This was such a rich thread. Thank you all for sharing. My "understanding" of OST and the facilitator's role deepens the more I engage in spiritual practices.
At some point I imagine the notion of "me" as an "OST facilitator" will also fall away. Then, I am fully present--hell, I AM the present. :) Or just I AM. And the notion of the "group" falls away too. Much love all Jake ________________ When the mind is quiet, the sun of your heart will shine once again, and you will be free of problems. - Robert Adams <http://www.robert-adams.info/> On Mon, Feb 10, 2020 at 1:03 PM Thomas Perret via OSList < oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote: > Birgitt, > > Awesome, thank you! > > Kindly, > Thomas > > > On 10 Feb 2020, at 17.40, Birgitt Williams via OSList < > oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote: > > Hi Thomas, > My perspective about OST started because I was in a senior staff position, > accountable for the performance of my organization, when I introduced OST > into the organization and paid a lot of attention to what worked and what > didn't over time. My perspective is added to by my choice to work > predominantly in helping organizations transform. My use of OST is within > intact organizations and multiple OST meetings are always part of our > transformation process. The best I can offer on the list is my perspective > from my own experience. > > Most important is that every person who facilitates OST has an > understanding of the form of OST, and their own chosen concept of what the > essence is. What is this thing referred to as 'space', what is meant by > 'open' and then 'open space'. From a personal understanding comes a > personal perspective of what it is to open space and hold space, if those > words suit the person. It is a personal journey. I have come to understand > that it is more about the persona/leadership development of the facilitator > over time than about anything else. It is a way to learn to be the change > you want to see in the world. > > The decisions about what to do and not do come from this understanding and > the associated perspective that develops. I have a perspective that is > uniquely mine, although I have set teachings from my perspective out into > the word in our Working with Open Space Technology module of the Genuine > Contact program. In turn, every GC trainer shares via their own unique > perspective. > > Thank you for noticing, > in genuine contact, > Birgitt > > > *Birgitt Williams* > *Supporting You in Developing Your Leadership* > Author,The Genuine Contact Way: Nourishing a Culture of Leadership > <http://www.genuinecontactway.com/> > Senior Consultant, President Dalar International Consultancy, Inc > <http://www.dalarinternational.com/> > Founder Genuine Contact Program > <http://www.dalarinternational.com/genuine-contact>. Co-owner Genuine > Contact Co-owners Group, I <https://genuinecontact.net/about/co-owners/>nc > > *Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and > working in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead"* > > *Mentoring Circles & Mastermind Groups* | December 13, 2019 | Online > *Achieving Organizational Health & Balance* | February 21 & 28, 2020 | > Online > *Strategic Planning the Genuine Contact Way* | March 20, 27 & April 3, > 2020 | Online > *Holistic Leadership Development *| April 15-20, 2020 | Waterloo, Canada > *Whole Person Process Facilitation* | April 24, May 1 & 8, 2020 | Online > *Genuine Contact Organization/Summer Academy 2020 *| July 3-10, 2020 | > Waterloo, Canada > > >> Learn More & Register > <http://www.dalarinternational.com/upcoming-workshops/> for any of these > workshops here. > > > PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613 > Phone: 01-919-522-7750 > > > On Mon, Feb 10, 2020 at 5:22 AM Thomas Perret <tho...@dooning.fi> wrote: > >> Hi Birgitt and Michael, >> >> Reading your responses to the question about holding space, I see a >> possible difference in approach to space invaders and would like to hear >> more. >> >> You, Birgitt, stressed that dealing with space invaders is the job of the >> facilitator and you added - not the participants’. Which makes me think you >> consider this important. Whereas you, Michael, wrote that you might wait a >> moment and then sometimes the participants themselves deal with it. >> >> Will you tell me from your viewpoints what you consider beneficial with >> your approach? >> >> Kind regards, >> Thomas >> >> >> ___ >> >> All is possible together >> >> On 10 Feb 2020, at 2.17, Birgitt Williams via OSList < >> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote: >> >> The sponsor opens the space in their organization. >> The facilitator has the privilege of opening the space for people to get >> in touch with what they are passionate about. The facilitator is very >> controlling when doing so, not allowing any space invaders to sabotage the >> creation of the container. >> The facilitator does their work of making sure that space invaders don't >> derail the experience. This is not the job of the participants. It is the >> job of the facilitator. >> The facilitator does whatever they think is the holding of space, each to >> their own interpretation of what this is, and above all avoids becoming a >> space invader him/her self. >> >> in genuine contact, >> heart to heart space, >> Birgitt >> >> *Birgitt Williams* >> *Supporting You in Developing Your Leadership* >> Author,The Genuine Contact Way: Nourishing a Culture of Leadership >> <http://www.genuinecontactway.com/> >> Senior Consultant, President Dalar International Consultancy, Inc >> <http://www.dalarinternational.com/> >> Founder Genuine Contact Program >> <http://www.dalarinternational.com/genuine-contact>. Co-owner Genuine >> Contact Co-owners Group, I <https://genuinecontact.net/about/co-owners/> >> nc >> >> *Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and >> working in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead"* >> >> *Mentoring Circles & Mastermind Groups* | December 13, 2019 | Online >> *Achieving Organizational Health & Balance* | February 21 & 28, 2020 | >> Online >> *Strategic Planning the Genuine Contact Way* | March 20, 27 & April 3, >> 2020 | Online >> *Holistic Leadership Development *| April 15-20, 2020 | Waterloo, Canada >> *Whole Person Process Facilitation* | April 24, May 1 & 8, 2020 | Online >> *Genuine Contact Organization/Summer Academy 2020 *| July 3-10, 2020 | >> Waterloo, Canada >> >> >> Learn More & Register >> <http://www.dalarinternational.com/upcoming-workshops/> for any of these >> workshops here. >> >> >> PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613 >> Phone: 01-919-522-7750 >> >> >> On Sun, Feb 9, 2020 at 6:40 PM Michael M Pannwitz via OSList < >> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote: >> >>> Dear Jake and you others, (after finishing this piece I suggest you >>> first get yourself a cup of coffee or other beverage you cherish, find a >>> couch and take a little time to read this lengthy piece) >>> >>> I as facilitator will increasingly get into the mode of "total presence >>> and absolute invisibility" by reflection. As I inch up, or millimeter >>> up, in this regard the easier does it get to hold "time and space". >>> >>> Now, this is both more than rocket science as well as simple. However, >>> and this is the tough part, not easy. >>> After pushing myself in the early years of my practice I eventually >>> realized that "total presence and absolute invisibility" requires >>> life-long attention and learning. As does holding time and space. Both >>> are part of this. And if you start with OST late in life, as I did at >>> the age of 56 and three decades of OD and related stuff behind me, its >>> mainly a lot of un-learning. >>> >>> Okay, here are some of the things I reflect on... best with others right >>> during an ost event (I actually plan timeslots for this in the agenda >>> the team has for itself): >>> >>> --- Being unattached to outcome and not getting involved in content is a >>> prerequisite for having the high energy required for attaining the mode >>> of "present and invisible." (I think it was HO who tells the story of >>> being asked by someone during an OST event about apparently doing >>> nothing... and him responding with "Doing nothing is what I get paid >>> for."). >>> --- One thing I can arrange for and reflect on before getting into a >>> facilitator situtation, is not to facilitate an ost event in a situation >>> that I have stakes in (like in my own organisation). >>> One practice tested way is to help oneself and other facilitators in >>> this regard is to arrange for a "rain check" system: I work as >>> facilitator without pay in your organisation and you in turn work as >>> facilitator without pay in mine. That allows us in each case to be fully >>> participant in a setting we have stakes in. And for lots of learning. >>> Which happens easily in sustainably reflecting my practice. >>> --- One more thing I can arrange for once it is clear that I am >>> facilitator in a specific event is to have an assistant who supports me >>> in doing nothing and reminds me to stay out of the way. (This reminds me >>> of a story about one of the Ceasars in Rome who hired someone to quietly >>> tell him that he is not God when everyone adored, admired, fell on his >>> knews before him.) The assistant, in turn, has a team to take care of >>> all the nitty-gritty stuff around setting up the event and caring for >>> the event without being space invadors. >>> >>> --- What is central to my role as facilitator in regard to >>> "holding/expanding time and space for the unfolding of the force of >>> selforganisation"? >>> OST has this as its central characteristic. I know of no >>> approach/method/process/etc. that has "holding/expanding time and space >>> for the unfolding of the force of selforganisation" as its central >>> characteristic. It is unique to OST. This I think is also one of the >>> reasons why it always works, appears familiar to everyone once they get >>> into it, is effective in all cultures, etc. >>> As is often told, there is really only one effective way to reduce the >>> unhampered unfolding of the force of selforganisation: Control. Mind >>> you, the force of selforganisation does not appear completely (this, I >>> think would stop everything, the universe would disapper). It can get >>> very tiny, but its there... an organisation or a group or a neighborhood >>> would not be unless the force is still active. The way, it often shows >>> itself, is in the "informal" part of a system that is used by everyone >>> to make things work. It can also rest in the "informal" leaders in a >>> neighborhood that Saul Alinski, among other things, looked for in >>> working with communities. >>> --- So, all situations, tempting as they may be, in which I exert >>> control are counterproductive for the central characteristic of OST. >>> "Control" can be around little things that I intuitively do in >>> situations where I feel I need to step in: Walk up to the Bulletin Board >>> to pick up an issue-poster that got unstuck and put it back in it place. >>> A bit more control might be my suggestion that no issue needs to be put >>> up more than once. And even more control is active when I proclaim that >>> a certain issue has nothing to do with the overall Theme of the event. >>> --- Being fully present for me is also a prerequisite for dealing with >>> space invadors. There are no recipies for this. One thing that helps me >>> is to start counting before I address the space invasion. Most often a >>> fellow participant will speak to this before I reach 6. For me, this has >>> nothing to do with "trusting" the group. I prefer to say that I know >>> groups will handle stuff like this all by themselves. If they are let. >>> Sometimes in the early part of the ost event a participant will walk up >>> to me and request that I come to a break-out session that has problems >>> with the issue or the process. The first time I was approached, I >>> actually went with the participant. It was interesting to see that the >>> group had already found its way in the time that their scout went to >>> find me and bring me to his session. >>> Eventually I experienced that the folks at an ost event can and will not >>> only deal with every issue they have but also selforganise everything >>> they need. And, if pointed out to them that they selforganize structure, >>> leading, managing, etc. they find this not especially interesting. I get >>> this as a pointer that they are doing what is inherently natural to them. >>> >>> And here is also a short take on what I have found very useful around >>> the transition from the divergent to the convergent phase of an os event. >>> First, I am pretty sure that we can skip convergence in the traditional >>> sense: Having some kind of tool (there are myriad) of weighing or voting >>> on issues that came up in the divergent phase. >>> Years ago, when I still used the 55 dot method I noticed that the items >>> that got the most dots rarely entered the project phase. It dawned on >>> me, that prioritization is a statistical method that probably does >>> result in finding out what might be most important to the group but not >>> what has, yes you already feel it, someone or several people with >>> passion and responsibility grabbing it. >>> So, me and others came up with what we already had and simply convened a >>> second os in the last half day after the Reading Gallery the evening >>> before. Now, this is usually called Action Space. In this space the >>> focus is not on issues but on projects. Folks are invited to post >>> projects and gather around projects to develope next steps for tackling >>> them. It looks and feels and is another os event with the participants >>> that already experienced os in the diverging phase and get into this >>> second one in 2 minutes flat already familiar with the process. >>> The amazing thing was, that aside from what one would expect to see as >>> projects, other projects were posted that had not been visible. I feel >>> this is the result of participants having reached a much wider picture >>> of the whole situation after being in the divergent phase and studying >>> all the report sheets including the augmentation of them and also being >>> in a better position on what ressources they now see in the group that >>> they have worked with in the first space. >>> >>> Considering that basically OST is an action orienting approach and that >>> action only happens if there is passion joined by responsibility for >>> something that is to be done the Action Space is a good way to have that >>> happen for which the entire gathering was that up for: Dealing with a >>> wicked issue that nobody had an answer to at the beginning of the open >>> space. >>> >>> It is also a simple way of doing it. I mention this because I still feel >>> that anyone with a clear head and a good heart can facilitated an ost >>> event, especially if it is a straigtforward approach. >>> >>> Greetings from Berlin where I look forward to seeing you at the WOSonOS >>> this fall >>> > https://wosonos2020.berlin/ >>> >>> >>> mmp >>> >>> Have a great day, >>> mmp >>> >>> >>> >>> Am 08.02.2020 um 19:44 schrieb Jake Yeager via OSList: >>> > Many questions these days. Thank you for entertaining them. :) >>> > >>> > This past week, I facilitated an eight-hour Open Space split across >>> two >>> > half-days. The attendees were an Organizational Development team, of >>> > which I am a member. My AVP sponsored the event, because we had >>> recently >>> > merged with another group, and there was lack of clarity. So, our >>> theme >>> > was: "Who are we, and how do we collaborate to drive success?" Also, >>> my >>> > AVP--who is a leader in Learning & Development--wanted to experience >>> > Open Space in order to understand it better as it is new to my firm. >>> > >>> > Since I am a fledgling facilitator, I chose not to participate in the >>> > breakout sessions, even though I am part of the group. I wanted to >>> make >>> > sure that I provided the best experience for everyone, and >>> participating >>> > would have dampened my focus. I shared this with my manager, after she >>> > inquired after the first day why I had not participated. >>> > >>> > Long story short, after the event, my manager had major concerns how I >>> > facilitated the event. I had gone for long walks while the group was >>> > working, and she felt that was very risky. I told her that the >>> > facilitator's role is to remain "invisible" to allow the group to >>> build >>> > its capacity for self-management. She said that our firm's culture is >>> > very hierarchical and that "baby steps" are needed. She suggested even >>> > intervening in a group if it gets "stuck." I believe I mentioned that >>> > intervening is not part of Open Space facilitation. >>> > >>> > So my question is: how do you "hold space?" I found Chris's >>> description >>> > on his website: "an Open Space Technology facilitator is neither seen >>> > nor heard, but his or her presence is 'felt.'" I guess by going for >>> long >>> > walks and not being in the room, my presence was not "felt." One of my >>> > colleagues provided feedback that by not being there, it didn't seem >>> > like I cared. This is definitely not the case. I went on long walks as >>> > an act of love, not negligence. >>> > >>> > Anyway, would love your thoughts. >>> > >>> > Thanks, >>> > Jake >>> > ________________ >>> > >>> > When the mind is quiet, the sun of your heart will shine once again, >>> and >>> > you will be free of problems. >>> > - Robert Adams <http://www.robert-adams.info/> >>> > >>> >>> -- >>> Michael M Pannwitz >>> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany >>> ++49 - 30-772 8000 >>> mmpannw...@gmail.com >>> >>> >>> Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 490 resident Open >>> Space Workers in 76 countries working in a total of 142 countries >>> worldwide >>> www.openspaceworldmap.org >>> >>> At my publisher you find books and task cards on open space and other >>> treasures, most in German, some in English, some as ebooks, some >>> multilingual >>> https://www.westkreuz-verlag.de/de/Kommunikation >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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 >> >> _______________________________________________ > 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
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