Chris, Your idea to take a time lapse film of an open space is genius.
For those that have facilitated a few, we can imagine what it would look like. To a prospect who is considering whether to take the "risk" of doing OS, it would be a powerful presentation of the power and simplicity of what organizations experience in the OS environment. bo On 4/30/05, Chris Corrigan <[email protected]> wrote: > > Colleagues: > > I just completed what looks to be my 100th Open Space event. It's hard to > know, what with little ones in trainings and the odd spotaneous one and all > the other bits and pieces that comes with living in Open Space, but it's > sufficiently close to call it 100. It's been 10 years since I stumbled on > OST, 6 years since I've really undertaken the practice of facilitating OST, > and with the completion of today's event, it feels like a bit of a > milestone. > > So I'm marking it with appreciations a reflection and a request.. > > First, Harrison. I was explaining the two martini story again today to a > participant who was looking around the room at the wonderful synergy 60 > people were creating and she remarked that there is no way something so > intricate could have been born at the bottom of a martini glass. I just > smiled and said that Harrison is a trickster. He is a raven that brought > light into the world. He likes shiny things and olives. That troublsome > curiosity combined with an incredibly razor sharp brain and a deep > understanding of the subsonic notes in the human story made the two martini > moment possible. In dozens of OST events, when I explain to people > Harrison's story, they express immense appreciation for the way in which OST > was offered to the world. And so I'd like to pay these forward and add to it > my undying respect and affection for giving it all a name. > > Thank you Harrison. > > And then there are those at whose knees I have sat and learned my craft, > and that includes Birgitt Williams in a formal way and my mentors near and > far, like Peggy Holman, Larry Peterson, Father Brian Bainbridge, Alan > Stewart, Anne Stadler, Lisa Heft, Avener Haramati, Toke Moeller, and dozens > and dozens of you who have generously helped me make my practice come alive. > What a lucky community of people we are to have this crowd in our midst. Do > you guys know how lucky we are? We are VERY lucky indeed. > > Then there are my partners in crime, like Laurel Doersam who was insane > enough to join me and co-host OSonOS IX in 2001 which was an undertaking not > unlike telling jokes to comedians. Michael Herman, my co-conspirator in a > global and sometimes virtual firm of ideas, work, trainings, practice, > coaching, writing and sleeping in each other's offices, has taught me more > about incorporating OST into life than anyone. Chris Robertson, a long time > co-creator of OST events and people like David Stevenson and Julie Smith, > and Kate Sutherland and Te Rehia Tapata-Stafford are all sponsors the rest > of you would fight me for. They are brave and risk taking and supportive and > exhibit that same kind of curiosity that the raven does. > > And you all on the list - the profound and profane, the teachers and > learners, the ones with questions and the ones with answers, storytellers, > researchers, poets, schemers, sly and wily provocateurs cuight in the cut > and thrust of wit and exploration and support with no small amount of > humour, compassion and affection. A warm, warm group of people and none of > us can say that we would be the same without being members of this > community. Thank you colleagues for your years of advice to date and the > years of advice to come. > > And so, if you have made it this far, here is the one thing I am > reflecting on after doing 100 of these things: > > What is the depth at work here? How is it that 60 people can organize an > agenda in 20 minutes that wil carry them through a day and a half of the > most transformative dialogue some of them have ever experienced? Seriously. > Think about that. It should never be able to happen. After 100 events I > still can't figure it out. All I can see is that people are diving into > something so deep and untapped and limitless in resourcefulness, and when > they surface it's as if time has stopped, and all this stuff got done and > only 20 minutes has passed. I've heard people call it Spirit, and my Elders > have maybe a better word for it: "manitoo," which in Ojibway means both > spirit and mystery. Still, happy as I am to leave it at mystery, I can see > it, taste it and feel it at work in OST gatherings, and I'm more and more > curious about it, especially the sense that whatever it is it exhibits > DEPTH. Real, tangible depth. Whaddya think?. > > And finally, here is my wish for something to happen sometime in the next > 100: I'd like someone to make a time lapse movie of an OST event filmed from > high above the room, showing all the activity that springs out of the > stillness of that circle, moves through the agenda setting, the entire self > organization part and back into a close. In the middle of all that, or more > likely off to the side, would be one still figure: an Open Space facilitator > moving slowly or resting in the midst of all the chaos and activity. Would > that be the coolest training video ever or what? It's all we'd ever need to > show. > > A hearty thank you to all. > > With much love respect and affection, > > Chris > > > -- > > CHRIS CORRIGAN > Consultation - Facilitation > Open Space Technology > > Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot > Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com * * > ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
