What a lovely definition of OPening Space, Skye
On Sat, Mar 23, 2013 at 11:31 AM, paul levy <p...@cats3000.net> wrote: > That, indeed, was an action, Harrison. > > And when a community decides they don't have a future (for their community > or organisation) they are, in that moment, deciding also that they have a > past. And if we put that past (what went before), before (in front of) us, > we might just find, in opening space for it, that a new future emerges. > > If, in your example, the decision that we don't have a future was pretty > well collectively known and simply hadn't been yet spoken by some or all of > the community, it might have been eloquent to let it be spoken before the > opening circle. Utter, collective actions to end and die, tend to close > space. Speaking the difficult that is known beneath the surface of > collusion and intended kindness, at the beginning can open space for the > beyond. I humbly suggest that "beyond" lies not only in the future, but > also in the past and the present as well. > > Paul > > On 23 March 2013 13:33, Harrison Owen <hho...@verizon.net> wrote: > >> Paul – Interesting thoughts! But I am wondering how you might have >> handled a client situation I once had. The gathering was convened to >> explore “their future” – with lots of action expected. All under the >> heading of what they were going to do for the rest of their life. However, >> by early afternoon on the first day everybody pretty well agreed they did >> not have a future. They dissolved the business. I guess you could call that >> an action? J**** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> Harrison**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Harrison Owen**** >> >> 7808 River Falls Dr.**** >> >> Potomac, MD 20854**** >> >> USA**** >> >> ** ** >> >> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)**** >> >> Camden, Maine 04843**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Phone 301-365-2093**** >> >> (summer) 207-763-3261**** >> >> ** ** >> >> www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com%20> **** >> >> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com%20> (Personal Website)**** >> >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of >> OSLIST Go to: >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org**** >> >> ** ** >> >> *From:* oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org [mailto: >> oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] *On Behalf Of *paul levy >> *Sent:* Saturday, March 23, 2013 8:56 AM >> *To:* oslist@lists.openspacetech.org >> *Subject:* [OSList] Follow-Up and Flow in Open Space**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Dear colleagues**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Someone suggested I post this and I'd be delighted with some reflections >> on it...**** >> >> ** ** >> >> warm wishes**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Paul Levy**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Follow-Up and Flow in Open Space...**** >> >> ** ** >> >> *"Time runs backwards in the spiritual world."***** >> >> No, don't stop reading. Not yet.**** >> >> There's a lot of debate in the field of emergence focused on "when things >> open up, how do you close them down?".**** >> >> In the realm of Open Space, often the textbook reply is not to close down >> at all but simply to open some more space for closing down...**** >> >> In other words, if we are worried about outcomes from an open space - >> what will happen back at base, the actions, the commitments in practice, >> then all we need to do is to follow up with an invitation to another Open >> Space that focuses on the question of action. So you need at least two open >> spaces to get stuff done.**** >> >> Another view is that one should trust the open space itself - whatever >> happens of course is the only thing that could have. And many open spaces >> do self-organise sessions about action so... just trust the process. It >> always works.**** >> >> A third view is that these are paying clients we are usually talking >> about. As facilitators we can't just leave the organisation "up in the >> air", walk away and let them do what they will with the space we've opened >> up! Many facilitators then reach for the post-it notes, often in the last >> hour, and start to draw out (or bleed?) actions from the meeting. All kinds >> of clever prioritising and voting ensues. Elsewhere I've suggested this >> might be a counter-productive way of going about things.**** >> >> Now, here's an alternative view and its based on the idea that time runs >> backwards in the spiritual world. No! Stay with me. Just for a bit longer. >> Imagine you put what went "before" you (past), before you (in front of you. >> **** >> >> For those of you still here, read on...**** >> >> I am going to suggest that follow up is often best at the start, not >> after the event. I've tried it. It works. If the client is very concerned, >> even at the planning stage, that action must result, then, of course, >> include the invite to decide and commit to actions in the invitation to the >> open space. Make that call to action explicit and that will help to set the >> path for the right people to come. Some open space invitations are very >> "theme" focused and it is easy when we immerse in self-organising >> conversation, to forget the element of our will that sometimes sleeps a bit >> when we go into the head space of sitting in circles, self-organising the >> content of what is often talk, talk, talk.**** >> >> So, build the reminder of action in the invitation before the event. Put >> action before the event, not after it.**** >> >> Yet even then it is easy to forget when the space opens. Not always, but >> often.**** >> >> Now, stop reading if you don't like apparent craziness.**** >> >> Try this. Before the event, invite those coming to share what they think >> the actions should be arising from the Open Space. Ask them to come up with >> actions before the event has started. This can be done online or at a >> pre-meeting. Get the actions out. When an open space is commissioned, it is >> often because a critical issue or challenge in the organisation or >> community has given rise to it. It is born out of restlessness. And >> restlessness is often takes the form of blocked flow. People often know (or >> think they know) what the actions and priorities are. Not everyone, but >> some. They may not be correct, but they sit there, bubbling behind the damn >> of "not yet" or "no".**** >> >> If certain actions have already been fixed and decided by leaders, be >> open and transparent and build them into the invitation. If the actions are >> to be arrived through community and organisational input then use a method >> to surface them - but not after the open space - BEFORE it. The reason is >> because a lot of the future already sits as potential in the word, hidden, >> waiting to emerge. Human beings often tap into this and know what needs to >> be done, before they explore how, and verify why, sometimes deciding >> against anyway. The bubbling potential underneath is the potential for >> "realisation" and it is mostly about action. The release of potential is >> often exhilarating. Often at open space events, that potential for action >> gets lost in the self-organising gorgeous chaos of of emergent head-talk. >> Especially in the West.**** >> >> Get them out on the table BEFORE the event. Put them up on the wall. THEN >> open the market place. The suggested "follow-up" actions will then be >> "incomes" not "outcomes" of the event. They will be there, not bubbling >> underneath, but instead shared consciously, and they will irritate and >> inspire. And often sessions well self-organise around them. By the end of >> the day, what we put "before" us, before the event started, now stand >> "Before" us as commitments after the event.**** >> >> Trust the self-organising nature of open space and also trust the >> inherent knowingness of the human collective and individual will. There's >> often no need to worry about actions not arising from an event, if we >> accept that those actions were largely already there in the collective >> story and flow AND genius of the community.**** >> >> Some of those actions going in will be thrown out, others re-affirmed, >> others changed and played with, and new actions will also come into being. >> **** >> >> I'm not suggesting this for all Open Spaces. Actually it works best where >> action forms the main part of the invitation, is vital to the sponsor and >> the community and also where there's an intuition that many of the actions >> are already known and the open space overall theme is really more about the >> who, when, where, why and how.**** >> >> Put the ending at the beginning, the imagined actions as the inspiration >> and input. Then space will open around what we already think and feel needs >> to happen. It might not. But then, again, it just might.**** >> >> But please, ditch the post-its and the after-event prioritising. It has >> nothing to do with opening space.**** >> >> I believe that when we start an emergent conversation we may well have a >> blank page. But usually organisations and communities travel along >> timelines of past into present into future that are more like tapestries >> than lines. Linear is but one way we experience life. Yet past is always >> playing into the present, the future in the form of the unrealised and the >> potential inspires us in the know. Often something in the future will be a >> direct transformation or culmination of something that began in the past. >> We are also past, present, AND future, which is more of a picture rather >> than something linear. In open space, the action often precedes the word. >> Allowing those actions to speak in the past of the open space often creates >> a marvelous alchemy of flow where past and future meet in open space in the >> present.**** >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OSList mailing list >> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org >> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > >
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