At 06:59 PM 12/15/1998 -0400, you wrote: >Greetings, > >I am facilitating my first OST meeting this Thursday, based primarily on >reading Owens book and a very helpful conversation from Brigitt Bolton. > >Although the meeting is coming very soon, there are several points on which >I am unclear and would welcome some assistance, one of them regarding the >Day 2 bounce. > >This is a two day meeting, but with a gap of several weeks between meeting >days. The theme is to surface the issues and concerns that must be addressed >in order to report on the state of the environment in the areas of land and >biota in this province--and to suggest indicators that must be monitored in >order to track those issues. The participants are government scientists, >environmentalists and a representatives of native organizations. About 40 >people have indicated they will participate. The gap between meetings is >there to allow participants to consult with colleagues who are not at the >meeting and to bring in pertinent information that my be helpful, but may >not be held by the participants, because no one had yet identified those >areas or needs. The gap is long because of the intervening holidays --the >second meeting day is scheduled for January 14. > >I am wondering if such a long gap will dilute the power of the second day >and we should seek to reschedule, or if this is not likely to pose a >problem? **************************************************************** There is no question in my mind that Day II will be less powerful than it could be were it contiguous to Day I -- at the same time, it could be a very useful experiment. If it were me, i think I would go for two contigusou days with whoever came, and trust that the phones / emails would work over the period for additional info, and further that the folks present would get a lot further than you or they ever thought possible. Lastly, the degree of bonding that takes place on a two day event goes pretty deep. And if the exercise is at least as much about creating an ongoing, effective working group as it is about information... I would definitely go for two contiguous days. either way we learn something. h. ******************************************************************
>-Lunch break. The 1.5 hr break the book proposes seems awfully long for a >one day meeting (which in effect is what this one seems to me because of the >gap) and where only one workshop period will have taken place by lunch. >Does it make sense to shorten it in a one day situation? Are there any >other suggestions regarding incorporating this time, for instance if a group >wants to schedule a session? *********************************************************************** By all means, make it less - but just remember it is all open space. If groups want to meet they certainly can. Their time and space. *************************************** >>-Does the 3rd Principle mean that if someone has signed up to convene a >group at 2:00, but who is in a conversation or meeting. they don't want to >leave, they have no responsibility to show up at 2? ********************************************************** It means the choice is theirs as it always is. If asked, I compare it to a party you host. It would be rather strange if you did not come... but it could happen. Indeed it has happened, and guess what -- everything worked out just perfectly. ************************************************************ >-Does the Law of two Feet mean that people do not need to make a commitment >to participate for the day? h. ******************************************* Sure -- but what are your alternatives? Stand there with pistols? Also, what do you mean by participation? Some people come to the gathering and never join a session. We call them butterflies. Very useful. And as a continuing Butterfly, I want to stand up for the rights, duties and obligations -- to be free. h. **************************************************** >-Does the facilitator play a role in resolution of scheduling conflict? How >long is this part of the meeting likely to take? ********************************************************************* No -- Presumably your folks are conscenting adults and they, for sure will work it out. Most important, they will learn a lot just in the process of doing same. As for time -- normative experience is that from the time you start to speak until the time all participants are in their first sessions is something like 1 1/2 hours. This is true whether there are 25, 250, 500 or 1000 people. h. **************************************************** >-And most elementary of all, how do you speak from the centre of a circle >for an extended period of time when part of the participants always at your >back? ******************************************************** Keep walking about. Go to the edges, cross the circle, engage the people. And don't talk too long. 15 min max will get a group up and running. Longer than that and your are heading for a speach. Just remember you want to get out quickly for your nap. But most important remember that the thing is to get the folks to work as soon as possible. h.