go >>>> to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org >>>> >>>> From: OSList [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of >>>> Michael Herman >>>> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 5:41 AM >>>> To: OSLIST >>>> Subject: [OSList] is our voting software dead? >>>> >>>> hi all, especially those of you who've used the old multi-voting software. >>>> >>>> i'm wondering when was the last time you used the multi-voting software to >>>> do prioritization at the end of an OS meeting? i'm trying to figure out >>>> if it's still useful on the latest PCs. i'm a mac guy, so can't test it >>>> locally here. >>>> >>>> and if not using the old software, what are you using on day 3 of os >>>> events that are too big for dots? is there a new state-of-the-art when it >>>> comes to converging into action with larger groups? >>>> >>>> many thanks, m >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> Michael Herman >>>> Michael Herman Associates >>>> 312-280-7838 (mobile) >>>> >>>> http://MichaelHerman.com >>>> http://OpenSpaceWorld.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 > > _______________________________________________ > 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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