Reporting back from our first Open Space Lab event this week with the theme: How has open space supported us to meet the resistance of change in community? [image: OSL Aug 4 sm.jpg] There were 28 attendees for this Open Space event, from 40 people registering. Reflection on what emerged: Open Space addresses resistance to change by not forcing outcomes. It creates a psychologically safe container where participants feel genuinely seen, heard, and invited to participate freely. By shifting organizational dynamics from fear and rigid hierarchy toward authentic listening and shared agency, Open Space allows underlying needs and deep yearnings for change to surface naturally. Participants experience Open Space as an ongoing practice of collective meaning-making that transforms opposition and friction into shared trust, connection, and action. Yay Open Space! (FYI - the summary in this paragraph was AI generated & human edited using notes from all sessions - the rest of this email is 100% human generated) Here’s a few highlights; - Open Space Lab Steward Peggy Holman shared a story about the emergence of Open Space Lab, and to introduce the hosts, Myriane Ouelette and Jason Sears. - Myriane expanded on the theme, starting with a poem: “All that you touch, you Change. All that you Change, Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change.” - Octavia Butler, from Parable of the Sower - She then shared the four principles and one law of Open Space. - Jason explained the structure for the 90-minute online Open Space - one session of 40 minutes followed by sharebacks together. Each topic would have a breakout room. - We had a lively Open Space (see below) - We came back together and shared some reflections on the experience. - We took a lovely group photo together (see above) - Peggy closed out with a thank you and some announcements (also below) Our Open Space Topics were: (links go to notes for that room) - Moments of Magic in open space <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLdPoO9xww8Z3jXTtrjxMbREE_tAk0K0nAMXzN15yk4/edit?tab=t.4gz1wbvwo5c5> (Koos) - Stories of dissolving resistance to change <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLdPoO9xww8Z3jXTtrjxMbREE_tAk0K0nAMXzN15yk4/edit?tab=t.co11y3okx18m> (Arun) - The way of Open Space <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLdPoO9xww8Z3jXTtrjxMbREE_tAk0K0nAMXzN15yk4/edit?tab=t.54gi4d5d3vsq>? (Harold) - Practicing Together in deeper questions <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLdPoO9xww8Z3jXTtrjxMbREE_tAk0K0nAMXzN15yk4/edit?tab=t.ge2uvm58ku7t> (Susan) - Meeting the Resistance from Hierarchy <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLdPoO9xww8Z3jXTtrjxMbREE_tAk0K0nAMXzN15yk4/edit?tab=t.snaux3xwn1nx> (Gaylin) - What if it’s not resistance <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLdPoO9xww8Z3jXTtrjxMbREE_tAk0K0nAMXzN15yk4/edit?tab=t.1h4flsqwe4da> (Bhav & Paul) - Does naming value violate open space organization <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLdPoO9xww8Z3jXTtrjxMbREE_tAk0K0nAMXzN15yk4/edit?tab=t.63ctecgrmur> (Tony) Announcements: - Your feedback is welcome! Post-Session Survey <https://forms.gle/agYdofezSQYpKmkt9> - You’re invited to a October 8 debrief <https://luma.com/3vxrkfs5> of the 3 months Open Space Lab experiment. - If you are interested in hosting a monthly Open Space Lab event, sign up here <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JuKhwsfXNKcXH7sGjlgaz796Y73HJl4s1nTvgmaEgqU/edit?gid=0#gid=0> . - If you’re not already on the Open Space Listserv, it’s where the OST community has gathered online since 1996. Subscribe here <https://oslist.org/.>. - Join us in person for WOSonOS 26 <https://wosonos26.com/> –the World Open Space on Open Space. It’s the annual OS practitioners gathering that travels the world. This year, it’s in The Netherlands on September 17-19! We hope to see you at upcoming Open Space Lab events! See them all here <https://luma.com/OSLab?k=c>. And for more about Open Space Lab, click here <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-ICwUW0d8oHZmxSQQvF85s9haoTN-j8N6b-bHIgsYiI/edit?tab=t.6en60a5tpbmx> .