Open Space Technology
Talking about our passions...
Our group spent one and a half days learning and participating in Open Space. Open Space Technology is a unique meeting format that brings participants together with no pre-planned agenda, only a broad theme which is stated in the form of a question.
Based on our prior work, we had a convening question: "What are the Issues and Opportunities for All Important Conversations Taking Place in the Open?"
Our facilitators had arranged the chairs in a circle, and in the centre of the room placed large pieces of paper and coloured markers. Before we began our Open Space day, they went over a few basic Open Space conventions with us. There are few rules in Open Space, however, there are four principles and one law:
- Whoever comes are the right people.
- Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
- Whenever it starts is the right time.
- When it's over, it's over.
- The Law of Two Feet: If you're not learning or participating, use your two feet to go to a more productive place.
Keeping these principles and this law in mind, we were invited to create session topics for our day's agenda based on the theme question. Many participants came forward over the next ten minutes to take a piece of paper, write their topic and place it on the "sticky wall", announcing their session topic, time and location while doing so. In short order, we had created an agenda based on the passions, interests and needs of the diverse participants in the group. Session topics included:
- What does it mean to "value" what someone says and how do we do this?
- How do we encourage personal accountability?
- Creating community by meeting unique needs of each individual
- How can LLL broaden our mission to meet mothers' needs beyond their breastfeeding years?
Many fascinating and fruitful conversations came out of our time in Open Space. It is a uniquely powerful meeting method because it allows each person to bring "passion bounded by responsibility" to the meeting. Instead of being handed an agenda and sitting through sessions that are based on the planners' perceptions of what the participants want to discuss or hear about, Open Space gives each person the opportunity to bring their own important issues to the group and invite others who share their passion to dialogue and work together. In turn, each person is responsible for participating fully in whatever way is most meaningful for them, and each session convener is expected to bring a report of what was discussed back to the whole group.
Once our sessions were concluded halfway through day three of the workshop, we came together for "convergence". Each group, in addition to taking notes on important points that had come up during their session, was asked to summarize the key messages from the discussions that had taken place and write these messages on the "sticky wall".
For more information about Open Space Technology:
Open Space World Open Space founder Harrison Owen's web site
Open Circle Company Peggy Holman's planning resources for Open Space facilitators
Visit Amazon.com to buy Open Space Technology: User's Guide by Harrison Owen, 2nd edition.