I do a lot of OST meeting in community settings, and in community centres and drop ins are always a possibility. Usually I let the sponsors know that this might happen and I encourage them to embrace the idea. One never knows what those drop ins might contribute. in my experience, people have never dropped in and tried to close the space. Most people enter the space of and OST with some awe and if they are thinking about exerting some control, they usually can't figure out a way to do it. Hiding the microphone is a good preventative measure.
Usually when these folks end up finding me and asking what's going on, I encourage them to participate (if the sponsors are cool with that). If they want to post a topic, I let them do that. People check the marketplace throughout an OST event, so topics which appear and disappear are not uncommon. Groups may form around issues that weren't posted at the outset, but added later. I have never seen any harm in allowing a drop in to post a session. One event I did for 250 people grappling with creating solutions for major problems facing the urban Aboriginal community in Vancouver was held in a Friendship centre, a sort of Aboriginal community centre. It so happened that they day of our OST event was also the day of the installation of the new pool table in the Youth Drop In Centre. As a result there were 50 or so youth hanging around giving advice to the pool table installation guys. Every so often a small pack of them would wander into the gym where we were meeting and fan out around the place and participate in the groups. Severl of these youth became notetakers, and dilligently typed up discussion group reports before returning to the informal 9-ball tournament that was underway. Becasue we were working with issues of how to address the community's problems, we welcomed the community in on it's own terms. That meant that some arrived at the beginning, and others dropped in. The sponsors were excited by the prospect of clients dropping in and so no-one was discouraged from doing so. The results were enriched by those folks. Drop ins rarely have any trouble figuring out what is going on in Open Space. Sometimes I'll explain it to them. other times I won't. If they want to raise and issue I point them to the markers, the paper and the wall and invite them to do so. Chris -- CHRIS CORRIGAN Consultation - Facilitation Open Space Technology http://www.chriscorrigan.com 108-1035 Pacific Street Vancouver BC V6E 4G7 Phone: 604.683.3080 Fax: 604.683.3036 cor...@interchange.ubc.ca * * ========================================================== 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