Just beautiful. ___
All is possible together > On 3 Aug 2019, at 3.26, Birgitt Williams via OSList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Dear friends and colleagues, > Over the years, I have given considerable thought and reflection to the > concept of open space, including what Open Space Technology is, what it does. > I have considered why it is a life nurturing strategy to use Open Space > Technology as often as possible, everywhere in the world, and as often as > possible within an organization. > > 1992, my first exposure to Open Space Technology by Harrison Owen. I had > already experienced circle work in other forms, the power of the circle. Now > I had a different treasure to experience, a different format of using circle > work. During the Open Space Technology training, Harrison didn't mention the > reflective questions he asked at the end of an OST meeting. I am not sure > that they are in 'The User's Guide'. They might be. They are definitely in > our Genuine Contact program workbook about Working with Open Space Technology > because I found them to be so powerful, offering an exceptional moment for > insights to pop to the surface. > > I sat in rapt attention at the end of the closing circle as Harrison asked > "during this time together, what did you experience about leadership? about > vision? about community? about management?". The answers were overwhelming, > positive, insightful, and glorious. The people expressed visceral, not only > intellectual responses that leadership popped up everywhere, that a shared > vision was felt, that community felt surprisingly present, and that within > the structure, self management flowed. For me in that set of moments of the > reflection, I had an insight that affected the rest of my life, my career, > and was the catalytic moment of the development of the Genuine Contact > program. > > I related what happened in that moment to what Marianne Williamson wrote, > also published in that same year A Return to Love: Reflections on the > Principles of a Course in Miracles. You probably know the quotation I am > referring to as Nelson Mandela used it in a powerful speech. Here are > Marianne's words "“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our > deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our > darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, > gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a > child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing > enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around > you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest > the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in > everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other > people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our > presence automatically liberates others.”. > > I realized that Open Space Technology provided a window into what is. It > provided a window into the light of the people gathered, their power beyond > measure, their brilliance, beauty, talent, the beautiful spirit in each and > every person gathered and the beauty of the spirit of the collective, the > genius of the collective. The reflection questions helped me to understand > the power of this window that is Open Space Technology into what is, into > what already exists, into what every part of my being knew was sacred. > > Just as I believe we are all enlightened, simply needing to pause, breathe, > mediate to develop our awareness of the sacred of our being, I find OST the > best tool to assist a group of people develop awareness that they are much > more than they believe themselves to be, capable of much more from the > sacred, from the field of all possibilities. OST assists us in developing our > capacity to view the field of what is, and what can be further creating in > the ever expanding field. OST assists us in developing our capacity, with > curiosity, wonder, joy, love to work with the field, and to add our creations > to the expansion of the field, a field always present, always expanding, and > accessible by all of us individually, as groups, as collectives. I do not > think of this field as 'open space'. I think of it as sacred space. It is > free, it is available, it invites us if we choose to have eyes to see it and > ears to hear it. > > I appreciate Harrison Owen capturing the elements of a useful window, Open > Space Technology, writing about it, training us in it, and inviting people > everywhere to go ahead and use it, without fees going back to him. The window > takes us into the sacred space that is, the sacred space that includes > exceptional insights, conversations, relationships, and results. > > For me, I understood that the training lies in how to work with Open Space > Technology, to position it within an organization for the organization to > have the best possible harvest from allowing such a window in their > organization...once or multiple times..or as a way of operating daily. > > The Working With Open Space Technology module of the Genuine Contact program > emerged from my quest and my fascination with the first workshop in Halifax, > Nova Scotia, Canada in 1999. Trainings based on this module continue in > multiple locations annually. A schedule of offerings is at > genuinecontact.net. Of note, three offerings are coming up soon. > 1. in the Netherlands by Doris Gottlieb, Thomas Herrmann, Anna Caroline Turk > in the Netherlands Sept 3-5 > https://genuinecontact.net/events/ost-amsterdam-201909/ > 2. in Washington DC area right before WOSONOS by Anna Caroline Turk and > Thomas Herrmann Oct 22-24 https://truthcircles.com/open-space-washington/ > 3. and the offer of Birgitt Williams and Rachel Bolton online three Fridays > in a row Oct 18, 25 and Nov 1 from 9am to 12:30 > https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/open-space-technology/. We also > have a self study option plus one to one mentoring featured on that page for > people who come to us wanting to learn how to work with OST asap > > in genuine contact, > Birgitt > > > > > > > Birgitt Williams > Supporting Next Level Leadership "Leading So People Will Lead" > Author, Senior Consultant, President Dalar International Consultancy, Inc > Founder Genuine Contact Program > Co-owner Genuine Contact Group, LLC > Founder Extraordinary Leadership Network > > Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and working > in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead" > > Upcoming learning module: Working with Open Space Technology. Three different > learning options to learn a process for facilitating meetings that engage the > people. Self-Study + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle; Self-Study + > Real-Time Workshop + Mentoring Circle; and Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + > One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle with real time workshop dates three > consecutive Fridays from 9am to 12:30pm EST on October 18, 25, and November > 1st. > > PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613 > Phone: 01-919-522-7750 > _______________________________________________ > 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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