Dear all, Peggy who gave me a hand on my last OS event suggested I post the story here. Hoping we would share more stories of OS again.;) Here it is. Hope you enjoy it !
I was contacted by an international organization a few weeks ago, following another OS event someone attended last year and that I facilitated and this someone recommended me when a facilitator was looked for. Issue was as follows : Sponsor was the secretariat of a partnership of 3 international organizations, working on an international strategy. This year was mid term of the strategy and there has been an independent evaluation of the strategy. Evaluation has been submitted to leadership and approved. Now the project management team needed to answer concretely to those 8 recommandations and 40 sub-recommandations. This management team that meet usually by visioconférence agreed that they needed to do that in person. So they agreed for a 2 days gathering. When they called, the seminar was planned 4 weeks later. I said I could help. Tova pointed out that I was brave and indeed I was. Or foolish more probably. Because the evaluation pointed 40 detailed actions... I felt I could help only with OST. They agreed. ` Here is what happened. Pre work was difficult because 1/ timing was really tight (4 weeks...) 2/ they were over busy. I insisted to have a planing team with the 3 different partners of strategy. But one of them was still more busy than the others and we could only see us once, one week prior to the event. Of course this lady was very doubtful about OST and we didn’t ’t have time to adresse her concerns fully. The other person from the 3rd organization was also skeptical but the feeling was different. This lady raised of course her concern again in the opening circle the morning of the event : we won’t be able to address all the 40 sub-recommandations ! So we took into account her idea and opened a Parking Lot for topics we could not explore fully as there were a few missing stakeholders, and a few topics that were to be addressed in future meetings already planned in the coming weeks. It was interesting to see how this lady was torn : From the very beginning of the prework , when I learned that she would be the only one from the funding agency, and that this was of course the most delicate matter, I suggested they invited more people from her organization. But she didn’t invited them, saying : "there is no agenda, I can’t invite them". We were in her building, her organisation was the host of the meeting. As I was explaining how we were going to create the agenda, she suddenly disappeared and came back 10 mn later with one of her colleague, who finally stayed the whole day and participated in many discussions (on and off ;). The second day, I saw that she had invited also another colleague who had a few chats here and there, not really in, but beautifully butterflying. It went very well of course. On the second day, we started with a very top-down 15 mn time from one of the partner who needed to give information to all. Then we split into the 2 additional topics that were not held on day 1. Then I did CHEEKS IN CHAIRS activity that Peggy had told me about : Everyone standing, I asked : what really stands out for you right now ? Someone would start. As soon as everything that stand out for someone was said, this person would sit down. We laughed : After only 3 people, everyone was seated.. So much convergence visible. Then we worked on the action plans. I had asked for giant printed templates, and more breakout rooms. There were more butterflies during the action planning… argh, this lady dealing with money was upset again. At the end of day 2, one very important action plan was missing : the host completely had disappeared for a few hours. ... But 4 days later, the action plan appeared in my mail box;) The closing was all about being so happy to have met everyone and connected. Here is what they told me when I debriefed with the sponsor : They particularly appreciated the calm and sense of intimacy the breakout sessions created. Although they all left absolutely drained. So much work done.. They felt it enabled everyone, including the new people, those who are coming into the strategy and still need to learn so much, to get comfortable to participate from the very beginning , each one as equal . This is not common in this kind of organizations , there are people who are held much more above others…Usually they are the ones who talk. They had very good feedback from participants and are already spreading the word of OST . And what they were most happy about what that everyone made the subjects their own, which they are sure will facilitate the strategy in the coming years, as each of them needs to take decision according to what is happening in its own area or field.. self-organizing I would say. Beautiful isn’t it ? ;) Have a great week end Christine
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