Open space brings to people's awareness both the content and the process of their conversations. I'm sure other methodologies also do, but it really stands out for me in open space.
So I see an opportunity for reflective learning. In some settings I'll invite closing reflections on both the content and the process they just experienced. Granted they have mostly been educational settings. But I imagine others being amenable. Michael I never forgot your idea about setting chairs for breakout spaces and use it all the time. Jeff -------- Original message -------- From: Michael Herman via OSList <[email protected]> Date:03/22/2015 9:20 AM (GMT-08:00) To: World wide Open Space Technology email list <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [OSList] Great formats for breakout sessions? yes to practice. and my word was going to be "learning curve." some years ago we did a one-day os session. the morning got off to what seemed like a slow start. then they had lunch, a speech, and some award presentations that ran to the long side. when people got back to open space after that, they really appreciated the difference -- and knew exactly how to use the space. when the sponsor says a few words at the opening of the opening, i always suggest that they tell a story of how we got here. in the breakouts, that always seems like the logical thing to do, the convener saying somehting about how they came to post this topic. then those choosing to attend go around and say how they came to choose this breakout. stories about why, how, what they care about. and by the end of that, things are well underway and there is obvious work to be done, or not, but either way, it is working. i never tell folks or try to rig for people what to do in the breakouts. sometimes i describe this process of people telling stories about how they got here. the other thing i do is never set out big circles in the breakout spaces. i set three chairs to mark each breakout space, with more chairs piled to the sides. the three chairs are pushed right together close, their front edges forming a closed triangle. set this way, they are impossible to use. the first person has to move them to whatever distance feels right to them. after three people come, everyone needs to move them to make room for others. in this way, i dictate nothing. they literally open the space at the center of each breakout group. i've done it this way every time since my first time, when i set big chairs and watched some small groups squirm in spaces that were too big for them. the stories of how we got here, the chairs arranged by participants, some flips/markers if we're intending to capture notes, and then it just takes practice, time to ride the learning curve. -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 312-280-7838 (mobile) http://MichaelHerman.com http://OpenSpaceWorld.org On Sun, Mar 22, 2015 at 11:04 AM, Jeff Aitken via OSList <[email protected]> wrote: One response is: practice. People gain more facility at hosting a breakout and participating in a breakout by doing more of them and learning. So I'm interested in fostering a culture of interaction and learning. I love the Fourfold Practice in the Art of Hosting for this reason. As a simple potent framework for practice and learning these arts of participatory leadership. Hosting oneself, participating, hosting conversation, and cocreating a community of learning. Open space is a fine space for practice of all these. I can offer tools at each breakout space such as notepads and even creativity tools like clay and pipe cleaners and the like. Yet what happens is always ... the only thing that could've. What I can say as I open space is limited and I don't know that people are really hanging on every word. So I tend to take a longer term view and hold space for trying and learning and trying some more. Thanks for the inquiry! Jeff -------- Original message -------- From: Paul Nunesdea via OSList Date:03/22/2015 8:23 AM (GMT-08:00) To: Lucas Cioffi ,World wide Open Space Technology email list Subject: Re: [OSList] Great formats for breakout sessions? Hi Lucas, Spot on. I have seen this happening, the energy gets wasted, specially in small OS seems that social pressures inhibits the Law of two feet. Wonder if the same happens in virtual OS, where people can actually leave the "virtual rooms" without any social pressure... Thanks for such well thought questions. Best Paul From my iPad On 22/3/2015, at 15:10, Lucas Cioffi via OSList <[email protected]> wrote: Hi All, I checked the OST User's Guide and the OS List archives, but I didn't find any mention of what format the breakout sessions can/should take. During some but not all OS events I've attended, facilitators have mentioned that breakout sessions should be conversations rather than presentations. The OS philosophy would say "there's no need to suggest how to run a breakout session" and "empower the participants to choose their own formats for each session" and "do less" and "it just happens". However, we all know from firsthand experience that some breakout sessions are more personally satisfying/rewarding than others, just as some 3-person coffee break conversations during normal conferences are better than others. Here are some potential problems with breakout sessions if they are implemented poorly by participants: There can be too many sub-topics for the breakout session so some ideas do not get brought up at all. Most of the time people do not brainstorm all the topics at the beginning of a session and they dive right into the discussion of the first issue that comes to mind. So they don't ever know all the topics that are on everyone's minds. Some people do no feel comfortable for various reasons related to introversion, discrimination, or office politics, so they never speak up. As facilitators, we know ways to avoid this but the participants may not know how to avoid these meeting pitfalls. One person dominates the discussion. The built-in remedy for this is that everyone else votes with their feet and leaves to form their own breakout session later, but sometimes this doesn't happen and it's simply a lost opportunity for everyone. Here are my questions for the group: 1. What formats to the breakout sessions usually take at events that you facilitate, and are some of these formats better than others in your opinion? 2. What formats could breakout sessions take? Someone usually starts with why they convened the session, but then what usually happens? What could happen? 3. What meeting tools/aides/games can help improve the quality of breakout sessions? Thank you for your insights! -- Lucas Cioffi Facilitation Community of Practice on QiqoChat Charlottesville, VA 917-528-1831 _______________________________________________ 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 Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] _______________________________________________ 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 Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
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