Hi Winston. Over the years, a some of us that were conducting the ³living in Open Space² experiments began to invite OS participants to a state of ³Presence² through ³Check-In² processes. The ³Check-In² process is any intentional act of individual and collective "attunement" that brings the participants into clarity and harmony with what they perceive as the higher aspirations, expectations, and needs of Self, Others, and The Whole in the context of the OS gathering.
I typically start the ³Check-In² process with 24 minutes of ³Silence² punctuated beginning and end by a bell. The participants contemplate the ³Calling Question² and how what they are currently experiencing in their lives informs their understanding of the ³Calling Question² and their participation in the OS. The insights of the process are then publicly shared either in the Whole, or in small groups (typically diads). In a formal meeting setting, this means also reporting any information that one has that has material and/or insightful relevance to the Whole. The functional objective of the ³Check-In² process is to provoke the participants to be aware of, and responsive to, their own current states, intentions, and impacts, and the current states, intentions, and impacts of the others participants. This is an action of entraining ones own responses and receptivity to the responses and receptivity of other people. In this context, it is a conscious decision to regulate and possibly alter ones behaviors and communications in order to achieve a greater sense of interconnection with others and a ³Shared Purpose². Does this explanation provide sufficient clarification? Mark R. Jones Chief Executive Officer The Sunyata Group The Integral Wellness Group ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PO Box 58788 Renton, Washington USA 98058-1788 Phone: 425-413-6000 e-Mail: mark.r.jo...@sunyata.ws ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: <ki...@kos.net> Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 21:15:12 -0500 To: "Mark R. Jones" <mark.r.jo...@sunyata.ws> Subject: Re: My first time Neat. Except, what's an "OST checkin"? Winston > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Mark R. Jones <mailto:mark.r.jo...@sunyata.ws> > > Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 11:38 AM > > Subject: Re: My first time > > > Hi Justin. > > Congratulations ! > > I agree with the other comments that the gap between > expectations for the meeting process, and the actual > meeting process (OST) was too large for your folks > to co-integrate emotionally and cognitively. > > In the past, I worked as a senior executive consultant > to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Having > recognized the ³gap² in my corporate work, I provided > a cognitive bridge in how I presented OST structure. > > I issued formal invitations that satisfied what people > mostly expected to see. But I used OST as the internal > process that executed the²Agenda². > > TITLE (Title of participating group OR ³Subject²) > DATE (Planned date for the meeting) > TIME (Planned starting and ending times for the meeting) > LOCATION (Planned location for the meeting) > INVITEES (Names and contact information of participants) > PURPOSE (OST ³Calling Question² tagline text ) > > AGENDA * Welcoming Statement > * Opening Remarks OST ³Invitation² (context) text > * Roll Call of Voting Members > * Summary Reports by Members (OST ³Check-in²) > * Issue Topics | Questions (OST ³Create the > Agenda²) > * Dialogue & Deliberation (OST ³Market²) > In small groups and in the Whole > * Determinations (OST ³Convergence² in the Whole) > * Learning Review (OST ³Closing Circle² in the > Whole) > ³Reflection² in the Whole > ³Commitments² in the Whole > ³Process Check² in the Whole > > This approach seemed to satisfy the cultural needs and forms. > And yet it was a solid implementation of Open Space Technology. > > > > Mark R. Jones > Chief Executive Officer > The Sunyata Group > The Integral Wellness Group > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > PO Box 58788 > Renton, Washington > USA 98058-1788 > Phone: 425-413-6000 > e-Mail: mark.r.jo...@sunyata.ws > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > From: "Justin T. Sampson" <jus...@krasama.com> > Reply-To: OSLIST <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> > Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 00:05:43 -0800 > To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> > Subject: My first time > > Howdy, > > So I held my first Open Space today, as I mentioned earlier. It > was the regular monthly meeting of the Libertarian Party of San > Francisco, which I serve as Chair. It felt great! There was lots > of energy all the way through, people seemed engaged more than > usual, and some really important things were discussed that had > only been grumbled about before. Folks jumped right up when I > invited them to offer topics in the opening. The physical space > was really too cramped, but the group managed to split and > recombine and morph and move around the room over the course of > the meeting. I sensed a much greater commitment to action > following the meeting than this group usually has. And the energy > just kept going -- we usually meet formally 3-5pm and have a > social hour 5-6pm that actually fizzles out by 5:30, but this time > when I left at 6pm almost all of the 15+ attendees were still > there talking. In almost every respect that I care about as a > facilitator, this meeting was a great success... > > EXCEPT -- no one liked the process! There were no kind words, and > a few nasty ones -- "we need more structure and leadership", "the > format was horrible", "this was a bad idea." > > What's going on? > > Cheers, > Justin > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * * ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ----------------------------- To subscribe, > unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist