Suzanne-- No, it is not wrong to feel and see opportunities for opening space.
In your first paragraph I hear Harrison speaking--you sound just like him. Do you have a hat? Please keep seeing your patterns. Please keep reporting the patterns here, so that others too might see. "Conversations that precede invitation"...and yet those too are invitations, yes? :- Doug. On Sun, 2009-12-20 at 00:27 -0500, Suzanne Daigle wrote: > Before invitation, conversation. Is it wrong to feel and see > opportunities for opening space based on those conversations that > happen every day in so many places? I feel myself listening > differently now, engaging differently not to be leading people but to > discover how life is where they are right now. I notice often the > energy shifting as we talk about what's not working and what their > world, our world would be like if... It's a conversation of many > stories. With a certain longing, in that present moment, I hear hope > and feel the positive energy about a future that could be different; I > hear courage and the whispers of plans not yet shared with others but > certainly in the mind . More often than not, the plans have to do > with escaping where they are to start anew somewhere else. Very rarely > do I hear plans for changing or improving the current place where they > are. It's as if people cannot conceive this in the same way that > people cannot conceive what happens in Open Space until they live it. > They can't seem to conceive Super High Performance and a significantly > improved quality of life in their current work situation based on the > complex messes that are out there. Too big a leap somehow. Yet hope is > still there buried somewhere. > > If I mention Open Space, I can feel people pulling back -- worrying > already as they cling to their facade, fearing that they would need to > expose what they guard closely--themselves. Then we might talk a > little more, and I feel them drawn again as they imagine > non-hierarchical, diverse conversations on topics that matter that > people are passionate about and want to take responsibility for. > Again, hope and courage re-surfaces. > > I see patterns, like a dance where we go back and forth. The longing > to try and the fear about the unknown. Until the very end, to the > point where the Open Space is about to start, I feel stress in the > air. Do I nudge, entice and ignite? Yes. Do I talk with many prior > to? Yes not to describe in any detail but just to be there listening > quietly, for them to know me then and know my invitation. Do I bend > people against their will? No or hopefully not. > > It is still very difficult to find that balance to not persuade in the > wrong way and to only nudge in a caring way. When you know the > transformative impact and power of Open Space, it is extremely hard I > find to keep it bottled inside. > > In the end, as I imagine a tipping point to be "opening space" more > often in all kinds of places, I believe it will come from the > conversations that precede invitations -- conversations that may or > may not lead to Open Space per se; yet important conversations that > are still opening space. > > > Suzanne > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 3:51 PM, Ralph Copleman > <rcople...@comcast.net> wrote: > Power, control, and "WOW"... > > When I extend an invitation for OS, I am aware that at least > some of those I am inviting may feel I am attempting to > exercise a degree of power and control over some portion of > their time and/or mind. No matter how much "Wow" I think I > have put into my invitation, I have no control whatsoever over > what others think. > > My practice is to begin holding space the moment I commit to a > meeting. This is the way I know to be congruent with what I > understand to be open space. If I seek to bend people against > their inclination into thinking that the meeting is a good > idea, important, etc., and then show up and say, "Welcome to > open space," well then, I haven't been completely consistent. > And the space is not really open. > > People accept invitations based on the way they think, > perceive, think, trust, and/or project. Their lives include a > range of circumstances and previous commitments. If I'm > authentically holding the space right from the moment the idea > of the gathering is conceived, there is nothing about the > choice to accept the invitation that is not completely > theirs. I may, of course, offer persuasion, promote possible > benefits, or use enticing language and images. As a former > public relations practitioner, I am not adverse to employing > these tools, but I seek a balance that communicates my > position and beliefs on one hand and the opportunity available > to them on the other. > > So I have trouble with the idea that invitations "fail". I > like what HO says about investigating how I could do things > better if nobody shows, and I must ultimately let "Whoever > comes..." be my guide. But if people are unavailable, too > busy, too far away, or just not interested, well, I just > figure I'm ahead of the curve! > > >From sunny New Jersey, USA, > > Ralph Copleman > > * > * > ========================================================== > 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 > > > > -- > Suzanne Daigle > NuFocus Strategic Group > 7159 Victoria Circle > University Park, FL 34201 > FL 941-359-8877; CT 203-722-2009 > www.nufocusgroup.com > s.dai...@nufocusgroup.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 * * ========================================================== 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