Martin -- I don't think it is about being a "purist" -- the issue is practicality and purpose. For me the question is always what is the most practical (quickest, easiest, most effective) way to achieve the purpose. In open space the objective is to enable people to become productively engaged as quickly as possible. It is not about "face time" for the facilitator, spelling out all the details (after all, how hard is it to understand circle, bulletin board, and market place?)-- and it certainly isn't about answering all the questions that participants might have. With that thought (compulsion?) in mind, my personal practice has always be to think of one more thing NOT to do/say. The more you strip away the fewer obstacles lie in the path of the folks. For me, anything more than 15 minutes for the facilitator's opening is too long -- unless of course you are operating in several languages.
That said -- there is a certain iriducable minimum, I think. In one of the early OSONOSs it seemed to me that since everybody there had (collectively) done more open spaces than I had, it was sort of a bother to go through the whole opening. So I cut right to the chase -- "There's the paper, magic markers, and the wall. Go for it!" I was feeling pretty proud of myself having done a 3 second opening. But everybody just sat there and looked at me. I quickly got the picture and started over -- just like usual. And I learned a lot. It is true that some information is contributed in the opening, but that is very minimal. It is more about setting the mood, atmosphere, environment. It is definitly much more about being than doing or saying. You might even say it is induction and not introduction. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 Skype hhowen Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.ho-image.com OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Martin Truelove Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 6:05 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: BarCamp Opening on YouTube Yes, & yet it seems very wordy - aren't some things better 'explained' by action, eg walking to the different spaces for groups. More words sometimes equal less engagement, don't they? I've left the show at 4 minutes 49 secs, as I really want the group to start! I'm a bit of a purist on the "elements", as they carry the spirit of OS into the room, though I'd like these to be more complicated, when I doubt OS can really work! As Edward deBono says, here in the UK, simplicity is a value which has to be worked very hard at, when complexity is so much more widely respected ( & so much easier to retreat into) . More straightforwardly, maybe the spirit of an event escapes transmission over the tubes..... Martin -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Sharon Quarrington Sent: 13 February 2007 21:35 To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: BarCamp Opening on YouTube A group in Toronto held a "camp" for the Toronto Transit System - and their opening is posted on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4Y7e1MYyM I found it very interesting - how it was similar to and yet different ti was from the OS openings I am most familiar with. I found I missed many of the "traditional" elements that were skipped - and yet wonder if perhaps that is just me being stuck in a rut! Sharon * * ========================================================== 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