Open Space Technology
What is Open Space Technology about ?
Open Space Technology is a method for dialogue in which the participants themselves set the agenda. It provides an opportunity for people to engage deeply and creatively around the issues that are most important to them, by allowing them to self-select according to what interests them most.
Discussions take place in small groups. A number of different discussions take place simultaneously on a variety of topics, which are connected in some way to the central theme of the event. A series of these small group conversations happen over the course of the event.
Anyone is welcome to suggest a topic for discussion, and participants can choose which conversations they partake in.
Audience
Is participant experience relevant for Open Space Technology ?
Audience description for Open Space Technology
Open Space Technology is suitable for any group, organisation, or community of practice. It is particularly useful in groups that want to empower members and foster enthusiasm, and for harvesting the collective intelligence of a group.
Requirements
large open space, or central space with several smaller rooms for break outs. for online, a central lobby space and breakout rooms
Run Through
Prepare the ‘marketplace’ - a whiteboard or large sheet of paper divided into segments (often presented as a table with rows and columns). There should be sections allocated to different time slots, and within each time slot are different spaces (each relating to a physical meeting space) where conversations on different topics will be hosted. Spaces may simply be labelled 1,2,3,4 etc.
Prepare materials for harvesting - either paper and markers if it is a physical meeting, or an online whiteboard if it is a virtual space.
If the entire event will be held using Open Space Technology, welcome participants, and host an introductory check-in round. If Open Space is to form part of a larger event, re-convene participants (following a break).
Online
There are several options for hosting virtual Open Space, and a variety of tools that can be used to create the physical spaces for meeting, for the marketplace, and for harvesting.
It’s worth keeping in mind that there may be varied levels of digital literacy in the participants, as well as issues with broadband connections, and to consider these when planning events. If you’re inviting a broad range of participants, and hoping for maximum turnout, it’s generally better to keep digital tools as simple and straightforward as possible. If, however, you’re working with a skilled team over a period of time, it may be worth choosing tools with increased functionality.
Unlike face-to-face Open Space, which generally takes place over the course of a single day (or several consecutive days), virtual Open Space may also take place over a longer period of time. It’s possible to host a virtual Open Space during which the marketplace is kept open for a month or so, with conversations taking place at varied times throughout that period. This means that time slots don’t necessarily overlap, which gives participants options to attend more of the conversations than they’d be able to in a synchronous event. However, it can be more difficult to maintain focus, continuity, and coherence, if the event is spread over time.
If you are hosting a synchronous event, as with any online event, remember to factor in peoples’ comfort levels. It’s more difficult for people to stay engaged for extended periods of time in a virtual environment than it is face-to-face. In general, the maximum time for a virtual event is about three hours in one stretch, with at least one ten minute break. Other options include one and a half hour sessions - it’s possible to host four of these in a day, two in the morning, and two in the afternoon, leaving half an hour between sessions, and longer for lunch.
Material for
chairs, large sheets of paper, pens, sticky notes (if online, video platform with breakout rooms, digital whiteboard)
project
ERASMUS +
Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. Find more information about the program and its goals here: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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