Re: [OSList] the largest Open Space (Participants)?

[Peggy Holman via OSList]

Hi Lise,

That 3,000 number was for Strategy Cafes, which were outside of the Open Space. 
Christine can describe it better but my memory is that they were an experiment 
based on the World Cafe in which people could swing by and join an ongoing 
conversation.

Below is a message from Christine that is in the OSlist archive on the 1,600 
person Open Space. Might be of interest to the people you’re working with. 

Warmly,
Peggy





Peggy Holman
Co-founder
Journalism That Matters
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
206-948-0432
www.journalismthatmatters.org
www.peggyholman.com
Twitter: @peggyholman
JTM Twitter: @JTMStream

Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity 







On Nov 7, 2005, at 7:06 AM, Christine Whitney Sanchez  wrote:

Dear Open Space Friends,
 
It has been exactly one month since more than 1,600 Girl Scout National 
Delegates met in Open Space.  I feel deeply grateful to each and everyone of 
you who helped us to hold the space  at the Girl Scout National Convention.  I 
haven't written until now because, frankly, I'm still processing what I 
experienced and learned and I'm not at all sure I can do justice to telling the 
story.  I'm literally still dreaming about what was perhaps the most powerful 
experience of my life so far, short of giving birth 3 times.
 
My greatest joy in working on this project has been the incredible people and 
my personal reflections are filled with gratitude and awe.  Foremost, I am 
grateful to my dear friend and business partner, Claudia Haack, who held the 
space with me with such grace, resilience and generosity that I was able to 
give myself fully to opening the space.  Our partnership grew and our 
friendship flourished as we worked on this project together.
 
I think that part of why it’s taking me so long to digest what happened at the 
Girl Scout National Convention is that after a glorious day of Open Space, 
Claudia, our volunteer team and I anchored Strategy Cafes for close to 2,000 
participants and generally worked on the fly for the next 3 days of the 
convention, including a final day with the Themefinding Team which looked 
across the Open Space and Strategy Café reports.  All the while, we were 
working with close to 100 volunteers who had been trained in OS and World Café 
and who then self-organized for planning and implementation before, during and 
after the convention.  As a member of the “Smooth Operators” Team said, “It was 
like you went from a two person operation to a full staff of one hundred!”
 
Claudia and I are still in the process of writing up the whole thing, including 
the Open Space on Governance and the Strategy Cafés and I promise to share that 
with all of you as soon as it's finished.  For now you can check out the online 
version of the Book of Proceedings at 
www.girlscouts.org/convention/conversationsummary.asp 
. 
For a taste of the excitement, here are some of the highlights and quotes from 
participants –
ê   Based on the feedback we’ve gotten the members of the volunteer 
crew, from the participants, and the leaders of the organization, the Open 
Space and Strategy Cafés have set the stage for an entirely different kind of 
convention.
o   “I think this has forever changed the National Council Session – no 
more being staged from beginning to end.  Instead, honest dialogue.”  
o“I’ve never been to a convention that felt so open and as honest as 
this one.”
o   “I'd like to echo that and there is a difference between input and 
influence and we now have a chance to influence the future rather than simply 
provide input.”
ê   While the Open Space was focused on the topic of governance, it 
seems that only about half of the 94 sessions posted were really focused on 
governance.  
o   “It’s very confusing.  People don’t really understand what governance 
actually means and what it means to the organization.”  
o   “Governance and operational issues get blurred.”
o   “Do we all agree what governance means?”
o   “Some delegates do not understand governance because they are 
operations-based.  Do delegates represent the majority?”
o   “This organization runs better when it is run from the bottom up rather 
than from the top down.”
ê   Participants were clearly moved by the experience of being in Open 
Space, being listened to, feeling supported and how that all relates to what 
the Founder, Juliette Low, intended.  
o   “I think that we are getting back to what Juliette Low started - she 
started this for the girls and I think we are finally getting back to that 
today.”
o   “I was more of a bee and a butterfly and it was so great to hear the 
girls and I am so proud to be a part of this grand organization.”
o   “I’m hoping our national board will always accept this process and 

Re: [OSList] the largest Open Space (Participants)?

[Lise Damkjær via OSList]

Hi Peggy
Thank you - yes my 12 person Open Space was wonderful and intense as 
Open Space always is;-)


Thank you for your answer. Michael Pannwitz also sent me something from 
the archive - from Christine Sanchez - after the event - and she wrote 
that about 1800 girlscouts and some more people - around 3000 over the 
days participated.


I just wanted to tell my people, that Open Space could be very big - if 
they ever should need it ;-)


Enjoy your day!
Lise

Den 07-01-2020 kl. 20:23 skrev Peggy Holman via OSList:

Lise - I hope your 12 person OS was wonderful! I find that size to be intense 
in a different way than many hundreds or thousands.

Christine Whitney Sanchez’s Girl Scout Open Space was around 1,800 people. I 
found the message below from her in the OSlist archives.

I’m pretty sure Paul Gleiberman's Open Space at Boeing was around 300 people. I 
know it wasn't 3,000. The breakthrough was in hosting in two locations 
simultaneously, as Michael P mentioned. Thanks, Michael, for mentioning the 
2,100 people in Colombia that I did and providing the links to more information.

Peggy





On Oct 2, 2005, at 9:06 PM, Christine Whitney Sanchez  wrote:

Dear Friends,
The energy is building. There is a vibrant green swell on the ocean of 
collective intelligence. For the next several days, over 12,000 Girl Scouts 
from all over the country will make their way to Atlanta for their National 
Convention.
Next Friday, October 7, I ask that you hold the space with me and Claudia 
Haack, my dear friend and business partner in Kairos Alliance Inc. and over 100 
Girl Scout volunteers who will open strategic conversations and tap the 
collective wisdom to transform the Girl Scout movement. At 8:30am EDT on Oct 7, 
I will be opening the space for whoever comes out of the 1,800 delegates to to 
the national convention around the question: What would our governance 
structure look like on a national and local level if it met the test of being 
efficient, decisive, and action-oriented?
Simultaneously, Strategy Cafes will be open for business for nearly 1,000 girls 
and 3,000 adults at the Girl Congress AND later in the day Strategy Cafes on 6 
different topics will open in the Exhibit Hall, running for the next 3 days. We 
are preparing for 6,000 people to sit at small tables and lean into 
conversations that matter to the future of the Girl Scout Movement. Altogether, 
we are holding the possibility and the space for 9,000 girls and adults to 
participate in these events.
Through the efforts of a self-organized group of volunteers and the generous 
donations of many friends, enough money has been raised to get film crews to 
Atlanta. The Girl Scouts will be producing a video of the story that will 
emerge through the Open Space and Strategy Cafes!
Thank you to everyone who is supporting us with your expertise and love. It 
means so much that you will be holding space with us.
Love,
Christine
  




Peggy Holman
Co-founder
Journalism That Matters
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
206-948-0432
www.journalismthatmatters.org
www.peggyholman.com
Twitter: @peggyholman
JTM Twitter: @JTMStream

Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity 











On Jan 7, 2020, at 2:11 AM, Lise Damkjær via OSList 
 wrote:

Thank you Jeff, Jake, Michael and Michael - How wonderful to receive your 
knowledge concerning big Open Spaces. I go with Christine and the 3000 girl 
scouts;-)

And Michael Pannwitz - yes it would be wonderful to have a WOSonOS with 3000 
participants - I look forward to see you in Berlin this autumn - it will be 
beautiful even without 3000 participants;-)

I am doing an Open Space tomorrow - with 12 participants - and that will be 
nice. The subject is: How to get more human - do less - and still keep results?

I wonder what keeps people away from Open Space, when first heard about it - I 
love it! But I must also admit, that I don't do many Open Spaces myself - I'm 
not good at selling it into organizations and when I do Open Space outside an 
organization I have trouble to get people to participate.

Greetings and thanks for being a part of this
Lise


Den 07-01-2020 kl. 08:42 skrev Jeff Aitken via OSList:

Christine had shared these details:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/wp/2006/02/07/girl-scouts-usa-opening-strategic-conversations/
 


Jeff

On Mon, Jan 6, 2020, 8:34 PM Michael Herman via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org > wrote:


The Boeing two-site event couldn't have been that big that early, though
two sites was a good trick in the days before the internet was everywhere.
I think the 3000 might have been Christine Whitney-Sanchez and the Girl
Scouts.

--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
312-280-7838 (mobile)

MichaelHerman.com
OpenSpaceWorld.org