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ABRIEFUSER'SGUIDETOOPENSPACETECHNOLOGY
ByHarrisonOwen
THEREQUIREMENTSOFOPENSPACE
OpenSpaceTechnologyrequiresveryfewadvanceelements.Theremustbeaclearand
compellingtheme,aninterestedandcommittedgroup,timeandaplace,andaleader.Detailed
advanceagendas,plans,andmaterialsarenotonlyunneeded,theyareusually
counterproductive.ThisbriefUser'sGuidehasproveneffectiveingettingmostnewleadersand
groupsoffandrunning.Whiletherearemanyadditionalthingsthatcanbelearnedabout
operatinginOpenSpace,thiswillgetyoustarted.Somematerialhasbeenincludedherewhich
alsoappearsinthebookinordertopresentarelativelycompletepicture.
THETHEME
Creationofapowerfulthemestatementiscritical,foritwillbethecentral
mechanismforfocusingdiscussionandinspiringparticipation.Thethemestatement,however,
cannotbealengthy,dry,recitationofgoalsandobjectives.Itmusthavethecapacitytoinspire
participationbybeingspecificenoughtoindicatethedirection,whilepossessingsufficient
opennesstoallowfortheimaginationofthegrouptotakeover.
Thereisnopatformulationfordoingthis,forwhatinspiresonegroupwilltotallyturnoff
another.Onewayofthinkingaboutthethemestatementisastheopeningparagraphofatruly
excitingstory.Thereadershouldhaveenoughdetailtoknowwherethetaleisheadedandwhat
someofthepossibleadventuresarelikelytobe.But"tellingall"inthebeginningwillmakeit
quiteunlikelythatthereaderwillproceed.Afterall,whowouldreadastorytheyalreadyknow?
THEGROUP
Thegroupmustbeinterestedandcommitted.Failingthat,OpenSpace
Technologywillnotwork.Thekeyingredientsfordeepcreativelearningarerealfreedomand
realresponsibility.Freedomallowsforexplorationandexperimentation,whileresponsibility
insuresthatbothwillbepursuedwithrigor.Interestandcommitmentaretheprerequisitesforthe
responsibleuseoffreedom.Thereisnowaythatweknowoftoforcepeopletobeinterestedand
committed.Thatmustbeaprecondition.
OnewayofinsuringbothcommitmentandinterestistomakeparticipationintheOpenSpace
eventcompletelyvoluntary.Thepeoplewhocomeshouldbetherebecausetheywanttobethere.
Itisalsoimperativethatallparticipantsknowwhattheyaregettingintobeforetheyarrive.
Obviouslytheycan'tknowthedetailsofdiscussionsthathaveyettotakeplace.Buttheycanand
shouldbemadeawareofthegeneraloutlines.OpenSpaceisnotforeverybody,andinvoluntary,
noninformedparticipationisnotonlyacontradictioninterms,itcanbecomeverydestructive.
Thisraisestheobviousquestionofwhattodowiththosepeoplewhomyouwanttoinvolve,but
who,forwhateverreason,donotshareyourdesire.Therearetwopossibilities.Thefirstisto
scheduletwosessions,andtrustthatthefirstonewillbesorewardingthatpositivewordof
mouthtestimonywilldrawintherecalcitrant.Thealternativeistorespectthewishesofthose

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involved.Inthefinalanalysisitremainstruethatgenuinelearningonlytakesplaceonthebasis
ofinterestandcommitment,andthereisabsolutelynowaytoforceanyofthat.
Thesizeofthegroupisnotabsolutelycritical.However,theredoesseemtobealowerlimitof
about20.Lessthan20participants,andyoutendtolosethenecessarydiversitywhichbrings
genuineinterchange.Attheupwardendofthescale,groupsof400workverywell,andthereis
noreasontobelievethatnumbercouldnotbeincreased.
SPACE
Thespacerequirediscritical,butneednotbeelaborateorelegant.Comfortismore
important.Youwillneedaroomlargeenoughtoholdtheentiregroup,withspacetosparein
whichtheparticipantsmayeasilymoveabout.Tablesordesksarenotonlyunnecessary,butwill
probablygetintheway.Movablechairs,ontheotherhand,areessential.
Theinitialsetupisacirclewithalarge,blankwallsomewhereintheroom.Thewallmustbe
freefromwindows,doors,drapes,andwithasurfacethatpermitstapingpaperwithmasking
tape.Thewallshouldalsobelongenoughsothatthetotalgroupmaystandbeforeit,andnever
bemorethanthreetofourdeep.Thecenterofthecircleisempty,forafterallwearetalking
aboutOpenSpace.
Iftheroomisverylarge,additionalbreakoutareasmaynotberequired,buttheyarealways
helpful.Bestofallisthesortofenvironmentinwhichthereisanabundanceofcommonspace.
Ifyouaregoingtouseaconferencecenterorhotel,findonewithplentyofconversationnooks,
lobbies,andopengrounds,wherepeoplemaymeetandworkundisturbed,andwithout
disturbingothers.
TIME
Thetimerequireddependsonthespecificityofresultyourequire.Evenalargegroup
canachievehighlevelsofinteractioncombinedwitharealsenseofhavingexploredtheissuesin
amatterofeighthours.However,ifyouwanttogodeeperthanthat,reachingfirmconclusions
andrecommendations(aswouldbethecaseforstrategicplanningorproductdesign),thetime
requiredmaystretchtotwoorthreedays.
Moreimportantthanthelengthoftimeisthe
integrity
ofthetime.OpenSpaceTechnologywill
notworkifitisinterrupted.Thismeansthat"dropins"shouldbediscouraged.Thosewhocome
mustbethereatthebeginning,andstayforthedurationifatallpossible.Bythesametoken,
oncetheprocessbegins,itcannotbeinterruptedbyothereventsorpresentations.Thesemight
comebeforeorafterwards,butneverinthemiddle.
THEBASICSTRUCTURE
AlthoughitistruethatanOpenSpaceeventhasnopredeterminedagenda,itmusthavean
overallstructureorframework.Thisframeworkisnotintendedtotellpeoplewhattodoand
when.Rather,itcreatesasupportiveenvironmentinwhichtheparticipantscansolvethoseissues
forthemselves.Minimalelementsofthisframeworkinclude:Opening,AgendaSetting,Open
Space,andConclusion.Theseelementswillsufficeforeventslastinguptoaday.Longerevents

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willrequiretheadditionofMorningAnnouncements,EveningNews,andprobablya
Celebration.
AstandardOpenSpaceDesign,usingalltheseelementsappearsbelow.Iftheeventyou
anticipatelastslongerthanthetimeindicated,simplyreplicatethemiddleday.Ifshorter,you
willfindthatanOpening,OpenSpace,andConclusionwillsuffice.Generallyspeaking,the
minimumtimerequiredisfivehours,butthatiscuttingitratherclose.
OPENING
Wehavefoundthataveryinformalopeningworkswell,especiallyifthegroup
involvedisanintactworkgroup.Aneveningmealandatimeforcatchupconversationwill
effectivelysetthestage.Shouldthegroupnothaveanypriorassociation,thesimpledeviceof
havingalltheparticipantsintroducethemselvesbygivingtheirnamesandtellingashortstory
fromtheirlivestoillustratewhotheyarewillusuallydothejob.Detailedandinvolved
"icebreaking"exercisesdonotseemtoworkverywell,andmoretothepoint,setthewrongtone.
Afterall,wewantOpenSpace.
AGENDASETTING
Thisisthetimeforthegrouptofigureoutwhatitwantstodo.Thedetails
forthisprocedurearegivenbelow.
OPENSPACE
isexactlywhatthewordsimply,openspaceandtimeforthegrouptodoits
business.Thereisliterallynothinghereatthestart.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ashortperiodeverymorningforthegrouptocatchuponwhatitis
doing,where,when,andhow.Nothingelaborate,nospeeches,justthefacts,nothingbutthe
facts.
EVENINGNEWS
Thisisusuallyatimeforreflectionandoccasionallyfun.Nottobeconfused
withaformalreportoutsession,theapproachis"What'sthestory?"withparticipants
voluntarilyprovidingthetale.
CELEBRATIONIfyourOpenSpaceeventislikealltheoneswehaveseen,particularly
multidayaffairs,bythelastnightitwilltimetocelebrate,otherwiseknownashavingaparty.
Evenin"serious"undertakingslikepreparationofthecorporatestrategicplan,whenitisover,it
isover,andpeoplewillenjoycelebratingthatfact.Wesuggestdoingthecelebrationinthespirit
andmanneroftherestoftheevent.Allofwhichmeansdon'tplanitinadvance.Itmaybe
worthwhiletohavesometapedmusicifyourpeopleareinclinedtodance,butotherthanthat
youwillundoubtedlyfindthatthetalentyouneedisalreadyavailableinthefolksyouhave.Use
it.Skits,songs,humorousreviewsofwhathashappened,willamplyfilltheevening,andaddto
thelearningexperience.
CLOSING
Wetrytokeeptheclosingsimpleandserious.Simpleinthattherearenoformal
presentationsandspeeches.Butserious,forthisisthetimeforannouncingcommitments,next
steps,andobservationsaboutwhattheeventhasmeant.Theclosingeventisbestconductedina
circlewithno"headtable."Startanywhere,andgoaroundthecircleallowingeachparticipant,
whowantsto
,theopportunitytosaywhatwasofsignificanceandwhattheyproposetodo.But

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domakeitclearthatnobodyhastosayanything.Inverylargegroups,hearingfromeverybody
isobviouslyimpossible,buttwoorthreefolksmaybeaskedtovolunteer.
FORMALREPORTS
Theformalreportoutsessionhasapparentlybecomeafixtureof
conferencelife.However,wefindittobeboringandgenerallynonproductive.Thereisnever
enoughtimeforeachgrouptosayalltheywantedto,andifsufficienttimeisallocated,the
majorityofconferenceparticipantsareuninterestedatanygiventime.Asanalternative,we
recommendusingasimplewordprocessingsystem,acomputerconferencingsystem,orboth.
Inarecentconference200participantscreated65taskforcereports(atotalof200pages)which
wereavailableastheparticipantslefttheconference.Mechanically,allthatisrequiredisabank
ofcomputers(lowpoweredlaptopswilldo)andarequesttoeachgrouporganizertoenterthe
resultsoftheirdeliberationsintothesystem.Theycaneithertypeitinthemselves,orforthe
"nontypables,"asmallgroupofsecretarieswilldothejob.Weprintouteachreportasitis
enteredandhangitonthewall,providinganongoing,realtimerecordofthediscussions.The
obviousadvantagehereisthatparticipantsfindoutwhatishappening,asitishappening,rather
thanwaitinguntiltheendwhenitistoolate.Ofcourse,havingtheproceedingsattheendof
conference,ratherthansixmonthslater,isapleasantandpositivesurprise.
MEALS
Youwillnoticethatmealsarenotlistedontheagenda,norarethereanycoffee
breaks.Thereasonisquitesimple:oncetheconferencestartstooperateinsmallgroups,thereis
usuallyneveratimewhensomethingofsubstanceisnotgoingon.AndinaccordwiththeThird
Principle,itwilltakeplaceinitsowntime.Allofthiscreatesasmall,butnotinsoluble,problem
forsuchthingsasmealsandcoffeebreaks.Oursolutionhasbeentohavecoffeeandother
refreshmentsavailableinthemainmeetingroom,sopeoplepartakewhentheyareready.No
needforthewholegrouptogetintolockstep,andstopanimportantdiscussionjustbecauseitis
coffeebreaktime.Likewisewithmeals.Wesuggestbuffets,openandavailableoveraseveral
hourperiod,sopeoplecaneatwhentheywantto.Therearetwoexceptionstotheflexible
meal/coffeebreakschedule:anopeningdinnerifthereisone,anddinneronthelastnight.
Thewholepointisthatthepacingandtimingoftheconferencemustbedeterminedbytheneeds
ofthegroupanditslearningprocess,andnotbytherequirementsofthekitchen.
LEADERSHIP
TheleadershipofanOpenSpaceeventisatonceabsurdlysimpleandverytricky.Thesimplicity
derivesfromthefactthatthegroupitselfwill,andmust,generateitsownleadership.Thetricky
partcomesin
letting
thathappen.Thedemandsplacedupontheinitialgroupleaderaretherefore
limitedandcritical.Dealingwiththelimitedaspectsofgroupleadershipiseasiestandmay
thereforebedonefirst.Thefunctionsherearetosettime,place,andtheme.Timeandplaceare
simplyaquestionofwhereandwhen,bothofwhichhavebeendiscussedabove.Settingthe
themeinvolvescreatingthewrittenthemestatementdescribingwherethegroupisstarting,and
whereithopestogoingeneralterms.
Nowwecometothetrickypart.LeadershipinOpenSpacerequiresastylethatsomemayfind
uncomfortableandcounterintuitive.Thisisespeciallytrueforthosewhoequateleadershipwith

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control.Thereisnoquestionthatwhenweknowexactlywhatwearedoing,andwherewewant
togo(asispresumablythecase,forexample,inamanufacturingprocess),tightcontrolsare
essential.Infact,controlistheveryheartofgoodmanagement.Wegetintotrouble,however,
whenweunderstandleadershipsimplyasadvancedmanagement,andtherefore,ifthemanager
controls,theleadermustcontrolabsolutely.Sensitiveleaderstoday,inaworldmarkedby
progressivelyexpandingOpenSpace,knowalltoowellthatmostofwhattheyhavetodealwith
isbeyondtheircontrol,andmaybeoutofcontrol.
Leadershipdefinedascontrolcanonlyfail.Butthatisnottheonlydefinition.Gandhidescribed
theleaderasonewhointuitswhichwaytheparadeismoving,andthenracestoreachtheheadof
it.Thefunctionofleadershipistoprovideafocalpointfordirection,andnottomandateand
controlaminutebyminuteplanofaction.Thedetailsmustbelefttothetroops,whichmeans
amongstotherthings,thetroopsmustbetrusted.Innocasecananyleaderpossiblysolveall
problemsordirectallactions.LeadershipinOpenSpacerequiresthatonesetthedirection,
defineandhonorthespace,andletgo.
ThereareFourPrinciplesandOneLawwhichserveasguidestotheleaderandallparticipants.
Theprinciplesare:Whoevercomesistherightpeople.Whateverhappensistheonlythingthat
couldhave.Wheneveritstartsistherighttime.Whenitisover,itisover.
Thefirstprincipleremindseveryoneoftheobviousfactthatthosepresentaretheonlyones
there.Whatevergetsdonewillgetdonewiththem,ornotatall.Thereislittlepoint,thereforein
worryingaboutallthosewhoshouldhavecome,mighthavecome,butdidn'tcome.Itisessential
toconcentrateonthosewhoarethere.Theexperienceisthat,insomestrangeway,thegroup
presentisalwaystherightgroup.
Inmorepracticalterms,ithasbeendiscoveredthatifthegroupisdeeplyinvolvedintheissueat
handandexcitedbythepossibilities,thatinvolvementandexcitementarecontagious,andothers
willsoonjoinin.Evenifthetechnicalexpertisepresentisnotofthehighestorder,acommitted
groupwillfindtheneededexpertise.However,ifallthetimeisspentintellingeachotherthat
thegroupisneitherrightnorcompetent,itisalwaysthecasethatthegroupwilllivedowntoit
expectations.
Noneofthisistosuggestthateffortshouldnotbemadebeforethegatheringtobesurethat
invitationsareextendedtocriticalpeople.Orindeedthatthosecriticalpeopleshouldnotbe
speciallyurgedtoattend.However,whenthegatheringstarts,itisunarguablytrue:thosewho
camearetheoneswhocame.Whatevergetsdonewillbedonebythem,ornotatall.Theywill
betherightpeople.
Thesecondprincipleisyetanotherstatementoftheobvious.Giventhetheme(job)athandand
thepeopleinattendance,whateverhappensistheonlythingthatcouldhave.Changethepeople,
time,place,ortheme,andsomethingdifferentwillresult.Itis,ofcoursepossiblethattheresult
ofthegatheringcouldbeamiserablefailure,butexperienceshowsthatsuchanegativeresultis
usuallytheproductofnegativeexpectations.Expecttheworst,andyouwillveryoftengetit.

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Expectationsareinfactcritical.Bepreparedtobesurprisedpositively.Thosewhocometoan
OpenSpaceeventwithapreciseanddetailedlistofintendedoutcomeswillbefrustrated.More
thanthat,theywillinevitablymissthepositiveandusefulthingsthatoccur.Neverbefore,and
neveragainwilltheassembledgroupgatherinthattimeandplace.Noonecouldpossibly
predictthesynergismofeffectthatwilltakeplacewhenthoseparticularpeopleassemble.Some
ofwhathappenswillbenonuseful.Butitisthespecialfunctionoftheleadertoraisethe
expectationsofthegroup,andheightentheirsensitivitytotheopportunitiesathand,whatever
theymaybe.
HereisthemostdifficultandimportantpointaboutleadershipinOpenSpace.
Theleadermust
trulytrustthegrouptofinditsownway
.Attemptsonthepartoftheleadertoimposespecific
outcomesoragendawilltotallyaborttheprocess.Anypersonwhoisnotfullypreparedtoletgo
oftheirowndetailedagendashouldnotlead.
Thethirdprinciplewillseemessentiallywrongtothosewhoseliveshavebeendictatedbythe
clock,whichisbasicallyallofus.Theconventionalwisdomsaysthatifyouwanttoget
somethingdone,youmuststartontime.Theconventionalwisdomisrightsolongasyouknow
whatyouaregoingtodo,andhow.Ontheotherhand,whencreativity,andreallearningare
involved,theclockcanbemoreofadetrimentthananassist.Thingswillstartwhentheyare
ready,andwhenevertheystartistherighttime.Infact,whenthecreativelearningmoment
arrives,itseemstocreateitsowntime,orputanotherway,clocksdon'tseemtomattermuch
anymore.TheOpenSpaceenvironmentprovidesthenutrientsettingforcreativeactivity,and
thosewhowouldleadinthatenvironmentmustkeeptheireyeonthecreativeprocessandforget
abouttheclock.When"it"happens,itwillhappeninitsowntime,andschedulinga
breakthroughfor10amisnotonlyanexerciseinfutility,itisconsummatelydestructiveofOpen
Space.
OpenSpaceEventsdo,ofcourse,occurintime,whichmeansthattheremustbeatimeof
beginningandatimeforclosure.Buteverythinginthemiddlemustbeallowedtorunitsown
course.
Thefinalprinciple,"Whenitisover,itisover,"againstatestheobvious,butitisapointwemay
forget.Deeplearningandcreativitybothhavetheirowninternallifecycle.Theymaytakemore
orlesstime,butwhentheycometocompletion,theyareover.Occasionallythismeansthatwe
havetospendmoretimethanwehadplanned,butmoreoftenthannot,thereverseistrue.The
creativemomenthasanastyhabitofoccurringveryquickly,andjustbecausethesessionor
meetingwasscheduledtotaketwohoursisnoreasontositaroundandwastetimeafterthe
momenthaspassed.Whenitisover,itisover.
FinallywecometotheOneLawofOpenSpace.Itisalawonlyinthesensethatallparticipants
mustobserveitortheprocesswillnotwork.WecallittheLawofTwoFeet.Brieflystated,this
lawsaysthateveryindividualhastwofeet,andmustbepreparedtousethem.Responsibilityfor
asuccessfuloutcomeinanyOpenSpaceEventresideswithexactlyonepersoneach
participant.Individualscanmakeadifferenceandmustmakeadifference.Ifthatisnottrueina
givensituation,they,andtheyalone,musttakeresponsibilitytousetheirtwofeet,andmovetoa
newplacewheretheycanmakeadifference.Thisdepartureneednotbemadeinangeror

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hostility,butonlyafterhonoringthepeopleinvolvedandthespacetheyoccupy.Bywordor
gesture,indicatethatyouhavenothingfurthertocontribute,wishthemwell,andgoanddo
somethinguseful.
WHENNOTTOUSEOPENSPACETECHNOLOGY
AsthereareindividualswhoshouldnotleadinOpenSpace,therearealsosituationsinwhich
OpenSpaceTechnologyisnotappropriate,andinfactmaybecounterproductive.OpenSpace
Technologyiseffectivewhenreallearning,innovation,anddeparturefromthenormare
required.Whenyouaren'tquitesurewhereyouare,andlessthanclearaboutwhereyouare
headed,andrequirethebestthinkingandsupportfromallthosewhowishtobeinvolved,Open
SpaceTechnologywillprovidethemeans.
Ontheotherhand,ifthepresentstate,andfuturepositionarecrystalclear,alongwithallthe
interveningsteps,OpenSpaceTechnologyisnotonlyawasteoftime,itwillbeveryfrustrating.
Usingaverymundaneexample,ifthetaskathandistheimplementationofaknowntechnology,
suchasawordprocessingprogram,oranestablishedofficeprocedure,invitingpeopletobe
creativeandinventiveisquitebesidethepoint.Theysimplyhavetolearntheskillsandmethods
required.Thereisnomystery.Justdoit.
CREATINGOPENSPACEIntroducingTheEvent
Withthepreambleoutoftheway,itistimetogetonwiththeevent.Whatfollowsisa
walkthoughoftheformatwehaveused.Butpleasedonottreatitasanunchangeablescript.The
needsofyourgroupandyourownstylewillultimatelydeterminethebestway.
Ifthisisa"firsttime"foryouasaleader,westronglysuggestthatyoutakeapracticerun
through.Startbybecomingcompletelyfamiliarwiththewalkthoughmaterialprovidedbelow.
Imaginethatyouareactuallyleadingagroup,andreadthroughthescript.Dothisuntilyoudon't
needthescript,andthengoonestepfurther.Forgetthescript'swordsanduseyourown.Atthat
point,youareprobablyreadyforarealgroup,butdon'tmakeyourfirsteffort"thecriticalone."
Findsomefriendsandcolleagueswhoarewillingguineapigs.Theyshouldhavefun,andso
shouldyou.Asamatteroffact,havingfunisthekeyindicatorthatyouarereadytotakeona
groupforreal.Ifitisn'tfun,don'tdoit.Maybeyoushouldneverdoit,ormaybeyoujustneed
morepractice.ButHAVEFUN.
Assumethatyourgroupisnowassembledinacircle,withalargeblankwallbehindthem.You
walkintothecenterandbegin:
"Ourthemeforthisgatheringis_________.Inthenext__days,wearegoingtodevelop
ourbestthoughtsaroundtheissuesandopportunitiesassociatedwithourtheme.
Aswestart,Iwantyoutonoticetheblankwall.Thatisouragenda.Justoutofcuriosity,
howmanytimeshaveyoueverbeentoameetingwheretheagendawasacompletelyblank
wall?

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Ifyouarewonderinghowyouevergotintoallthis,orevenmore,howyouwillevergetout,
youshouldknowthatwhileOpenSpaceTechnologyisanewapproach,itisnotuntried.
Groupsallovertheworld,someaslargeas400,regularlycreatetheirownagendasfor
multidaymeetingsinlessthanonehour.Theythenproceedtoselfmanagethewhole
affair.Whilethisisnotacontest,thereisnoreasonforyoutodolesswellthanthosewho
havegonebeforeyou."
Itisworthwhiletopauseamomenthere.Letthemlookattheblankwallandreallyunderstand
thatthereisnoagendaexceptastheymakeit.Somepeoplewillbeginningtofeelrathernervous,
andotherswillbedemonstrablyso,butnervousness(anxiety)atthispointisaplus,forit
representsavailableenergyorspiritjustwaitingtohappen.Theartistowaitlongenoughforit
tobuild,butnotsolongthatpeoplewillquestionwhattheyaredoing,orworseyetbegina
discussionaboutthewholeprocess.Ifthatsortofdiscussionbegins,youwillhavelostthe
moment.Sopauseforamoment,andthenmoveon.
"
Toget`fromheretothere'wewillusetwoverysimplemechanismstheCommunity
BulletinBoard,andtheVillageMarketPlace.Inafewmoments,Iwillaskyoutoidentify
anyissueoropportunityyouseearoundourtheme,giveitashorttitleandwritethatdown
onthepaperprovided.Thenstandupinfrontofthegroup,saywhatyourissueis,andpost
thepaperonthewall.Makesurethatyouhavesomerealpassionforthisissue,andthatit
isnotjustagoodideaforsomebodyelsetodo.Foryouwillbeexpectedtotakepersonal
responsibilityforthediscussion.Thatmeanssayingwhereandwhenthegroupwillmeet,
conveningthegroup,andenteringtheresultsofyourdiscussionintoourcomputersystem
(ifyouareusingasystem).Youmayofferasmanyissuesasyoulike,andifattheendof
theday,youdonotseeyourissueonthewall,thereisexactlyonepersontocomplainto.
Yourself.
"Oncealltheissuesareup,wewillthenopentheVillageMarketPlace,andeverybodywill
beinvitedtocometothewallandsignupforasfeworasmanyofthegroupsasthey
desire.Fromthereonout,youareincharge.
"EventhoughOpenSpaceistrulyopen,therearesomeprinciplesandonelawthatwe
needtokeepinmind.TheFourPrinciplesare...[seeabove].AndtheLawiswhatwecall
theLawofTwoFeet.Everybodyhasthem....[seeabove]."
WefindithelpfultowritetheFourPrinciplesandOneLawoutonalargepieceofpaperwhich
maybehungonthewallforfuturereference.
"KeepingtheFourPrinciplesinmind,alongwiththeOneLaw,itisnowtimetogetto
work.Alongthatline,thereisonequestiontostart.
Whataretheissuesandopportunities
aroundourtheme,forwhichyouhaverealpassionandwilltakegenuineresponsibility?
"Andwhenyouhaveidentifiedanissueorarea,giveitashorttitle,writeitdownonthe
paperprovidedandsignit.Leavesomeroomatthebottomforotherstosign."

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Ifyouhavearelativelylargegroup(25andup)itishelpfultohavepaperavailableinapilein
thecenterofthecircle.Abasketofmagicmarkerswillalsohelp.Thepapershouldbelarge
enoughsothatwhentapedtothewallitmaybeeasilyreadbythegroupfromadistanceofabout
10feet.
"Assoonasyouareready,standupwhereyouare,readoutyourtitle,andtapeittothe
wall.Don'twaittobeasked.Gowhenyouareready."
Keepongoinguntileverybodywithasubjecttheywanttoworkonhasposteditonthewall.
Therewillbeacertainamountofnoiseandconfusion,whichispositiveandgood,butkeepit
downalittlebitsopeoplecanhear.Mostimportant,don'tletthepeoplestarttodiscussanyof
theitemsatthispoint.Therewillbeplentyoftimeforthat.
Whenitseemsthatalltheitemshavebeenpostedonthewall,askifthereareanymore,and
directthegroup'sattentiontothewall.Ifyourgroupislikeallotherswehaveworkedwith,the
wallshouldnowbecoveredwiththingstodo.Youmightsaysomethinglike:

"Forthoseofyouwhowonderedwhetherwewouldhavesomethingdo,youmighttakea
lookatourwall.Youmightalsonotethatwehavegeneratedtheitemsforouragendain
lessthan____minutes.
"Ournextactistofigureoutwhoisgoingtodowhat,when,andwhere.Tomovethat
business,Iwouldaskthateverypersonwhohasanitemonthewallgoupandwritedown
thetimeandplacewhereyourgroupwillmeet.
"Makesureyournameisonthepaper.Forexample,yourgroupwillmeetfrom10to12
o'clockinconferenceroomC,ormaybeoutbytheswimmingpool.Spaceisonafirstcome,
firstservedbasis."
Priortothispartoftheprogram,theleadershouldpostalistofavailablemeetingplaces.Of
courseifyouaretheonlygroupmeetinginaconferencecenter,thespaceproblemissimplified,
andthegroupscanmeetanywheretheyfeelcomfortable.
"Don'tworryaboutconflicts.We'llworkallthatoutinamoment.Onceyouhaveselected
atime,moveyourpapertotheappropriatepartofthewall.Ifyouwanttomeetearly,put
itontheleftside.Fortheendofthemeeting,putitontheright.Thosewhowanttogather
inthemiddle,putitinthemiddle."
Formeetingslastinglongerthanoneday,itishelpfultodividethewallwithtapeintoasmany
sectionsastherearedays.Youmightalsopost
MorningAnnouncements
withatimeatthe
beginningofeachday,and
EveningNews
justbeforesupper.Additionaltimedemarcationsare
notneeded,andtendtogetintheway.

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10

"Whiletheyaredoingthat,alltherestofyoumightalsostandupandtakealookatthe
variousofferings.Whenyoufindonethatinterestsyou,whereyoucouldlearnor
contribute,signyournameonthebottom.Signupforasmanyasyoulike,anddon'tworry
aboutconflicts.We'lltakecareoftheminaminute.Itmayseemalittlechaotic,butit
turnsoutthatchaosisthewaythefieldsofthemindareplowedsothatnewideascan
grow."
Atthispoint,thingsarelikelytogetprettynoisy,andsomemightsaychaotic.Leadersusedto
havingthingshappeninrelativesilence,andinstrictordermaygetverynervous.Itisallrightto
benervous,butdon'ttrytostraightenthingsout.THEGROUPWILLTAKECAREOF
ITSELF.Alittlechaosatthispointisagoodandnecessarything.Firstofall,everybody
probablyneedsastretchandsomeconversation.Butmostofalltherisingnoiselevelisa
positiveindicationthatthegroupisgettingtowork,andgoodthingsarehappening.
Letthegroupbubblealongforafewminutes,butbeforelongsomepeoplewillstartto
experienceconflicts.Theywanttogototwodifferentgroupswhicharesupposedtomeetatthe
sametime.Ortwodifferentgroupsarescheduledtomeetinthesameplaceatthesametime.
Whenyousensethishappening,orevenifyoudon't,standupandgetthegroup'sattention.You
mayhavetoraiseyourvoice,butnoisewon'thurt.
"Someofyoumaybefindingafewconflicts,butitshouldbeeasytoworkout.Itiscalled
negotiation.Ifyouwanttogototwogroupsmeetingatthesametime,findthegroup
leadersandseeifyoucangetthemtomergetheirsessionsorchangetheirtimes.Ofcourse,
iftheywon'tdothat,youwilljusthavetomakeachoice,butthatisthewaylifeis.
"Fromhereonoutyouareonyourown.Assoonasyourgroupisreadytogotowork,go
toit.We'llseeyouallbackhereat______[EveningNews,ClosingSession,whatever]."
Wefinditveryusefulatthispointfortheleadertoactuallyleavetheroom,ifonlyforacupof
coffee.Itreallymakesthepoint,aslittleelsecould,thateachindividualandthetotalgroupare
nowresponsibleforwhathappens.
Fromhereonout,theroleoftheleaderwillbeinfinitelylessvisible,butveryimportant.There
are,ofcourse,severalspecificthingstobedone,suchasconveningtheMorning
Announcements,EveningNews,andtheClosingSession.Theleadershouldalsomake
arrangementforthecollectionoftheconferenceoutputifarecordofformaldecisionsand
deliberationsisrequired.Thismaybeassimpleashavingflipchartstranscribed,orevenbetter,
insuringthatthecomputerconferencingsystemisup,accessible,andused.
Onemostimportantfunctionontheleader'stodolististotakecareoftheroomandthewall
wherethecreatedagendalies.Wefindourselvesspendingalotoftimeinthatroom,sometimes
doinglittlemorethanpickingupcoffeecups,orretapingagendaitemsthathavecomeunglued.
Thismayseemtrivialandnonuseful,butatthesymboliclevelitisapowerfulstatementofthe
leader'sconcernforthecommonspace.Onamorepracticallevel,itusuallyturnsoutthatthe
initialmeetingroomplaystheroleof"MissionControl."Itistheplacewhereeverybody,sooner

Usedwithpermissionoftheauthor,OwenHarrison.
ReadthearticleatOpenSpaceWorld:
http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm

11

orlatter,dropsbytoseewhat'shappeningorwheretogonext.Simplybybeingthere,itis
possibletokeeptabsonhoweverythingiscomingalong.
Themajorfunctionoftheleader,however,isnottodocertain,specificthings,butratherto
sustaintheatmosphereofOpenSpace.Inmostcasesthisinvolveslittlemorethanwalkingabout
andseeinghowthingsaregoing.Whendifficultyisencountered,itisimportantnottotake
charge,butrathertothrowresponsibilitybackonthosewhoneedtoholdit.Forexample,itis
notunlikelythatoneortwooftheparticipantswillfindthemselvesslightlylost,andcometothe
leaderexpectingtobetoldwhattodo.Anappropriateresponsewouldbeaquestion"What
wouldyouliketodo?"followedupwiththeassurancethatthereisnothingwrongwithdoing
nothing.Itmayjustbethatsomeindividuals'uniquecontributionwillbemadebysittingundera
treeandthinkingallbythemselves.Theresultofthatthinkingmayshowupinalatersession,at
theEveningNews,orsixweekslaterinacompanymeeting.OpenSpacerequiresrealfreedom,
andrealresponsibility.
Sometimesithappensthatoverlyzealousparticipantsfeelthattheirideasaresoimportantor
powerfulthateverybodyinaparticulargroup(oreveninthewholeconference)shouldpay
attentionandlisten.Thisonehastobenippedinthebudcarefully.Thewayoutisnotto
directlychallengetheperson,butrathertoremindtheassembledgroupoftheLawofTwoFeet.
Ifeverybodytrulywantstolisten,theyshoulddothat.Butifthatisnottheirdesire,theyhave
twofeetwhichtheyshoulduse.Thereisnoneedtoargueandshout,justthankthegroupand
leave.Egomaniacsquicklygetthepicturewheneverybodyleaves.

Usedwithpermissionoftheauthor,OwenHarrison.
ReadthearticleatOpenSpaceWorld:
http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm