Marc Sounds wonderful! and pretty much what I would have expected with a group like yours. When a group holds its own space, then you really have a group and the likelihood is that things will just fly, groove, zoom whatever, as apparently they did.
And your questions are good ones. What means "holding space"? What is the function, if demonstrably one can do without? Or is it really that the group as a whole can hold space (which seemed to be the case)? Holding space for me means to create an environment of respect which typically occurs initially when the facilitator treats the participants with respect. They are not manipulated, managed, controlled, micro-processed, analyzed, or judged. In short they are treated as intelligent human beings. And people treated respectfully tend to treat their fellows with respect which is the normal condition in virtually all Open Space gatherings I have seen. With respect comes support but respectful support which is not heavy handed or demeaning. Ultimately the group will do all of this for itself (Hold its own space), but some groups will require a little role-modeling to get started which is the function of the Facilitator. This is not surprising as many groups seem to spend their life in what amounts to a juvenile prison in which they can do nothing until specifically ordered to do so down to and including when they can go to the bathroom, take a break, start a new conversation, even have a different thought. For some people, being treated as a Human Being can be rather shock, but they seem to get over it and do very well. Any group? I have never met a group that could not do very well in Open Space, including all those groups where everybody knew that it (OST) could never work with this group. Of course there are all those other groups that never had the chance, due to the fact that their CEO, Management, Consultants were sure that the group couldnt measure up. Which is usually another way of saying that the aforementioned deciders wanted to make sure that they held on to CONTROL! Why do we really need any facilitator throughout the event? There are situations where the conflict level is so high, the level of trust so low, and hostilities have existed for such a long time that having a facilitator on duty for the duration can be helpful. As in all other situations, he or she does little to nothing but having a continuing presence can be very helpful at least that was my experience in The Middle East. You might check out -- http://www.openspaceworld.com/opening_space_for_peace.htm And consequently under which conditions can we dispense with it? What is the risk? Can this go totally wrong? Well I think you perfectly described the conditions in your Open Space. And I would consider the risk to be minimal to non-existent. Having said that, there is something rather nice, I think, in having a facilitator open and close the gatheringand maybe it is also nice to have somebody with the duty even if everything is doing quite nicely all by itself. I am reminded of one of the early OSONOSs which I convened. The participants were all OSers and many had done more Open Spaces that I had. So I figured that I was just superfluous. With that thought in mind I simply welcomed the group, pointed out the papers, magic markers, The Wall and said Go! I was greeted with total silence and nobody moved. After a while somebody said, Harrison, you cant get away with that. Get to work. I took their point recognizing that there is something very powerful in the Opening of Space. Harrison Harrison Owen 189 Beaucaire Ave Camden, ME 04843 207-763-3261 (Summer) 301-365-2093 (Winter) Website www.openspaceworld.com Personal Website www.ho-image.com OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options <http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html _____ From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Marc Steinlin (I-P-K) Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 2:13 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Going underground as facilitator - Follow-up Dear all, I had asked you for your feedback and input almost 2 months ago on "going underground" as a facilitator and I have received much valuable input from many among you. In the meantime, the event took place and it was great. We were about 90 persons from the KM4Dev (Knowledge Management for Development) community gathered for our annual meeting in Lisbon. After having experimented with OS last year already, we this time decided to run the whole meeting over 2 days entirely in OS. We had a lot of enthusiasm and committed people, interesting discussions, countless sessions. Reporting was done online on a wiki (http://www.km4dev.org/wiki/index.php/Open_Space_Discussion_Reports) - so we didn't have to provide computers in the back of the room; most of the participants had their notebooks with them and we just announced the wiki URL - this worked excellent. What also worked great was: having no facilitator to hold space. I opened the OS but during the nomination of topics declared that I would now convert into a normal participant; I quickly returned to the facilitator role for just one sentence to open the market place and they we took off. Evening news were done by other people - a group, one doing a closing circle, some doing some announcements, and a professional theatre artist did some funny performance games with the entire group. I reopened the OS next morning to recollect some more topics, but from there onwards, I again dived back into the crowd and entirely forgot about the process. The second evening was pretty much "participatory managed" like the first. It just worked great! This leaves me with the questions: What means "holding space"? What is the function, if demonstrably one can do without? Or is it really that the group as a whole can hold space (which seemed to be the case)? Any group? Why do we really need any facilitator throughout the event? And consequently under which conditions can we dispense with it? What is the risk? Can this go totally wrong? Again many thanks to those who contributed to the previous discussion! Best regards, -marc IngeniousPeoplesKnowledge Marc Steinlin marc.stein...@i-p-k.ch Skype: marcsteinlin PO Box 27494 Rhine Road Sea Point 8050 Cape Town Republic of South Africa Mobile: +27 (76) 222 81 12 Zweierstrasse 50 CH-8004 Zürich Switzerland Mobile: +41 (78) 850 42 32 http://www.i-p-k.ch P Help save paper - do you really need to print this email ? Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead On 25 May 2008, at 14:46 , Marc Steinlin (I-P-K) wrote: Dear all, many thanks for your feedback! I will take up your ideas and inputs with my colleagues. I can take some ideas with me: initially I was more thinking of having each of us facilitating a part of the OS - "serial" facilitation. But on the basis of your comments, I feel like maybe rather going for "parallel" facilitation. I don't know exactly what that means, but have a feeling emerging in my guts - I'm positive we will know how to do it. Thanks for the words of caution, in particular to you Michael. I have made similar experiences in other contexts with regard to confused roles, projections and so on and if we are aware of this possibility, I'm sure we - well, as you say maybe not avoid it, but will be able to deal with it when it's there. But I'm not really afraid of this, I have a lot of confidence in my friends' and my own experience. What makes things easier is that nobody would consider me as their leader. I will - together with others - facilitate the event, and for some it will be their first full-fledged OS experience, but nobody would think I might be something like their "leader" beyond facilitating this day. The nice thing about this group of people is, that it is very open and open-minded community - in fact I feel that the open space philosophy is very close to the thinking of this group. I also like very much the idea of adopting OS as a system of continuous operation, which has come through some of your responses. I am currently thinking about how to run my own little organisation in a micro-macro-OS way: micro because at this stage we are just 3 of us, macro because I would like to start somehow getting into the OS way and opening space, but not really closing it anymore - eg. having a constantly evolving market place of topics that we are conversing about, and to somehow apply the principles as our normal mode of operation. Don't know whether this (will) make any sense... -marc IngeniousPeoplesKnowledge Marc Steinlin marc.stein...@i-p-k.ch Skype: marcsteinlin PO Box 27494 Rhine Road Sea Point 8050 Cape Town Republic of South Africa Mobile: +27 (76) 222 81 12 Zweierstrasse 50 CH-8004 Zürich Switzerland Mobile: +41 (78) 850 42 32 http://www.i-p-k.ch P Help save paper - do you really need to print this email ? Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead On 21 May 2008, at 17:31 , Ted Ernst wrote: I echo the voices saying that this is not only possible, it can be a good thing for the organization. I've tried this alone and also with a partner. I felt much better with a partner. With four of you, I would think you could all 4 be involved in breakouts without any trouble losing the space-holding that you're all doing. Can't wait to hear how it goes! peace, ted On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:58 AM, Michael Herman <mich...@michaelherman.com> wrote: i'm encouraged by and encouraging of this, mark. thanks for sharing the question. this, to me, is the next step of the "facilitator" learning to disappear. it seems to me that we'll ultimately have more and more open space if/when/as people/leaders learn to do this from within, not abandoning their position as leader, but refining a pulsation between directing or actively guiding, on the one hand, and inviting and hosting on the other. i think your sense of several being able to share the role, or support each other in it, is helpful as well. but i would encourage a faster pulsation than daily. consider a second law: the law of two roles. or maybe the law of two minds. one mind inviting, hosting, holding and the other mind still nominally in charge, at the top, as director. somatically, this can be understood as pelvis (literally holding a space for everything stacked on top) and brain (seeing, visioning, choosing and directing). the whole thing mediated by heart in the middle. so you can find your way between the two roles you've identified by following heart, same as navigating learning and contributing as participant using law of two feet. so the practice is to refine your pulsation between the two, until they look and feel like the same "being". two cautions, or mileposts really, on the way... first, while you're pulsing back and forth, i find it's easy to get lost. yes, sometimes that means getting caught up in conversation, letting attention focus locally and forgetting about the larger space, maybe forgetting to ring the bells for evening news, for instance. it's helpful to have partners to remind you, or to ring them for you. in the same way, it is also possible to accidentally not be fully present in a breakout session, to be not fully local, and in that state, be offering views of the world that nobody else sees or can understand, cuz they don't have this larger view of space. the caution isn't about not sharing, but about recognizing that it's possible to do, possible to try to be in a breakout session but bringing experiences that are totally foreign to those who are apparently your colleagues and partners in the group. this not an unfamiliar situation for leaders who regularly have more information, a wider view, that those in the "trenches" in an organizaiton. the second caution or noting here is less obvious, or peculiar to straddling the facilitation/participation divide in open space. i don't think fr. brian will mind if i tell a story about osonos in oz to illustrate. he was facilitator and host, but also a member of the community. he ran a great event, facilitated the whole thing "by the book". there was somebody there, however, who had not had firsthand experience with our approach. she also knew that brian was a priest. when she had a difficult time with how things were going in open space, and discomforts do naturally arise for participants at various and random moments, her experience with "priest" allowed her to dump responsibility for difficulties on "how the facilitator is", what he's doing, how he's run things, etc. all of that story she was making was nonesense and after a long talk, she understood that her difficulty came from what he wasn't and didn't do. it was the openess of the space, the press of responsibility and reality that was making her squirm. so it was the combination of *her* newness in open space and her (in this case rather thin) connection to brian that allowed her to make up a story that was getting in her way. so if you have colleagues new to this experience and you are still known as some sort of 'leader' or just some sort of guy to these folks, they might be confused by what is open space, what is you, what is you as leader and what you as facilitator, and so on. in the end, this is just a noticing that such confusion is possible. there is nothing to "do" about it, other than know it's there and possible. if you notice it along the way in your meeting, and maybe it'll be there or maybe it won't, then all the clarity you will bring to the process from the very beginning, is all you will or can or should bring to that moment. just be as clean in both roles as you can, and as clear about what is you and what is reality of org/world, and it's all still open space, or not. good luck! i hope you'll find this is a great and fun practice, and come back and tell some of the internal story of how it goes for you... m On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 8:07 AM, Jack Martin Leith <j...@jackmartinleith.com> wrote: Harrison, those are some of the wisest words I've ever read. Thank you! Jack 2008/5/21 Harrison Owen <hho...@verizon.net>: Marc I have done what you are proposing (actively participate in a gathering I facilitate) on multiple occasions and have never encountered any problems, and I rather think you will have a similar experience. I would never suggest that you try such a thing if it were your first experience facilitating an Open Space, but that is obviously not the case. The art of Holding Space is of course critical and because it is so different from what most people have come to understand "facilitation" to mean it is just too easy for the first time facilitator to get sucked into the action and forget to mind the store. But with experience, at least in my experience, you can keep that old intuitive sense alive and functioning even when actively engaged in a conversation of passionate concern to you. As I think about it, this is probably where we all hope to end up anyhow. At some level every conversation is an Open Space, and the more open the space, the better the conversation. And a really great conversation has a powerful (passionate) focus while still being open to everything else that is going on in the environment. Approaching the same thoughts from a slightly different point of view, I find that when a group really begins to groove/cook/work space holding is a community activity. In fact, enabling a group to reach a point where it will effectively "hold its own space," might well be the Holy Grail of OST. So anyhow, I would think that rather than a problem, you have a real opportunity to enhance your own capacity as facilitator by moving into that marvelously "zeny" place where you are simultaneously attached and non-attached passionately concerned about an issue and always free to move beyond. And if you want to share this opportunity with your colleagues (different people opening space every day) that would work for me, or at least it always has. Have fun! 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 Marc Steinlin (I-P-K) Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:18 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Going underground as facilitator Dear OS list members, I have been following this list for almost two years now and have enjoyed many of your conversations, learnings, ideas and inspirational thoughts! Many thanks for all that valuable insight and encouragement! I myself over the last 2 years have organised/ facilitated approx. 20 OS all over the world (from Switzerland to South Africa, from Indonesia to Ethiopia), some as large as 70 participants (unfortunately I never had the opportunity for a larger group - would love to try that!), some as small as 5 persons - and I (as well as the participants!) enjoy it greatly each time! We, the KM4Dev (a global community of practice on Knowledge Management for Development; http://www.km4dev.org) have decided to run this year's annual meeting over 2.5 days entirely as an OS. We are about four persons who have already facilitated OS and are preparing the facilitation of the event. However, all of the four of us are also greatly interested in the topics which will be discussed, it's certain that we also want to propose topics for groups to work on. Therefore my question: Is it possible, that a facilitator opens the Open Space, but once the market place starts, she/ he will transform into a regular participant and mingle with the rest? I always attached great importance to "holding space" - I have never been doing anything actively, I have done my best to get out of the way, however I have been there, almost invisible, but still... Do you have any experience or advice on whether the facilitator can give up her/ his role and become a normal participant until to the closing circle? Alternatively, do you have any thoughts about rotating faciliators: person A doing it on the first day, B on the second day, so that we all have the opportunity to participate in the discussions with our own topics? I guess none of us would want to limit her/ himself for the full duration to just holding space... Your experience is much appreciated! -marc IngeniousPeoplesKnowledge Marc Steinlin marc.stein...@i-p-k.ch Skype: marcsteinlin PO Box 27494 Rhine Road Sea Point 8050 Cape Town Republic of South Africa Mobile: +27 (76) 222 81 12 Zweierstrasse 50 CH-8004 Zürich Switzerland Mobile: +41 (78) 850 42 32 http://www.i-p-k.ch P Help save paper - do you really need to print this email ? 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' Margaret Mead * * ========================================================== 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 -- Jack Martin Leith Bristol, United Kingdom Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541) Skype: jackmartinleith email: j...@jackmartinleith.com www.jackmartinleith.com * * ========================================================== 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 -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates http://www.michaelherman.com http://www.openspaceworld.org http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org 312-280-7838 (mobile) * * ========================================================== 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 -- http://AboutUs.org/TedErnst +1 312 371 6625 * * ========================================================== 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 * * ========================================================== 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