the right way to do things:

What an inspiring report! Thank you for sharing it on the list.

 Larsen <diana@futureworksconsulting.com>

http://futureworksconsulting.com

On Jul 31, 2014, at 4:37, Gail West <icataiw@gmail.com> wrote:

The time was right for a 3-day open space learning workshop in Shanghai with diverse group of corporate, community, NGO, education folks.  This included a full day of open space with overnight time.  Implementation began on Day 2 including an NGO CEO calling her husband and a staff to come to check out the OS room setup so they're ready to do one in-house!

Surprises (especially for participants) included: Competitors in work and professional lives fully engaged in deep dialogue together rather than holding back and observing; Providing positive feedback to fellow participants in the pre-work and practice; Open Space Technology was perceived as yet another tool, yet through this OSLW, several of them commented this is related to how to live their lives.  What really moved people is authentic participation not the facilitation technology.

 

Several participants went out and did Open Space within the first week after the program

*  Corporate CEO led an OS after a Zen trip with 20+ executives on Life and Wisdom.  Now looking to do other work for her companies.

*  Open Space with a client in a tiny room. The OSLW members were consulted (on line) as to how to make the room open spacy for the event. 

*  Open Space with school children in their summer camp.

 

Self-organized communities of practice started and continued after the OSLW:  Action learning; facilitator's club; volunteering for NGO education; Learning/Practice partnership for OST formed; discussions on WeChat (like Facebook) were continued and co-facilitation opportunities offered; 

And 7 volunteered to translate Chris Corrigan's book "The Tao of Holding Space" into simplified Chinese!

 

Partcipant's comments:

-  Open Space is a meeting facilitation tool that evoke passion and responsibility - the art of facilitation where you need to be fully present and totally invisible  

-  Be aware of what is opening up and what is closing down in the process

- A meeting that breathes is a group with vitality

- Trust the inner wisdom of the group and shine because it is open

- The real space to open up may not be physical space but inner space. Physical space is limited after all. Inner space is not bounded by time or space. We own the freedom to open up in this respect.

-  A good facilitator for Open Space should be able to do three things:

1. Brain losing a sense of judgement of what is good and what is bad

2. Minimum talking time

3. No intervention out of worry or control

-  I experienced "Less is More". The facilitator can achieve with minimum intervention. 

--
Gail West, ICA
3F, No. 12, Lane 5, Tien Mou W Rd
Taipei, Taiwan 111
Ph) 8862) 2871-3150
email) icataiw@gmail.com
Skype) gwestica
www.icatw.com