Page 7 - The World Cafe

Special Report – Hosting Strategic Conversations 6
For each session, the host takes responsibility for synthesizing the key points and writing them down or putting them into a computer so all the groups’ insights and learnings and next steps can be integrated and provided to all participants. These printouts can also be posted on a separate wall, delegated as a ‘news’ wall.
There are four basic principles for Open Space:
1. Whoevercomesaretheright people. You don’t need to have all of the executive or every customer. You simply need people who are passionate and who care, and they show that by showing up.
2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. What might have happened is irrelevant, whether a storm or other meetings impact the event.
3. Whenever it starts is the right time. Creativity and passion don’t follow a clock, and while the marketplace may have times posted, they are only a starting point.
4. When it's over it's over. If you finish, you’re finished. Don’t waste time – move on.
The one Law of Open Space is the ‘Law of Two Feet’, or the ‘Law of Mobility’, which says that if at any time you find that you are neither learning nor contributing, you will use your two feet (or other means) and move to some place where you are. Don’t feel bad about offending the host of the session or other participants. You are responsible for following your passion and
contributing to the whole. This Law also seems to allow conflict resolution to self- manage itself in Open Space situations.
The Law of Two Feet allows people to contribute in two ways. They can, like a bumblebee, flit from session to session, cross-pollinating ideas between groups. Or, like a butterfly, they can go off on their own to think, meditate, or work on something on their own. They are responsible for ensuring their time is not wasted.
At the close, everyone gathers in a circle again and shares their key insights and the next steps. Notes from all sessions are handed out or e-mailed/mailed to participants. Generally a one-day session with larger groups will engage people in intense dialog, and 2-3 day sessions will allow convergence of this discussion into actual strategies. Smaller groups can accomplish this in a shorter time frame.
The Open Space World WikiPedia (TTTThttp://www.openspaceworld.org/wi ki/wiki/wiki.cgi?EnglishHomepage) states that the following six results are guaranteed when using Open Space:
1. All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will be raised.
2. All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them.
3. In a time as short as one or two days, all of the most important ideas, discussion, data, recommendations, conclusions,
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