Welcome to open space
I did an Open Space event tonight with 60 community people, generating over 70 ideas in a short timeframe. What did people like? They loved choosing their own agenda, choosing their own conversations, and yes there were ample butterflies and bumblebees following the law of two feet, including those with 4 feet (walkers).
The focus: How can we make this a more elder-friendly community?
What was the most interesting exchange of the night? This was a civic event, and at the end the senior government official pulled me aside and asked: How do you do it? What’s that, I asked. To which he painfully says, How do you keep from having your head blow up? He’s talking about the role of facilitator in open space.
As we talk, I understand that he has absolutely no patience for people’s stories. I empathize and segue to the point: The key is to listen and to keep reminding the community about the invitation to express their wants.
Opening space is always authentic engagement. It is, as I mentioned to this government official, nothing about being defensive or quick to take power away. It’s about opening space and being non-anxious about the questions that take who-knows-how-long to love into realization.
October 28th, 2005 01:03
I have been teaching a number of sessions lately on grief support skills. I say: The greatest gift you can give to another human being is to allow them to say their emotional truth without interrupting, analyzing, interpreting, criticizing or judging them. Then I aks folks, when was the last time someone did that for you? Usually only one or two can even say yes. Thank heaven that it happens regularly in open space!
October 28th, 2005 07:25
Jack,
I am wishing for you to do an open space at one of our company meetings. There is nothing but mindset and refusal to have candid discussions. It is counter productive and very depressing, no wonder business is in trouble.
October 28th, 2005 22:04
It’s interesting how many organizations hold a norm of being squeamish about honest conversations. It’s a trust issue. Open space works because it allows the kind of transparency that infuses and inspires the trust sufficient for honesty.