Christine.... You rock. Thanks for posting! Thanks for sharing! Suzanne On Jul 5, 2015 9:11 AM, "christine koehler via OSList" < oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
> Dear Martin, Harrison, Lisa > > Thank you very much for your answers. It helped ! > > I had the call with the guy, and we had a long conversation together. We > talk about the range of outcomes he wished for. Having Harrison's voice in > mind I told him that to my knowledge, there was no other way to have 90 > people engage in 3 hours with the ability to act together soon and keep > connected on the long run in spite of divergent interests. he insisted on > having 2 guys presenting briefly before I explained how it worked. We > ended up with the agreement of 5 people supposed to speak 5 mn each, > including himself. > > Of course they spoke 10 mn each, so I shortened the opening keeping it to > a minimum. > It was obvious that the sponsor was doubtful and his glances at me - and > his team- were quite cold. But he played the game. > And guess what... of course it worked ! > > There were 30 sessions and about 20 action plans. > In spite of heat wave (and no chairs for breakout sessions , because of > no chairs allowed in the huge hall...), people didn't leave during breaks, > and obviously were not in a hurry to leave after the closing... Everybody > was very happy. > During closing circle, all standing, the sponsor admitted he was very > doubtful, then added quietly" today I learned a lesson about participative > democracy". Another guy said he was used to open space, and that this one > was very convivial. > > :) > > I'm glad I know how to breathe. > > Lisa, you asked me why I am asking when I know the answers. Precisely for > these reasons. Knowing that there are other people somewhere that are as > crazy as I am and do believe the same, help me breathe and open the space > the best I can. > > Christine > > On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 6:51 PM, Lisa Heft - <lisah...@openingspace.net> > wrote: > >> Hi, Christine - >> >> Several things come to mind. And I know you already had your phone >> appointment. And I am wondering what you sensed and did and what happened. >> But still I will share reflections if it helps in general or as you reflect. >> >> 1) What does your intuition / gut / sensing say? I imagine you know your >> own answer. Is there a reason you hesitate when you can feel inside exactly >> what to do and say? >> >> 2) I agree that it sounds like OST is a good approach if the issue is >> complex such as this. However there are huge power dynamics operating as >> well, right? So these next things come to mind: >> >> - if the sponsor >> >> fear that there it will not enough reflect the diversity of actions and >> timeframe and the possibility to create a kind of frame to support long >> term action on the territory. >> >> — then her/his intuition may be speaking loudly, not just her/his fear, >> no? If this all is so, does that not tell you both that it is more >> important to take more time to plan (rather than the rushed planning) and >> find a longer meeting time on another date? if it is so important? >> >> And SO many things support long-term action. Not a single short event by >> itself. Instead, relationships, infrastructure, time, ability, resources, >> partners, champions, desks and computers, ability to step outside one’s >> daily tasks to add in these tasks, SO many things. Are these in place >> before the event to support the actions that are being invited? If not, is >> asking for action appropriate for this particular event? Or is this for >> part of that strength, such as in ideas, relationships, and so on ? Does >> all that have to be accomplished by one short event? And if it is complex, >> why so short? >> >> 3) I always go with what is realistically achievable, given the >> circumstances which I may or may not be able to inform. >> >> - Without knowing more details, dynamics, ideas and emotions brought up >> during your pre-work conversations, I can only say that as an outsider to >> this my own intuition / gut / body says to take advantage of what a short >> OS meeting can =realistically= deliver - which is a highlighting of >> emergent issues, ability for people to notice who else cares about these >> things, ideas generated for opportunities and for describing challenges, >> and that’s about it. With a documentation design that really captures, >> with another event scheduled after people can rest and reflect on their >> documentation (data), then going into the next step of mapping out (or even >> a small group having a conversation about) what are resources / >> relationships / realities for what in their systems can support actions, >> then inviting people who are really the people who have >> power-mobility-ability-relationship to identify and work on some actions, >> and so on and so on in a chain of meetings and conversations. Not just a >> quickie because (do I understand you correctly?) there was some meeting >> time within a COP21 event. >> >> - Also with these power dynamics I would pay attention to other things >> that can help as in: no introductions, no speeches, name tags only saying >> names (not organizations or titles), and maybe even more of an emphasis in >> the theme question on “I” to bring it into peoples’ bodies (mixed dynamics >> here can often bring in tension and words of ‘somebody should’) - things >> like that. >> >> Lastly, you asked what we did in a similar situation. I spoke to truth. >> Always. “This will not work if you do x.” “If you want to do x, I can >> support that by changing the process to do y but the Open Space process >> will not work if you do that.” “Are you worried about x.” “You know that >> will not fix x” “Then we need more time for inviting diverse people.” “Then >> we need more hours in the meeting to embrace that tension and possibility.” >> “That deliverable cannot be delivered in that short a time frame.” “Then we >> must change the objective / theme / goal.” “Then we must schedule >> additional meetings to accomplish each of these tasks over time.” “You know >> that that does not support sustainability - you have seen it before, I am >> sure.” And so on. >> >> He is such a busy man, you say. If so, it is essential to help him use >> his (and others’) time wisely and productively. Right? That is what you do, >> when you do your best, Christine… >> >> No doubt some of us may be sharing thoughts and experiences about these >> sorts of things when we gather for the Open Space Learning Workshop in >> Krakow September 8-10, and also during the WOSonOS on September 10-13. I >> SO look forward to that... >> >> Lisa >> >> On Jun 29, 2015, at 11:32 AM, christine koehler via OSList < >> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote: >> >> Hi >> >> >> of course, the way I put it sounds rather comic.. >> >> I am supposed to facilitated a 3h 1/2 OST next wednesday with 90 >> participants from a very diverse background (impact of local actions on >> climate change and COP21 -in Paris next fall- and they are all local >> actors : politics, technicians, companies, non-profit etc.. Host is the >> territorial entity via a statesman with a territoral mandate. >> All has been organized in a few days, we have considered many different >> design to come back to OST because of simplicity and efficiency . >> But now the sponsor fear that there it will not enough reflect the >> diversity of actions and timeframe and the possibility to create a kind of >> frame to support long term action on the territory. >> Diificulty lies in the goal : for the planning team, immediate need is >> the use of the space that the entity is willing to rent (and pay for) >> during COP21 BUT that has to be run collectively (and not as usual here >> « we do it for you ») , for the politics, the goal is « long" term with >> something that will be created and will last even after the COP21 event. >> >> I believe that OST s the only way that may reach all those goals in such >> a short time frame (at least set the first step) but obviously there is no >> control enough for him and now he want a few discourses speeches from a >> variety of actors before opening the space so that everyone knows about all >> this and that… >> >> What would help me is what you did in similar situation.. because I don’t >> know what to tell him (« trust the process obviously does not work…) My >> appointment (by phone of course, such a busy man) with him is in a few hours >> >> >> >> Christine >> -- >> >> >> >> > > > -- > > [image: Christine Koehler, créatrice d'espace de Dialogue et de > Coopération] > Executive Coach, Médiateur > www.christine-koehler.fr > Tel : 06 13 28 71 38 > Fax : 09 72 32 36 65 > > <http://christine-koehler.fr/2013/formation-de-levenement-au-processus-avril-2013/> > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.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 Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org