Re: Open Space intro at Google Headquarters--I'm looking for intro ideas

[Jeff Aitken]

Hi Matthew,

 

Well done on getting a foot in the door!

 

A longtime colleague applied to be director of a graduate program where I worked. He had about twenty minutes to introduce Open Space to the selection committee. 

 

After a short talk to frame what he was doing, he led us through the first part of an Open Space opening, inviting us to write down a topic about which we are passionate and would take responsibility. We were seated in a semi-circle and did not leave our chairs.

 

We did not post our topics on a wall, but held them up for the others to see. I think it would have been more effective to actually post the topics, so that we could see them together.

 

I have done a similar, short taste of the "bulletin board" component of Open Space in a job interview. It led to a deeper than expected conversation about the organization.

 

If you do this with an evocative, inspiring theme, it might lead to your getting more than an hour to work with them, in a massive Law of Two Feet decision, right on the spot!

 

Happy to discuss anytime --

Jeff Aitken

707-774-1512
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Matthew Blom
Sent: Apr 21, 2006 10:13 AM
To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu
Subject: Open Space intro at Google Headquarters--I'm looking for intro ideas

Dear people who open space,

My name is Matthew, and I'm new to the list and a half-year new to open space facilitation (trained by the bunny lovable Lisa Heft).  I've been so jazzed by the idea of getting open space to Google, a place which already explores many new ways of behaving in the business world.

Yesterday, I got an in.

I'll be doing a "tech talk" on May 3rd, and I am now running multiple scenarios through my head about how to introduce open space there.  These talks are usually an hour, and I imagine it being rather boring to talk "about" open space, and I'm unsure how to go about actually experiencing it in that short a time frame.

Ideas I've had thus far--kick, bite, and scream for more time (what's an ideal intro. time frame?  3 hours? How long should the sessions be?)

Try an experience of it with very short sessions--like 10 minutes long?

I'm also wondering about a theme.  I'll need to talk more with someone out there about that piece.

Any ideas and/or experiences from those who have done something like this would be very helpful!

peace,
Matthew


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