### Carnets en ligne

# Open space technology par Harrison Owen

Lu en Septembre 2019. Thèmes : organisation open-space .

## A User's guide

# 🌟

## The invitation

> A natural temptation […] is to try to explain everything that will happen during the event, including how and why it will work. After all, we are used to sending out a full agenda in advance with a complete rationalization. Open Space makes that unnecessary. The group will prepare the agenda upon arrival. Thus, providing the agenda is not only unnecessary, it is impossible. So what do you say in the invitation? As little as possible. The objective is to stimulate the imagination of potential guests to the point that they perceive the pertinence and attractiveness of the issue. [p29]

> A useful model might be the first paragraph of a really good story. If you tell the whole tale at the outset, nobody would bother reading on. On the other hand, if you say nothing, or little that makes any sense, the reader will not be hooked. [p29]

> When it comes to explaining Open Space, don’t. Simply say that although it may be new to this group, it has been used all over the world with predictable results. [p30]

> Promises : 1. Every issue of concern to anybody will have been raised, if they took responsibility for doing that. 2. All issues will have received full discussion, to the extent desired. 3. A full report of issues and discussions will be in the hands of all participants. 4. Priorities will be set and action plans will be made. [p30]

> Every invitation is unique, and it should be. The invitation should appeal to that unique group of people who might care about the issue at hand. By definition, that will exclude a whole mess of other people who couldn’t care less. [p30]

> I suggest four simple sections […] 1. The Theme (issue): Stated in ten words or less—preferably much less 2. Background/Rational: This should include highlights and most especially intriguing questions. But by no means should this be a full documentation of present status and desired future. 3. Logistics (Where, When, and How): Keep it simple […] 4. The Promises [p31]