Collective Possibilities recently participated in the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) 2009 Annual Conference, with a Taste of Open Space Session. Using Open Space Technology (OST) was a great way for participants at the conference to interact, have their say and be actively involved in the conference. Open Space allowed for a break from listening and a chance to shape the day’s proceedings, it puts a different spin on networking.
For many of the participants at the Conference this was their first experience of Open Space Technology and there was some skepticism of how it would work. Participants put forward their suggested conversation topics, 11 in all, each conversation leader introduced what they wished to discuss and it was left open to the conference participants as to what conversation they wanted to attend. The conversations ran for 30 minutes and each conversation was well represented. At the conclusion of the conversations, the conversation leaders reported back to all participants two headlines from the group’s dialogue.
The use of Open Space Technology made for a dynamic, interactive session. Following are a few comments from participants:
- Interesting concept!
- I found this session the most interesting and would like to have gone to all workshops
- Well organised and a good opportunity to articulate issues, hurdles and problems in Council.
- The open space session was better than I expected – Perfect for after lunch!
- This session delivered results – Great networking.
If you would like to know more about OST and how we can bring this exciting facilitation tool to your organisation or community, contact us today