Viv, I appreciate and share your question. There are some groups I have worked with where it is clear to me that opening the space as quickly as possible is the best choice. And in multi-day OS events, the first day becomes a warm-up for the deeper work of the second day - OS is "self-warming." But I am also interested in experimenting with a warm-up for some groups. For example, I may be facilitating an opening retreat for a Leadership Education program in September. This will be the first meeting of a diverse group of 45 people who will meet monthly over nine months. So this is not a "decision time of yesterday" event; this is relationship-building event. At present I am interested in beginning the retreat on the first morning with AI discovery interviews, followed by small group sharing-out, and then a break to move around & breathe; then to open the space for a day and a half. I am interested to request feedback from OS participants about their experience of such a "warm-up" and whether they feel that it was time well spent.
Chris ---------- >From: Viv McWaters <v...@thereef.com.au> >To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu >Subject: [OSLIST] Warm Up >Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2001, 9:51 PM > > Hello all > > I've been following the discussion about OS/AI with great interest and this > has raised another question for me. Collegaues who are involved in > psychodrama/sociodrama/action methods are big on warming a group up - and I > certainly use a lot of different processes to warm a group up before > launching into facilitated workshops. > > I've heard some criticism of open space along the lines of the group not > being warmed up enough for the bulletin board and market place. > > I've never used a specific warm-up immediately before opening the space > (although I have been involved in or used storytelling the previous night > as well as playback theatre). > > Although I don't know much about AI it sounds like one way of warming a > group up (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm way off beam!) > > I think I believe (that's confidence for you :-) that if the OS theme is > appropriate and the group are passionate then a warm-up is not needed. > However my recent research into warm ups for new groups, cohesive groups > and ending groups has raised the question about a warm-up especially for a > new group (where the participants don't know each other very much or at > all). Would such warm-ups (before opening the space) add or detract from > the experience? I'd be interested in your thoughts and experiences. > > Cheers > > Viv > > Please note NEW telephone number > > Viv McWaters > Beyond the Edge Pty Ltd > PO Box 665, Torquay 3228 > Victoria Australia > Ph/Fax: 61 3 5261 9498 > Mobile 0417 135 406 > > "Thus the task is not so much to see what no-one yet has seen, but to think > what nobody yet has thought about that which everyone sees." Schopenhauer > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html