no end to the possible strategies and options on this, isaac. this is the nature of practice! i once had a one-day board retreat where 8 people put up 32 sessions for 4 sessions. a couple weeks ago i had a dozen people on board retreat put up many fewer topics that they then merged into just two topics per each of three sessions. if you go to bigger groups, the variation gets wider. harrison's guide was 5-7 breakouts per 100 people, but after about 300 people that might flatten out. as chris says, it matters if you've got 7 breakout times over two days or just three in an afternoon. there is a difference between finding/planning breakout areas and actually labeling them and making stickies for them in the grid. if you offer too many breakouts, you sometimes get a front-loading in early sessions and fewer sessions later on. not always a bad thing. sometimes those get filled with follow-on topics, but in more public/learning than private/working events this can allow the day to lose people and energy later on. if you make what you think is minimally sufficient, you can make extra stickies and cover them up until the first batch of breakouts starts filling up. or sometimes i just put a pad of stickies in my pocket and waive it around in the opening, saying that if we need more breakouts, we can make them. i did some experimenting, very unscientific small sample, during os trainings years ago and convinced myself that groups tend toward filling the wall space we give them for posting topics. i found bigger wall spaces invited more topics. maybe more combinations, i don't recall. but the agenda was juicier with more wall space available. this is also why i never create a grid on the wall, with rooms and timeslots lined out in so many small boxes... it gets in the way of combining sessions. no matter the formula... if i a group of 100 people fit in the room for the opening, they can probably work in 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 groups, whatever they need and choose, in that same room. if they fit, they fit. so once you have a handful of breakouts designated, the things to focus on are (1) getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and making it clear that conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've designated for their topic. If you do these three things, you can virtually ignore the breakout spaces math. m -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 312-280-7838 (mobile) MichaelHerman.com OpenSpaceWorld.org On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 10:12 AM Chris Corrigan via OSList < everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > Hi there. Here is what is ideal for most meetings the way I work. If I’m > just setting up a meeting room for Open Space, I like to have at least 75 > ft.² per person or 7.5 m² per person which allows you to get a large circle > in the room and provides space for small groups to form within the larger > room. > > As for time and number of sessions, that of course depends on so many > factors. My experience says that if I’m doing a half day, Open Space a bare > minimum of one hour sessions with a preferred maximum of 1.5 hour sessions > is important. If I’m doing a full day, I usually schedule 1.5 hour sessions. > > The group, obviously the more time and space you need. A group of 100 > people with a very passionate topic is easily capable of generating 30 or > 40 breakout groups. That means for a half day session, you need to find 20 > breakout spaces. That might mean you need breakout spaces outside of the > main meeting room as well and you certainly will if you’re working with > much larger groups. The largest group I’ve ever worked with was about 600 > people and we had something like 120 sessions over a full day. Which meant > we had to find something like 40 breakout spaces. We had the entire ground > floor of a conference centre plus some really beautiful outdoor spaces and > nice weather to work in so it wasn’t too hard. > > When, considering timing though, remember that large groups take a very > long time to move around. You have to factor that in to how you plan your > agenda. Building in 20 minute breaks between sessions is a common practice > for me if I’m working with groups bigger than 200 or so. And of course, if > you’re also serving lunch, that’s not just an hour long break. > > If it’s a small meeting with 30 or 40 people and the topic is quite > passionate, you may still get 20 or 25 topics being proposed. So it’s not a > strictly linear relationship between the size of the group and the number > of topics. > > I hope this helps you with your event! For more reading about room > requirements that I use with my clients, here’s a blog post: > > [image: 2DDE0B79-18E6-42E7-A82B-323F63503503_1_105_c.jpeg] > > Room requirements for participatory meetings > <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> > chriscorrigan.com > <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> > > <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> > > Chris > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Oct 5, 2024, at 6:15 AM, isaac a via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> > wrote: > >  > Hi Everyone, > > I'm planning a small OS event in January in Hull, UK, and just wanted to > refresh, to help me plan. So, for some context; I'm currently planning a > half day event from around noon until 4pm ish, (4 hours) although this is > flexible, depending on interest and numbers. E.g. it could expand to 12-5 > or even 12-6. I may even consider a whole day. > > In a nutshell, I want to get an idea of some kind of 'formula' for OS, > such as; given X amount of hours for an event, and X amount of > attendees....etc. how many breakout sessions and how long for each session? > And, how long would the opening and closing circles be..etc. etc., > > Are there any articles or resources that answer this idea of a 'formula' > to help with planning? Or from your experience, what tends to work best? > > Many thanks! > > Isaac > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org

I see 2?: ...the things to focus on are (1) getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and making it clear that conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've designated for their topic.  If you do these three things...            -x-x-x-x               -x-x-x-x                     x-x-x-x-x-x-x In Community, - -Chad     OD / CD Consultancy             Amherst, MA                                                     On Saturday, October 5, 2024, 01:23:47 PM EDT, Michael Herman via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: no end to the possible strategies and options on this, isaac.  this is the nature of practice! i once had a one-day board retreat where 8 people put up 32 sessions for 4 sessions.  a couple weeks ago i had a dozen people on board retreat put up many fewer topics that they then merged into just two topics per each of three sessions.  if you go to bigger groups, the variation gets wider.  harrison's guide was 5-7 breakouts per 100 people, but after about 300 people that might flatten out.  as chris says, it matters if you've got 7 breakout times over two days or just three in an afternoon.   there is a difference between finding/planning breakout areas and actually labeling them and making stickies for them in the grid.  if you offer too many breakouts, you sometimes get a front-loading in early sessions and fewer sessions later on.  not always a bad thing.  sometimes those get filled with follow-on topics, but in more public/learning than private/working events this can allow the day to lose people and energy later on.   if you make what you think is minimally sufficient, you can make extra stickies and cover them up until the first batch of breakouts starts filling up.  or sometimes i just put a pad of stickies in my pocket and waive it around in the opening, saying that if we need more breakouts, we can make them.  i did some experimenting, very unscientific small sample, during os trainings years ago and convinced myself that groups tend toward filling the wall space we give them for posting topics.  i found bigger wall spaces invited more topics.  maybe more combinations, i don't recall.  but the agenda was juicier with more wall space available.  this is also why i never create a grid on the wall, with rooms and timeslots lined out in so many small boxes... it gets in the way of combining sessions. no matter the formula... if i a group of 100 people fit in the room for the opening, they can probably work in 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 groups, whatever they need and choose, in that same room.  if they fit, they fit.  so once you have a handful of breakouts designated, the things to focus on are (1) getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and making it clear that conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've designated for their topic.  If you do these three things, you can virtually ignore the breakout spaces math. m   -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates312-280-7838 (mobile) MichaelHerman.com OpenSpaceWorld.org On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 10:12 AM Chris Corrigan via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: Hi there. Here is what is ideal for most meetings the way I work. If I’m just setting up a meeting room for Open Space, I like to have at least 75 ft.² per person or 7.5 m² per person which allows you to get a large circle in the room and provides space for small groups to form within the larger room. As for time and number of sessions, that of course depends on so many factors. My experience says that if I’m doing a half day, Open Space a bare minimum of one hour sessions with a preferred maximum of 1.5 hour sessions is important. If I’m doing a full day, I usually schedule 1.5 hour sessions. The group, obviously the more time and space you need. A group of 100 people with a very passionate topic is easily capable of generating 30 or 40 breakout groups. That means for a half day session, you need to find 20 breakout spaces. That might mean you need breakout spaces outside of the main meeting room as well and you certainly will if you’re working with much larger groups. The largest group I’ve ever worked with was about 600 people and we had something like 120 sessions over a full day. Which meant we had to find something like 40 breakout spaces. We had the entire ground floor of a conference centre plus some really beautiful outdoor spaces and nice weather to work in so it wasn’t too hard. When, considering timing though, remember that large groups take a very long time to move around. You have to factor that in to how you plan your agenda. Building in 20 minute breaks between sessions is a common practice for me if I’m working with groups bigger than 200 or so. And of course, if you’re also serving lunch, that’s not just an hour long break. If it’s a small meeting with 30 or 40 people and the topic is quite passionate, you may still get 20 or 25 topics being proposed. So it’s not a strictly linear relationship between the size of the group and the number of topics. I hope this helps you with your event! For more reading about room requirements that I use with my clients, here’s a blog post: | | | | Room requirements for participatory meetingschriscorrigan.com | | Chris Sent from my iPhone On Oct 5, 2024, at 6:15 AM, isaac a via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: Hi Everyone, I'm planning a small OS event in January in Hull, UK, and just wanted to refresh, to help me plan. So, for some context; I'm currently planning a half day event from around noon until 4pm ish, (4 hours) although this is flexible, depending on interest and numbers. E.g. it could expand to 12-5 or even 12-6. I may even consider a whole day. In a nutshell, I want to get an idea of some kind of 'formula' for OS, such as; given X amount of hours for an event, and X amount of attendees....etc. how many breakout sessions and how long for each session? And, how long would the opening and closing circles be..etc. etc.,  Are there any articles or resources that answer this idea of a 'formula' to help with planning? Or from your experience, what tends to work best? Many thanks! Isaac OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org

        -x-x-x-x               -x-x-x-x

-- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 312-280-7838 (mobile) MichaelHerman.com OpenSpaceWorld.org (1) getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and (3) making it clear that conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've designated for their topic. If you do these three things... On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 12:23 PM Chrlsful <chrlsful@aol.com> wrote: > I see 2?: > > ...the things to focus on are (1) getting EVERYTHING that matters to > everyone up on the wall and (2) making sure every topic has a sticky with a > place/time, and making it clear that conveners are responsible for showing > up in the space/time they've designated for their topic. If you do these > three things... > > -x-x-x-x -x-x-x-x > x-x-x-x-x-x-x > > > In Community, > > - -Chad > > OD / CD Consultancy > > *Amherst, MA > * > > On Saturday, October 5, 2024, 01:23:47 PM EDT, Michael Herman via OSList < > everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > > > no end to the possible strategies and options on this, isaac. this is the > nature of practice! > > i once had a one-day board retreat where 8 people put up 32 sessions for 4 > sessions. a couple weeks ago i had a dozen people on board retreat put up > many fewer topics that they then merged into just two topics per each of > three sessions. if you go to bigger groups, the variation gets wider. > harrison's guide was 5-7 breakouts per 100 people, but after about 300 > people that might flatten out. as chris says, it matters if you've got 7 > breakout times over two days or just three in an afternoon. > > there is a difference between finding/planning breakout areas and actually > labeling them and making stickies for them in the grid. if you offer too > many breakouts, you sometimes get a front-loading in early sessions and > fewer sessions later on. not always a bad thing. sometimes those get > filled with follow-on topics, but in more public/learning than > private/working events this can allow the day to lose people and energy > later on. > > if you make what you think is minimally sufficient, you can make extra > stickies and cover them up until the first batch of breakouts starts > filling up. or sometimes i just put a pad of stickies in my pocket and > waive it around in the opening, saying that if we need more breakouts, we > can make them. > > i did some experimenting, very unscientific small sample, during os > trainings years ago and convinced myself that groups tend toward filling > the wall space we give them for posting topics. i found bigger wall spaces > invited more topics. maybe more combinations, i don't recall. but the > agenda was juicier with more wall space available. this is also why i > never create a grid on the wall, with rooms and timeslots lined out in so > many small boxes... it gets in the way of combining sessions. > > no matter the formula... if i a group of 100 people fit in the room for > the opening, they can probably work in 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 groups, whatever > they need and choose, in that same room. if they fit, they fit. so once > you have a handful of breakouts designated, the things to focus on are (1) > getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making > sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and making it clear that > conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've > designated for their topic. If you do these three things, you can > virtually ignore the breakout spaces math. > > m > > -- > > Michael Herman > Michael Herman Associates > 312-280-7838 (mobile) > > MichaelHerman.com > OpenSpaceWorld.org > > > > > On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 10:12 AM Chris Corrigan via OSList < > everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > > Hi there. Here is what is ideal for most meetings the way I work. If I’m > just setting up a meeting room for Open Space, I like to have at least 75 > ft.² per person or 7.5 m² per person which allows you to get a large circle > in the room and provides space for small groups to form within the larger > room. > > As for time and number of sessions, that of course depends on so many > factors. My experience says that if I’m doing a half day, Open Space a bare > minimum of one hour sessions with a preferred maximum of 1.5 hour sessions > is important. If I’m doing a full day, I usually schedule 1.5 hour sessions. > > The group, obviously the more time and space you need. A group of 100 > people with a very passionate topic is easily capable of generating 30 or > 40 breakout groups. That means for a half day session, you need to find 20 > breakout spaces. That might mean you need breakout spaces outside of the > main meeting room as well and you certainly will if you’re working with > much larger groups. The largest group I’ve ever worked with was about 600 > people and we had something like 120 sessions over a full day. Which meant > we had to find something like 40 breakout spaces. We had the entire ground > floor of a conference centre plus some really beautiful outdoor spaces and > nice weather to work in so it wasn’t too hard. > > When, considering timing though, remember that large groups take a very > long time to move around. You have to factor that in to how you plan your > agenda. Building in 20 minute breaks between sessions is a common practice > for me if I’m working with groups bigger than 200 or so. And of course, if > you’re also serving lunch, that’s not just an hour long break. > > If it’s a small meeting with 30 or 40 people and the topic is quite > passionate, you may still get 20 or 25 topics being proposed. So it’s not a > strictly linear relationship between the size of the group and the number > of topics. > > I hope this helps you with your event! For more reading about room > requirements that I use with my clients, here’s a blog post: > > [image: 2DDE0B79-18E6-42E7-A82B-323F63503503_1_105_c.jpeg] > > Room requirements for participatory meetings > <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> > chriscorrigan.com > <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> > > <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> > > Chris > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Oct 5, 2024, at 6:15 AM, isaac a via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> > wrote: > >  > Hi Everyone, > > I'm planning a small OS event in January in Hull, UK, and just wanted to > refresh, to help me plan. So, for some context; I'm currently planning a > half day event from around noon until 4pm ish, (4 hours) although this is > flexible, depending on interest and numbers. E.g. it could expand to 12-5 > or even 12-6. I may even consider a whole day. > > In a nutshell, I want to get an idea of some kind of 'formula' for OS, > such as; given X amount of hours for an event, and X amount of > attendees....etc. how many breakout sessions and how long for each session? > And, how long would the opening and closing circles be..etc. etc., > > Are there any articles or resources that answer this idea of a 'formula' > to help with planning? Or from your experience, what tends to work best? > > Many thanks! > > Isaac > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org >

As you’ve already heard from Michael and Chris, there is lots of variability in what groups do. The element that acts as the most important guide of design decisions for me is the purpose and intent of the Open Space. That sets the context for everything else. There are some rules of thumb that I have developed over time... For the number of breakout spaces, I generally start with the assumption that 30% of people will post something. That drops to 20% in groups over 100 people. And, as you’ve already heard, just make sure there’s the capability to add spaces easily if there are more sessions than anticipated. Like Michael, I don’t make grids that people post into. It has always felt too rigid. And to the point about people tending to post in the first time period, I set up a grid of post-it’s with times and places that people attach to their offerings. I tape the post-it grid up so that not all the spaces are visible at the start. As the sessions fill out over the different times, if we need more spaces, I’ll remove the tape to open up more spaces. In deciding on session length, I used to always do 1.5 hour sessions. Now, I find that for some cultures, an hour is plenty. So I get a sense of the organization and involve the people I’m working with in discerning what is best for them. I have a bias towards three sessions. There’s something about that rhythm that supports the evolution of what people typically talk about. Something like venting about the current situation, talking about what they really want, and moving into doing something about it. If I have four hours, my typical schedule with a group under 100 is 45 minutes Sponsor welcoming people and speaking to the purpose, and my opening the space 60 minutes Breakout session 1 60 minutes Breakout session 2 45 minutes Breakout session 3 30 minutes Closing circle And every situation is different. Peggy _________________________________ Peggy Holman Co-chair, Berrett-Koehler Foundation <https://www.bkfoundation.org/> 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 > On Oct 5, 2024, at 10:22 AM, Michael Herman via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > > no end to the possible strategies and options on this, isaac. this is the nature of practice! > > i once had a one-day board retreat where 8 people put up 32 sessions for 4 sessions. a couple weeks ago i had a dozen people on board retreat put up many fewer topics that they then merged into just two topics per each of three sessions. if you go to bigger groups, the variation gets wider. harrison's guide was 5-7 breakouts per 100 people, but after about 300 people that might flatten out. as chris says, it matters if you've got 7 breakout times over two days or just three in an afternoon. > > there is a difference between finding/planning breakout areas and actually labeling them and making stickies for them in the grid. if you offer too many breakouts, you sometimes get a front-loading in early sessions and fewer sessions later on. not always a bad thing. sometimes those get filled with follow-on topics, but in more public/learning than private/working events this can allow the day to lose people and energy later on. > > if you make what you think is minimally sufficient, you can make extra stickies and cover them up until the first batch of breakouts starts filling up. or sometimes i just put a pad of stickies in my pocket and waive it around in the opening, saying that if we need more breakouts, we can make them. > > i did some experimenting, very unscientific small sample, during os trainings years ago and convinced myself that groups tend toward filling the wall space we give them for posting topics. i found bigger wall spaces invited more topics. maybe more combinations, i don't recall. but the agenda was juicier with more wall space available. this is also why i never create a grid on the wall, with rooms and timeslots lined out in so many small boxes... it gets in the way of combining sessions. > > no matter the formula... if i a group of 100 people fit in the room for the opening, they can probably work in 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 groups, whatever they need and choose, in that same room. if they fit, they fit. so once you have a handful of breakouts designated, the things to focus on are (1) getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and making it clear that conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've designated for their topic. If you do these three things, you can virtually ignore the breakout spaces math. > > m > > -- > > Michael Herman > Michael Herman Associates > 312-280-7838 (mobile) > > MichaelHerman.com <http://michaelherman.com/> > OpenSpaceWorld.org <http://openspaceworld.org/> > > > > > On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 10:12 AM Chris Corrigan via OSList <everyone@oslist.org <mailto:everyone@oslist.org>> wrote: >> Hi there. Here is what is ideal for most meetings the way I work. If I’m just setting up a meeting room for Open Space, I like to have at least 75 ft.² per person or 7.5 m² per person which allows you to get a large circle in the room and provides space for small groups to form within the larger room. >> >> As for time and number of sessions, that of course depends on so many factors. My experience says that if I’m doing a half day, Open Space a bare minimum of one hour sessions with a preferred maximum of 1.5 hour sessions is important. If I’m doing a full day, I usually schedule 1.5 hour sessions. >> >> The group, obviously the more time and space you need. A group of 100 people with a very passionate topic is easily capable of generating 30 or 40 breakout groups. That means for a half day session, you need to find 20 breakout spaces. That might mean you need breakout spaces outside of the main meeting room as well and you certainly will if you’re working with much larger groups. The largest group I’ve ever worked with was about 600 people and we had something like 120 sessions over a full day. Which meant we had to find something like 40 breakout spaces. We had the entire ground floor of a conference centre plus some really beautiful outdoor spaces and nice weather to work in so it wasn’t too hard. >> >> When, considering timing though, remember that large groups take a very long time to move around. You have to factor that in to how you plan your agenda. Building in 20 minute breaks between sessions is a common practice for me if I’m working with groups bigger than 200 or so. And of course, if you’re also serving lunch, that’s not just an hour long break. >> >> If it’s a small meeting with 30 or 40 people and the topic is quite passionate, you may still get 20 or 25 topics being proposed. So it’s not a strictly linear relationship between the size of the group and the number of topics. >> >> I hope this helps you with your event! For more reading about room requirements that I use with my clients, here’s a blog post: >> >> <2DDE0B79-18E6-42E7-A82B-323F63503503_1_105_c.jpeg> >> Room requirements for participatory meetings >> chriscorrigan.com >> <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/>Room requirements for participatory meetings <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >> chriscorrigan.com <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >> Chris >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Oct 5, 2024, at 6:15 AM, isaac a via OSList <everyone@oslist.org <mailto:everyone@oslist.org>> wrote: >>> >>>  >>> Hi Everyone, >>> >>> I'm planning a small OS event in January in Hull, UK, and just wanted to refresh, to help me plan. So, for some context; I'm currently planning a half day event from around noon until 4pm ish, (4 hours) although this is flexible, depending on interest and numbers. E.g. it could expand to 12-5 or even 12-6. I may even consider a whole day. >>> >>> In a nutshell, I want to get an idea of some kind of 'formula' for OS, such as; given X amount of hours for an event, and X amount of attendees....etc. how many breakout sessions and how long for each session? And, how long would the opening and closing circles be..etc. etc., >>> >>> Are there any articles or resources that answer this idea of a 'formula' to help with planning? Or from your experience, what tends to work best? >>> >>> Many thanks! >>> >>> Isaac >>> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org <mailto:everyone@oslist.org> >>> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org <mailto:everyone-leave@oslist.org> >>> See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org >> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org <mailto:everyone@oslist.org> >> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org <mailto:everyone-leave@oslist.org> >> See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org

Yes to all Peggy says and reminds me that I usually think about 60 or 90 min sessions in terms of choosing between breadth ( more sessions, more topics) and depth (more time to go deep, toward getting things done). Flows from purpose ad Peggy says. -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 312-280-7838 (mobile) MichaelHerman.com OpenSpaceWorld.org On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 13:03 Peggy Holman via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > As you’ve already heard from Michael and Chris, there is lots of > variability in what groups do. > > The element that acts as the most important guide of design decisions for > me is the purpose and intent of the Open Space. That sets the context for > everything else. > > There are some rules of thumb that I have developed over time... > > For the number of breakout spaces, I generally start with the assumption > that 30% of people will post something. That drops to 20% in groups over > 100 people. And, as you’ve already heard, just make sure there’s the > capability to add spaces easily if there are more sessions than anticipated. > > Like Michael, I don’t make grids that people post into. It has always felt > too rigid. > > And to the point about people tending to post in the first time period, I > set up a grid of post-it’s with times and places that people attach to > their offerings. I tape the post-it grid up so that not all the spaces are > visible at the start. As the sessions fill out over the different times, if > we need more spaces, I’ll remove the tape to open up more spaces. > > In deciding on session length, I used to always do 1.5 hour sessions. Now, > I find that for some cultures, an hour is plenty. So I get a sense of the > organization and involve the people I’m working with in discerning what is > best for them. > > I have a bias towards three sessions. There’s something about that rhythm > that supports the evolution of what people typically talk about. Something > like venting about the current situation, talking about what they really > want, and moving into doing something about it. > > If I have four hours, my typical schedule with a group under 100 is > > 45 minutes Sponsor welcoming people and speaking to the purpose, and my > opening the space > 60 minutes Breakout session 1 > 60 minutes Breakout session 2 > 45 minutes Breakout session 3 > 30 minutes Closing circle > > > > And every situation is different. > > Peggy > > > _________________________________ > Peggy Holman > Co-chair, Berrett-Koehler Foundation <https://www.bkfoundation.org> > 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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Oct 5, 2024, at 10:22 AM, Michael Herman via OSList < > everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > > no end to the possible strategies and options on this, isaac. this is the > nature of practice! > > i once had a one-day board retreat where 8 people put up 32 sessions for 4 > sessions. a couple weeks ago i had a dozen people on board retreat put up > many fewer topics that they then merged into just two topics per each of > three sessions. if you go to bigger groups, the variation gets wider. > harrison's guide was 5-7 breakouts per 100 people, but after about 300 > people that might flatten out. as chris says, it matters if you've got 7 > breakout times over two days or just three in an afternoon. > > there is a difference between finding/planning breakout areas and actually > labeling them and making stickies for them in the grid. if you offer too > many breakouts, you sometimes get a front-loading in early sessions and > fewer sessions later on. not always a bad thing. sometimes those get > filled with follow-on topics, but in more public/learning than > private/working events this can allow the day to lose people and energy > later on. > > if you make what you think is minimally sufficient, you can make extra > stickies and cover them up until the first batch of breakouts starts > filling up. or sometimes i just put a pad of stickies in my pocket and > waive it around in the opening, saying that if we need more breakouts, we > can make them. > > i did some experimenting, very unscientific small sample, during os > trainings years ago and convinced myself that groups tend toward filling > the wall space we give them for posting topics. i found bigger wall spaces > invited more topics. maybe more combinations, i don't recall. but the > agenda was juicier with more wall space available. this is also why i > never create a grid on the wall, with rooms and timeslots lined out in so > many small boxes... it gets in the way of combining sessions. > > no matter the formula... if i a group of 100 people fit in the room for > the opening, they can probably work in 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 groups, whatever > they need and choose, in that same room. if they fit, they fit. so once > you have a handful of breakouts designated, the things to focus on are (1) > getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making > sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and making it clear that > conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've > designated for their topic. If you do these three things, you can > virtually ignore the breakout spaces math. > > m > > -- > > Michael Herman > Michael Herman Associates > 312-280-7838 (mobile) > > MichaelHerman.com <http://michaelherman.com/> > OpenSpaceWorld.org <http://openspaceworld.org/> > > > > > On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 10:12 AM Chris Corrigan via OSList < > everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > >> Hi there. Here is what is ideal for most meetings the way I work. If I’m >> just setting up a meeting room for Open Space, I like to have at least 75 >> ft.² per person or 7.5 m² per person which allows you to get a large circle >> in the room and provides space for small groups to form within the larger >> room. >> >> As for time and number of sessions, that of course depends on so many >> factors. My experience says that if I’m doing a half day, Open Space a bare >> minimum of one hour sessions with a preferred maximum of 1.5 hour sessions >> is important. If I’m doing a full day, I usually schedule 1.5 hour sessions. >> >> The group, obviously the more time and space you need. A group of 100 >> people with a very passionate topic is easily capable of generating 30 or >> 40 breakout groups. That means for a half day session, you need to find 20 >> breakout spaces. That might mean you need breakout spaces outside of the >> main meeting room as well and you certainly will if you’re working with >> much larger groups. The largest group I’ve ever worked with was about 600 >> people and we had something like 120 sessions over a full day. Which meant >> we had to find something like 40 breakout spaces. We had the entire ground >> floor of a conference centre plus some really beautiful outdoor spaces and >> nice weather to work in so it wasn’t too hard. >> >> When, considering timing though, remember that large groups take a very >> long time to move around. You have to factor that in to how you plan your >> agenda. Building in 20 minute breaks between sessions is a common practice >> for me if I’m working with groups bigger than 200 or so. And of course, if >> you’re also serving lunch, that’s not just an hour long break. >> >> If it’s a small meeting with 30 or 40 people and the topic is quite >> passionate, you may still get 20 or 25 topics being proposed. So it’s not a >> strictly linear relationship between the size of the group and the number >> of topics. >> >> I hope this helps you with your event! For more reading about room >> requirements that I use with my clients, here’s a blog post: >> >> <2DDE0B79-18E6-42E7-A82B-323F63503503_1_105_c.jpeg> >> >> Room requirements for participatory meetings >> <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >> chriscorrigan.com >> <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >> >> <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >> >> Chris >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Oct 5, 2024, at 6:15 AM, isaac a via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> >> wrote: >> >>  >> Hi Everyone, >> >> I'm planning a small OS event in January in Hull, UK, and just wanted to >> refresh, to help me plan. So, for some context; I'm currently planning a >> half day event from around noon until 4pm ish, (4 hours) although this is >> flexible, depending on interest and numbers. E.g. it could expand to 12-5 >> or even 12-6. I may even consider a whole day. >> >> In a nutshell, I want to get an idea of some kind of 'formula' for OS, >> such as; given X amount of hours for an event, and X amount of >> attendees....etc. how many breakout sessions and how long for each session? >> And, how long would the opening and closing circles be..etc. etc., >> >> Are there any articles or resources that answer this idea of a 'formula' >> to help with planning? Or from your experience, what tends to work best? >> >> Many thanks! >> >> Isaac >> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org >> See the archives here: >> https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org >> >> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org >> See the archives here: >> https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org

Hi Isaac, In addition to what has been said, I also take into consideration various disabilities. For example, to accommodate people with hearing aids or vocal disabilities, I do not use the main room for the small group break outs. Separate break out rooms or spaces makes the OST more inclusive. The advantage to not using the main room for the break out spaces is that if a topic attracts so many people and thus the break out rooms cannot accommodate the size of the group, the main room can be used if needed for such a group. 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* *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 Like us on Facebook <https://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=6677c35b38&e=e7zyhHfiqG> Connect on LinkedIn <https://dalarinternational.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35ed818c946a88ba7344da05f&id=c26173f86b&e=e7zyhHfiqG> On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 4:04 PM Michael Herman via OSList < everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > Yes to all Peggy says and reminds me that I usually think about 60 or 90 > min sessions in terms of choosing between breadth ( more sessions, more > topics) and depth (more time to go deep, toward getting things done). > Flows from purpose ad Peggy says. > > > > -- > > Michael Herman > Michael Herman Associates > 312-280-7838 (mobile) > > MichaelHerman.com > OpenSpaceWorld.org > > > > > On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 13:03 Peggy Holman via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> > wrote: > >> As you’ve already heard from Michael and Chris, there is lots of >> variability in what groups do. >> >> The element that acts as the most important guide of design decisions for >> me is the purpose and intent of the Open Space. That sets the context for >> everything else. >> >> There are some rules of thumb that I have developed over time... >> >> For the number of breakout spaces, I generally start with the assumption >> that 30% of people will post something. That drops to 20% in groups over >> 100 people. And, as you’ve already heard, just make sure there’s the >> capability to add spaces easily if there are more sessions than anticipated. >> >> Like Michael, I don’t make grids that people post into. It has always >> felt too rigid. >> >> And to the point about people tending to post in the first time period, I >> set up a grid of post-it’s with times and places that people attach to >> their offerings. I tape the post-it grid up so that not all the spaces are >> visible at the start. As the sessions fill out over the different times, if >> we need more spaces, I’ll remove the tape to open up more spaces. >> >> In deciding on session length, I used to always do 1.5 hour sessions. >> Now, I find that for some cultures, an hour is plenty. So I get a sense of >> the organization and involve the people I’m working with in discerning what >> is best for them. >> >> I have a bias towards three sessions. There’s something about that rhythm >> that supports the evolution of what people typically talk about. Something >> like venting about the current situation, talking about what they really >> want, and moving into doing something about it. >> >> If I have four hours, my typical schedule with a group under 100 is >> >> 45 minutes Sponsor welcoming people and speaking to the purpose, and my >> opening the space >> 60 minutes Breakout session 1 >> 60 minutes Breakout session 2 >> 45 minutes Breakout session 3 >> 30 minutes Closing circle >> >> >> >> And every situation is different. >> >> Peggy >> >> >> _________________________________ >> Peggy Holman >> Co-chair, Berrett-Koehler Foundation <https://www.bkfoundation.org> >> 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 >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Oct 5, 2024, at 10:22 AM, Michael Herman via OSList < >> everyone@oslist.org> wrote: >> >> no end to the possible strategies and options on this, isaac. this is >> the nature of practice! >> >> i once had a one-day board retreat where 8 people put up 32 sessions for >> 4 sessions. a couple weeks ago i had a dozen people on board retreat put >> up many fewer topics that they then merged into just two topics per each of >> three sessions. if you go to bigger groups, the variation gets wider. >> harrison's guide was 5-7 breakouts per 100 people, but after about 300 >> people that might flatten out. as chris says, it matters if you've got 7 >> breakout times over two days or just three in an afternoon. >> >> there is a difference between finding/planning breakout areas and >> actually labeling them and making stickies for them in the grid. if you >> offer too many breakouts, you sometimes get a front-loading in early >> sessions and fewer sessions later on. not always a bad thing. sometimes >> those get filled with follow-on topics, but in more public/learning than >> private/working events this can allow the day to lose people and energy >> later on. >> >> if you make what you think is minimally sufficient, you can make extra >> stickies and cover them up until the first batch of breakouts starts >> filling up. or sometimes i just put a pad of stickies in my pocket and >> waive it around in the opening, saying that if we need more breakouts, we >> can make them. >> >> i did some experimenting, very unscientific small sample, during os >> trainings years ago and convinced myself that groups tend toward filling >> the wall space we give them for posting topics. i found bigger wall spaces >> invited more topics. maybe more combinations, i don't recall. but the >> agenda was juicier with more wall space available. this is also why i >> never create a grid on the wall, with rooms and timeslots lined out in so >> many small boxes... it gets in the way of combining sessions. >> >> no matter the formula... if i a group of 100 people fit in the room for >> the opening, they can probably work in 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 groups, whatever >> they need and choose, in that same room. if they fit, they fit. so once >> you have a handful of breakouts designated, the things to focus on are (1) >> getting EVERYTHING that matters to everyone up on the wall and (2) making >> sure every topic has a sticky with a place/time, and making it clear that >> conveners are responsible for showing up in the space/time they've >> designated for their topic. If you do these three things, you can >> virtually ignore the breakout spaces math. >> >> m >> >> -- >> >> Michael Herman >> Michael Herman Associates >> 312-280-7838 (mobile) >> >> MichaelHerman.com <http://michaelherman.com/> >> OpenSpaceWorld.org <http://openspaceworld.org/> >> >> >> >> >> On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 10:12 AM Chris Corrigan via OSList < >> everyone@oslist.org> wrote: >> >>> Hi there. Here is what is ideal for most meetings the way I work. If I’m >>> just setting up a meeting room for Open Space, I like to have at least 75 >>> ft.² per person or 7.5 m² per person which allows you to get a large circle >>> in the room and provides space for small groups to form within the larger >>> room. >>> >>> As for time and number of sessions, that of course depends on so many >>> factors. My experience says that if I’m doing a half day, Open Space a bare >>> minimum of one hour sessions with a preferred maximum of 1.5 hour sessions >>> is important. If I’m doing a full day, I usually schedule 1.5 hour sessions. >>> >>> The group, obviously the more time and space you need. A group of 100 >>> people with a very passionate topic is easily capable of generating 30 or >>> 40 breakout groups. That means for a half day session, you need to find 20 >>> breakout spaces. That might mean you need breakout spaces outside of the >>> main meeting room as well and you certainly will if you’re working with >>> much larger groups. The largest group I’ve ever worked with was about 600 >>> people and we had something like 120 sessions over a full day. Which meant >>> we had to find something like 40 breakout spaces. We had the entire ground >>> floor of a conference centre plus some really beautiful outdoor spaces and >>> nice weather to work in so it wasn’t too hard. >>> >>> When, considering timing though, remember that large groups take a very >>> long time to move around. You have to factor that in to how you plan your >>> agenda. Building in 20 minute breaks between sessions is a common practice >>> for me if I’m working with groups bigger than 200 or so. And of course, if >>> you’re also serving lunch, that’s not just an hour long break. >>> >>> If it’s a small meeting with 30 or 40 people and the topic is quite >>> passionate, you may still get 20 or 25 topics being proposed. So it’s not a >>> strictly linear relationship between the size of the group and the number >>> of topics. >>> >>> I hope this helps you with your event! For more reading about room >>> requirements that I use with my clients, here’s a blog post: >>> >>> <2DDE0B79-18E6-42E7-A82B-323F63503503_1_105_c.jpeg> >>> >>> Room requirements for participatory meetings >>> <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >>> chriscorrigan.com >>> <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >>> >>> <https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/room-requirements-for-participatory-meetings/> >>> >>> Chris >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>> On Oct 5, 2024, at 6:15 AM, isaac a via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> >>> wrote: >>> >>>  >>> Hi Everyone, >>> >>> I'm planning a small OS event in January in Hull, UK, and just wanted to >>> refresh, to help me plan. So, for some context; I'm currently planning a >>> half day event from around noon until 4pm ish, (4 hours) although this is >>> flexible, depending on interest and numbers. E.g. it could expand to 12-5 >>> or even 12-6. I may even consider a whole day. >>> >>> In a nutshell, I want to get an idea of some kind of 'formula' for OS, >>> such as; given X amount of hours for an event, and X amount of >>> attendees....etc. how many breakout sessions and how long for each session? >>> And, how long would the opening and closing circles be..etc. etc., >>> >>> Are there any articles or resources that answer this idea of a 'formula' >>> to help with planning? Or from your experience, what tends to work best? >>> >>> Many thanks! >>> >>> Isaac >>> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org >>> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org >>> See the archives here: >>> https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org >>> >>> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org >>> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org >>> See the archives here: >>> https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org >> >> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org >> See the archives here: >> https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org >> >> >> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org >> See the archives here: >> https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org

Hello all\ \ I of course agree with most that has been said! \ \ There is a thought coming from an observation that we had during our last Open Space that I would like to share with all, though it is obvious. The sessions were carried out in the main room and breakout rooms outside of the plenum room. We observed that the session in the plenum room had more attendees than the ones outside of the plenum. Just by simply having to walk 15 meters outside of the plenum room, seem like enough trouble for some that they decided to stay in plenum. So i guess my learning for the future is that the sessions should take place in equal conditions, otherwise we as organizers might be influencing the Open Space.

Thank you all so much for your kind advice. Some very interesting points raised that I wasn't aware of. Best wishes! Isaac ________________________________ From: Aitor Gomez Matias via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> Sent: 06 October 2024 18:29 To: everyone@oslist.org <everyone@oslist.org> Subject: [OSList] Re: OS Formula? Hello all I of course agree with most that has been said! There is a thought coming from an observation that we had during our last Open Space that I would like to share with all, though it is obvious. The sessions were carried out in the main room and breakout rooms outside of the plenum room. We observed that the session in the plenum room had more attendees than the ones outside of the plenum. Just by simply having to walk 15 meters outside of the plenum room, seem like enough trouble for some that they decided to stay in plenum. So i guess my learning for the future is that the sessions should take place in equal conditions, otherwise we as organizers might be influencing the Open Space.