Wonderful stories…… Thanks Chris… 😊
> On 18 Apr 2022, at 02:21, Chris Kloth via OSList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Thanks for your post. Birgitt. > > While I have not been active online in recent years, I have followed along. > You and I started about the same time and shared many OSONOS experiences in > those early years. > > Several of you observations ring true for me. I also did experimentation with > when shorter sessions might be effective - especially after an extended > meetings. > > Over the years two of my clients eventually incorporated the principles and > practices of OST into their organization cultures. Others use OST more or > less regularly. > > One of my favorite memories of an OST meeting involved calling together a > group of mental health professionals who were concerned about some pending > legislation that could have significant negative affects statewide if passed. > One of the things I was aware of as background noise was that the urban > leaders and the rural leaders were actively involved in a political battle > with each other. While that issue had very little to do with the reason they > gathered, they ended up with a shared legislative strategy AND resolved the > urban/rural issue while they were at it! As we all know - they just needed > the space! > > Another was when The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System was planning > their annual national training program. My colleagues and I had worked with > some of their local jurisdictions using OST and some people suggested using > OST for their national event. There was definitely some resistance. They > finally agreed to half traditional and half OST. They started in the > traditional format and spent the last day in open space. Starting the next > year they did the whole event using OST! > > One of my favorite memories of Harrison is dancing with Harrison and Ralph to > the music of the Rolling Stones at one OSONOS. > > Another is from US election day, 1988. (There is a separate Harrison story > related to that election, but I digress.) I had invited Harrison to do an > Open Space training with me in Columbus, Ohio. Our "design" for the day was > to model the process by using the usual OST calling of the circle and agenda > setting to shape the training on the spot. While I was still thinking in > terms of introducing Harrison, and having Harrison make some opening remarks > and call the circle, he unexpectedly handed off calling the circle to me. > Once we had the agenda, we shared roles working with the group. > Participants were very satisfied, including two who were openly skeptical > about the process. In retrospect, I was struck by Harrison's humility, as > well as his confidence in me - someone he had not know for very long. > > In the words of the Grateful Dead, "What a long, strange trip it's been!" And > a wonderful one, as well. > > > > Shalom, > > Chris Kloth > Principal/Lead Consultant > ChangeWorks of the Heartland > 254 South Merkle Road > Columbus, OH 43209-1801 > Ph: 614-239-1336 > Cell: 614-907-2409 > Fax: 614-237-2347 > Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Web: www.got2change.com <http://www.got2change.com/> > > Pronouns: he, him, his > > White Silence is Violence > > Think Globally, Act Locally > On 4/5/2022 6:01 PM, Birgitt Williams via OSList wrote: >> Dear friends and colleagues, >> this month I am celebrating 30 years of working with Open Space Technology. >> What a grand journey it has been, giving me a vehicle to be of help to >> leaders and their organizations...while simultaneously growing me. I >> benefited a lot from in depth four day trainings in OST with Harrison, >> attending, co-sponsoring seven training sessions in Canada. I continue to >> facilitate in the ways that we were originally taught, with adjustments made >> to adapt OST for the online environment. I refuse to facilitate an OST less >> than four hours, with sessions never less than one hour. >> >> My two favorite experiences of being a participant in OST meetings: the >> first OSONOS in a hotel near Dulles airport in which just over 30 of us >> gathered to explore our learning with OST and the excitement of >> participating in what was then pioneering work with organizations. The >> second of my favorite experiences was the Expanding Our Now event in Oregon >> in the mid 90's sponsored and facilitated by Harrison Owen and Anne Stadler. >> Five full days within an OST container, exploring and accomplishing ways to >> expand our now. Again, about thirty of us came together, from a number of >> countries, with profound experiences within which each of us experienced >> personal transformation and the expansion of ourselves, and the expansion of >> our NOW. We who gathered understood that the bigger our NOW, the better we >> facilitated. The power of a multi-day OST is not often the current >> offer...however, it is powerful beyond what can be imagined. >> >> In those early days, I experimented with how short an OST meeting could be >> while still retaining what I believed was valuable about OST. Four hours was >> the shortest I would go...and in those days I did so as a means for >> following up from a multi-day OST for the purpose of moving topics forward >> that had been prioritized from the multi-day OST. At the time, I believed a >> short (ie 4 hour) OST was valuable only after a multi-day OST in the >> organization. I believe that OST was initially devised for multi-day >> meetings. >> >> I also experimented with frequent OST meetings in the same organization ie: >> monthly. The story goes that the first two monthly OST meetings were loved >> by our staff and Board as the newly preferred way to have our monthly >> meetings. At the third meeting, I sat and said to those gathered (about >> eighty people) that they need what to do so please post their topics. >> Everyone stayed seated until someone said "we know what to do, however, >> there is something important in this opening that you do that helps us to >> determine what we want to post and to get on with it. We need you to do the >> opening. It is not sufficient to tell us that we know what to do." And so I >> learned that the opening, even with a well seasoned group, gave benefit from >> the ritual and was to be included. At the fourth monthly meeting, as I >> entered the room, a staff member stood up and said "we don't want to do >> these kinds of meetings anymore. We come up with all sorts of ideas for >> going forward but after the fact, we find out what the barriers are to >> taking action and it is very disheartening to us". We sat together and >> talked this over. Two gifts emerged from this. The first was the concept of >> the 'givens', providing the shape of the OST meeting (defining the >> playground to which people were invited) by clarifying beforehand any >> non-negotiable barriers. Once we worked out the givens together, we >> successfully had years of OST meetings. The second gift was the emergence of >> another meeting method Whole Person Process Facilitation (WPPF), designed to >> be used in between the OST meetings to examine what had come out of the OST >> meeting and what would move forward into action..and how. By alternating OST >> and WPPF for our monthly meetings, more actionable items moved forward than >> would have moved forward with OST alone. And the participants, with the >> addition of the givens, and the bi-monthly OST/WPPF meetings were well >> satisfied that we had a new way of working...during meetings and then into >> the daily life of the organization. >> >> My favorite examples of facilitating OST meetings is difficult to narrow >> down. One that stands out as dear to my heart is for Saving Newborn Lives, a >> global project of Save the Children USA. Representatives from eighteen >> countries participated in the OST that evolved into the strategic plan and >> was a significant part of their organizational transformation from a >> research program to a service delivery program.Another one that stands out >> is an OST for the exploration of issues and opportunities for housing hard >> to house marginalized people. In our Regional government at the time, the >> idea of one-third of the spots designated for the homeless themselves was a >> big challenge resulting in skepticism about it all working, >> one-third of the spots were for government, and one-third of the spots were >> for non-profit organizations. The people were in genuine contact with one >> another, and a lot got accomplished, much to the surprise of many of the >> participants. I heard just last week that one of the task forces developed >> from that OST is still active and has been making a big difference for >> almost thirty years in getting marginalized people housed. A testament to >> sustainability of results from a single OST meeting. >> >> If you know me, you know that I was attracted to the genuine contact that is >> experienced in every OST meeting...genuine contact with self, with other, >> with the collective, and with Creator/Spirit/Creation/Conscious Energy. I >> developed the Genuine Contact Program and way of working, with Working With >> Open Space Technology as one of the essential modules of this program >> >> I appreciate the journey, the blessings inherent in the journey, the >> miracles I have witnessed with OST, and its role in my life, >> >> in genuine contact, >> Birgitt >> >> >> >> Birgitt Williams >> Senior consultant-author-mentor to leaders and consultants >> Specialist in organizational and systemic transformation, leadership >> development, and the power of nourishing a culture of leadership. >> www.dalarinternational.com <http://www.dalarinternational.com/> >> >> >> >> Learn More & Register >> >> <http://www.dalarinternational.com/upcoming-workshops/> for any of our >> >> upcoming workshops here. >> >> >> PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613 >> Phone: 01-919-522-7750 >> Like us on Facebook >> <https://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=6677c35b38&e=e7zyhHfiqG> >> >> Connect on LinkedIn >> <https://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=c26173f86b&e=e7zyhHfiqG> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OSList mailing list >> To post send emails to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]> >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]> >> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org >> <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> >> Past archives can be viewed here: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]>_______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > 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/[email protected] Romy Shovelton Executive Director Wikima & the 5* Tyddyn Retreat Mid Wales Venue & Holiday Cottages www.walescottageandvenue.com [email protected] [email protected] +44 (0) 7767 370739 Tyddyn y Pwll, Carno, Caersws Powys, SY17 5JU, Wales, UK Instagram: tyddynretreat Facebook: Tyddyn Retreat
_______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] 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/[email protected]
