Harrison always said if you do anything other than Open Space you are working too hard.

I have found when working with people who don’t share a common context, like an organization, doing an activity that connects, like storytelling, helps create a sense of “we.”

I have used a variety of activities for this over the years, always related to the purpose for coming together. I often use World Cafe. With a recent Journalism That Matters convening, because we were in Philadelphia where Sandra Janoff lives, she joined us to do the timeline activity of Future Search. It was a terrific way for people to begin to see themselves as a system. I can say more about how it works if it holds interest.

Peggy

Peggy Holman
peggy@peggyholman.com

Bellevue, WA  98006
206-948-0432
www.peggyholman.com

Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity https://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/

"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become
the fire".
-- Drew Dellinger

Join the Open Space practitioner’s conference - the World Open Space on Open Space (WOSonOS https://www.wosonos2025.org/) - in Kenya, November 6-8.

Dear Thomas...you can go right into doing an OST meeting without prior
story sharing. However, what will happen is that in that first OST meeting,
people will end up telling stories and venting their frustration and upset.
I have had this experience a few times. You will know, as I know, that they
are doing some grief work in this first OST meeting via the stories that
they share. However, the bigger community and the sponsors won't know that
this is normal, and this is what is happening, and that the real movement
forward isn't going to show up until the second meeting. You run the risk
of a big push back to not have a second meeting if OST is perceived as only
a complaining opportunity. I have experienced that too, and although most
times I have been successful in having sponsors give the second meeting a
chance, this isn't guaranteed. My experience is that quite naturally on the
second day of a longer OST meeting, or in your situation in the second of
two OST meetings, people naturally drift to what's next with much better
conversations about possible solutions and better ways forward.

By not doing the OST meeting right away, and having a different process
that is explicitly about the value of sharing the stories, giving space for
people to tell stories of what is emotional for them, however you do it as
per Peggy's suggestions, you are helping them work as a whole instead of
fragmented parts, you are helping them connect. In the end, you help them
have genuine contact with themselves, with each other, with the collective,
and with what is created. They are in a different stage of connection as
they head into their first OST meeting. I believe the OST meetings will go
much better, and will showcase the value of OST. My beliefs come from my
learning during experience of situations I have been in.

Peggy...I smiled when you quoted Harrison as saying that if you are doing
anything but Open Space you are working too hard. In my knowing Harrison as
a dear friend, I believe his best statement was that he was a story teller,
and that everything was a story. I believe he would agree that he would
often work too hard especially in getting priorities, themes, and probable
actions for his clients. Harrison was a man of many paradoxes.

in genuine contact with you,
Birgitt

Birgitt Williams
*Senior consultant-author-mentor to leaders and consultants  *
Specialist in organizational and systemic transformation, leadership
development, and the benefits of nourishing  a culture of leadership.
www.dalarinternational.com

Upcoming Workshops
Holistic Leadership Development | June 23-27, 2025 | Waterloo, Canada
Individual Health and Balance for Leaders | November 29, December 5, 12 &
19, 2025 | Online

http://www.dalarinternational.com/upcoming-workshops/ for any of these
workshops here.

Go to www.genuinecontact.net http://www.genuinecontact.net to see the
public Genuine Contact training and mentoring options by Genuine Contact
trainers internationally. If you wish to schedule an "in-house" training
for people in your organization, please contact me, Birgitt Williams
birgitt@dalarinternational.com, via email to set up a consultation to
discern what is the best option to meet your development goals.

16 Sunny Acres Dr., Etowah, North Carolina, USA 28729
Phone: 01-919-522-7750
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On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM Peggy Holman via OSList <
everyone@oslist.org> wrote:

Thanks dear Birgitt for the reminders.
If we go for using the first day - Wednesday evening for storytelling, I find it not ideal that we have nine days until the open space day, Friday next week (followed by action planning the next day, on Saturday morning.
They have created a discussion forum offering space during this time.
Any reflections welcome
🙏
Thomas

Skickat från Outlook för iOShttps://aka.ms/o0ukef

Från: Birgitt Williams via OSList everyone@oslist.org
Skickat: Monday, May 12, 2025 6:28:07 PM
Till: Open Space Listserv everyone@oslist.org
Ämne: [OSList] Re: Fishing village - changing circumstances

Dear Thomas...you can go right into doing an OST meeting without prior story sharing. However, what will happen is that in that first OST meeting, people will end up telling stories and venting their frustration and upset. I have had this experience a few times. You will know, as I know, that they are doing some grief work in this first OST meeting via the stories that they share. However, the bigger community and the sponsors won't know that this is normal, and this is what is happening, and that the real movement forward isn't going to show up until the second meeting. You run the risk of a big push back to not have a second meeting if OST is perceived as only a complaining opportunity. I have experienced that too, and although most times I have been successful in having sponsors give the second meeting a chance, this isn't guaranteed. My experience is that quite naturally on the second day of a longer OST meeting, or in your situation in the second of two OST meetings, people naturally drift to what's next with much better conversations about possible solutions and better ways forward.

By not doing the OST meeting right away, and having a different process that is explicitly about the value of sharing the stories, giving space for people to tell stories of what is emotional for them, however you do it as per Peggy's suggestions, you are helping them work as a whole instead of fragmented parts, you are helping them connect. In the end, you help them have genuine contact with themselves, with each other, with the collective, and with what is created. They are in a different stage of connection as they head into their first OST meeting. I believe the OST meetings will go much better, and will showcase the value of OST. My beliefs come from my learning during experience of situations I have been in.

Peggy...I smiled when you quoted Harrison as saying that if you are doing anything but Open Space you are working too hard. In my knowing Harrison as a dear friend, I believe his best statement was that he was a story teller, and that everything was a story. I believe he would agree that he would often work too hard especially in getting priorities, themes, and probable actions for his clients. Harrison was a man of many paradoxes.

in genuine contact with you,
Birgitt

Birgitt Williams
Senior consultant-author-mentor to leaders and consultants
Specialist in organizational and systemic transformation, leadership development, and the benefits of nourishing  a culture of leadership.
www.dalarinternational.comhttp://www.dalarinternational.com

Upcoming Workshops
Holistic Leadership Development | June 23-27, 2025 | Waterloo, Canada
Individual Health and Balance for Leaders | November 29, December 5, 12 & 19, 2025 | Online

Go to www.genuinecontact.nethttp://www.genuinecontact.net to see the public Genuine Contact training and mentoring options by Genuine Contact trainers internationally. If you wish to schedule an "in-house" training for people in your organization, please contact me, Birgitt Williamsmailto:birgitt@dalarinternational.com, via email to set up a consultation to discern what is the best option to meet your development goals.

[https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4yeZVf5V4yv3n0uWMWOzEr8VoVyoZcaZP9A8B5a12PLTLtbOnvyqv4aOnUEydYAIR65miWTIav8x39A]

16 Sunny Acres Dr., Etowah, North Carolina, USA 28729
Phone: 01-919-522-7750
Like us on Facebookhttps://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=6677c35b38&e=e7zyhHfiqG
Connect on LinkedInhttps://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=c26173f86b&e=e7zyhHfiqG

On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM Peggy Holman via OSList <everyone@oslist.orgmailto:everyone@oslist.org> wrote:
Harrison always said if you do anything other than Open Space you are working too hard.

I have found when working with people who don’t share a common context, like an organization, doing an activity that connects, like storytelling, helps create a sense of “we.”

I have used a variety of activities for this over the years, always related to the purpose for coming together. I often use World Cafe. With a recent Journalism That Matters convening, because we were in Philadelphia where Sandra Janoff lives, she joined us to do the timeline activity of Future Search. It was a terrific way for people to begin to see themselves as a system. I can say more about how it works if it holds interest.

Peggy

Peggy Holman
peggy@peggyholman.commailto:peggy@peggyholman.com

Bellevue, WA  98006
206-948-0432
www.peggyholman.comhttp://www.peggyholman.com

Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunityhttps://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/

"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become
the fire".
-- Drew Dellinger

Join the Open Space practitioner’s conference - the World Open Space on Open Space (WOSonOShttps://www.wosonos2025.org) - in Kenya, November 6-8.

On May 12, 2025, at 5:40 AM, Thomas Herrmann via OSList <everyone@oslist.orgmailto:everyone@oslist.org> wrote:

Two days left until the first day of the planned open space process.
The community organisation just got notice that tomorrow there will be a decision in the municipality prolonging the agreement with the developer.  This despite that the community organisation had asked them to wait for this dialogue process to be completed.
I am starting to think about if it will be possible to go into open space directly. Considering if Storytelling will suit better for this first evening.
I will talk to my sponsors more about the situation and thought I send you a note if there are any reflections you want to share with me/us.
Greetings
Thomas

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