The 12. International Focusing Conference
Guidelines/ Introduction
Start of Open Space 2h-Mini-Workshop
Klaus Meyersen
In a classical way it is not always easy to start a workshop so limited in time. Hence we would like to give a recommendation.
In all rooms there is Metaplan material (brown packing paper, cards, markers, etc.). Experiences gained hundred times prove, that small groups get much better results when they do not (!) start talking about things right away, but give their fellow members an opportunity first to clear their minds individually and to focus their own thoughts and feelings. And - of course - if one has visualized results on a board, it is so much easier to write a report afterwards.
This is way we give the following guidelines for the first 30 min. of the Small Group Work:
· 5min' Find a place, take one stand/ board + one brown chart, chairs, cards, black markers only (!), pins, glue stick, etc. Put a replica of the topic on A4 in center, a brief snappy 1-2 word title in upper left corner, add names of participants upper right corner.
· 5min' of "JOINT SILENCE" for everybody to clear his own thoughts first what this is all about + write 1-2 main aspects on cards (3-10 words)
· 2min' for each participant (one after another) to pin up his cards and say a few sentences what they mean. No (!) discussion at that point until all cards are on the board. Similar cards may be put together closely during the presentation by the presenter.
· After all cards are up the group discussion is open, yet there are certain rules that make that easier: "Written discussion", contributor to write a different size card, e.g. small circle with some keywords; "Visualized Minutes" by somebody of the group to document on the brown paper, using connecting lines, like mind mapping, fishbone diagrams, creativeness unlimited.
· Agree at the end of the session, how to go about the Written Report which is the summarizing document of this work
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