At 10:41 AM 3/2/00 +1100, you wrote: >Dear Friends > >I have just finished what was for me a gruelling 2 day Open Space. From the >majority of the particapnt's (76 people) point of view it was a spectacular >success and they came away energised and optimistic, vowing to use OS back >home. > >It was the hardest facilitation I've done in 8 years. Here's what happened. >Your thoughts welcome. *********************** Andrew -- great story, and the responses of everybody to this point should form the core of a new book that SOMEBODY else should write. I have one comment about taking care of yourself. This is not only a matter of recovery at the end, but sustenance during the course. I joke about taking my nap, but it is no joke. It is not so much about getting away as it is about getting into another mode of being. I feel very much present even in the arms of Morpheous.
This is also a place where thinking of one more thing not to do is not only good and essential "design" for effective Open Space, it also has no little amount to do with the preservation of the facilitator. Doing nothing with elegance can be extraordinarily hard work, even if you are used to it. Like running a marathon, pacing is incredibly important. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 USA phone 301-469-9269 fax 301-983-9314 website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh Open Space Institute websites www.openspaceworld.org