A Tour through Open Space

a tour through an
Open Space
Meeting
creating inspired organizations
and communities
www.openspacemeetings.com

www.collaborativeawareness.com 
Maureen K. McCarthy & Zelle Nelson

Co-Directors, The Center for Collaborative Awareness

(+1) 847.859.9046

2021 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock, NC, 28731, USA

conversations@collaborativeawareness.com
The Center for

Collaborative

Awareness

A Tour Through Open Space
Open Space, sometimes known as Unconference, is one way
to enable all kinds of people, in any kind of organization, to
create inspired meetings and events. It then goes on to create
inspired organizations where ordinary people work together
to create extraordinary results with regularity.
In Open Space meetings, participants create and
manage their own agenda around a central theme of
strategic importance, such as: What is the strategy that all
stakeholders in the organization can support and work
together to create? OR How can we re-ignite passion in our
company and look forward to building a future that engages
all?

Open Space works best when
• the work to be done is complex

• the people and ideas involved are diverse

• the passion for resolution (and potential for conﬂict)
are high

• and the time to get it done was yesterday
It's been called passion bounded by responsibility, the
energy of a good coffee break, spirit at work, chaos
and creativity, and a simple, powerful way to get people
and organizations moving— when it's needed most.
A Tour Through Open Space

What will happen?
We never know exactly what will happen when we open
the space for people to do their most important work, but
we can guarantee these results when any group gets
into Open Space:
• Experiential, breakthrough learning
• Appropriate structure and control
• Open communication and a genuine sense of community
• High play, high creativity, high efﬁciency, high productivity
• Shared leadership and personal responsibility

! New Products created
! Actions taken
! Informal networks developed—speed of dispersion
! Events reviewed—learning reinforced
! Experiences analyzed—shared learning
! Theories critiqued
! Observations shared
! Futures envisioned—possibilities explored
! Scenarios sharpened—clarity realized
! Assumptions tested—growth of ideas
! Issues explored
! Products re-designed
! Plans drafted
! New ways to work invented and practiced
On top of that you’ll see

The commitment to openness, passion and
responsibility begins with the invitation
process itself.
Together we write a good invitation that lets
everyone know that this meeting is intended to
go beyond suggestions, recommendations,
rubber-stamping, and past expectations. This
meeting is for real responsibility, real learning,
real action on the issue(s) at hand.
The invitation speaks plainly about what's
working, what's possible, and/or what's needed
now in some area of real importance. It
announces the theme (purpose or intention) for
the gathering. It assures that the people who
show up have real passion for the issue AND
signals to them that the best outcomes are
theirs to create.
It starts with an Invitation
Example: What ideas, thoughts,
knowledge, challenges or passions do
you have around these questions: 
• What is the strategy that all stakeholders
in the organization can support and work
together to create?
• How can we re-ignite passion in our
company and look forward to building a
future that engages all?…

Welcome and invitation restated
The client sponsor welcomes the group and restates the Invitation—
written and sent prior to the Open Space Event—which tells why
we’re gathered.

The Open Space Facilitator opens the space by describing the process
and sharing the Principles and Law of Open Space. The chairs are set up
in concentric circles so there is no head and no foot. Open Space
works because it deletes hierarchy and has everyone doing the Dance
of Leader and Follower.
Opening the Space

The 4 Principles and  
the Law of Two Feet
These are the guiding principles that make Open Space work. The Law of
Two Feet says “If you’re not learning or contributing where you are…
MOVE ON!” Unlike most meetings, it’s rude to stay if you want or need to
be somewhere else.
The 4 Principles
1. Whoever comes are the right people.
2. Whenever it starts is the right tie.
3. Whatever happens is the only thing that could.
4. Whenever it’s over, it’s over.
Law of Two Feet—If you aren’t in a place where
you are learning or contributing, go somewhere
you can!

Posting Topics
Based on the overall Invitation topic, participants post any thoughts,
ideas, questions, passions as conversation topics that in minutes
becomes the meeting agenda. Thus, people talk about what they’re most
passionate about and willing to take responsibility for.

Topics are posted on the wall titled the Marketplace of Ideas and everyone
checks it out to decide what is of interest to them. A Post-It Note is placed
on each topic which tells meeting place and time. This way people know
where and when to ﬁnd the topics they’re most passionate about.
Marketplace of Ideas

Convener’s Notes
Open Space
Convener’s Notes Page
Topic:
Convener’s Name:
Participants Names: (pass around the circle)
Summary Notes:
•
•
•
Please hand in/type up when you’re done.
When you post a topic—and you
can post more than one—you are
considered the Convener.
This means you open the
conversation and let whomever
comes join in. Could be 2 people,
could be 50.
As the Convener, you’re
responsible for the meeting
Notes. These notes ensure that
those who didn’t sit in, can see
what happened and talk to
other participants about it later.

Small Group Topics
Because of limited time, several topics are
convened simultaneously, each lasting from
1/2 hour to 1 hour or longer.

This is where The Law of Two Feet comes in
—only you know where you can learn and
contribute the most. Go where the spirit
moves you.

When people talk about what they want to
talk about, when they want to talk about it,
with others who are as passionate as they
are, they will move mountains.

Notes and Newsroom
After each session of small group conversations, the Convener types the
summary notes into a computer. At the end of the day all session notes
are printed and a copy is handed to every participant. Notes can then be
placed on a website, social media or emailed as well.

Evening News
At the end of the day, participants gather back in the full circle to share a
few words on what the day brought for them, and where they want to
take it from here. It gives a great sense of how the day went. People are
ALWAYS energized.

Action—Keeping Momentum
After the closing circle, participants
re-post new topics that are purely
action oriented —in other words,
what are you willing to take
responsibility for setting into motion.
One last round of conversations
take place, lasting only about 15
minutes. The where’s and when’s of
follow-up meetings are discussed.
These quick conversations address
who else should be invited going
forward and what needs to happen
before then. This ensures ongoing
action after the day and brings Open
Space principles into the
organization.

The Report
All Convener’s Notes are gathered, and in most cases,
typed in and printed onsite. (Although in smaller groups,
the handwritten notes are copied.) In a short time, the
most important ideas, discussions, data,
recommendations, conclusions, questions for further
study, and plans for immediate action are
documented in one comprehensive report which is
given to everyone.
These Notes pages come together to give you the
fastest, most comprehensive report on where your
organization is, where it wants to go and the ways for it to
be accomplished by the entire group.
Results from the
comprehensive
report can be made
available to an
entire organization
or community within
days of an event, so
every stakeholder is
invited to take
action immediately.

Open Space Soundbites
" Rockport Shoes® held a company-wide Open Space meeting based on the invitation: “Where does our
company aspire to for the future and how do we get there in ways that are inspired and fulfilling?” That day
they ended up discovering a new product idea from a very unlikely source—their security guard. The product
line netted $18 million the first year.
" Wesley Urban Ministries in Hamilton, Ontario, adopted Open Space as the basis for organizing and
managing their 200-person staff. With Open Space, they increased services delivered by 50%, with no added
resources while turnover measured exactly 0%, in an environment known for high stress and burnout.
" Astra Zeneca® Pharmaceutical used a 1-day Open Space to energize a high performing international team
—seriously impacting the bottom line of a top customer.
" AT&T fast-tracked 10-months of design and planning work into ONE 2-day contractor summit when
they were offered the opportunity to build their pavilion in the center of the Olympic Village in Atlanta. With only
6 months before opening day, a diverse group of contractors (with lots of difficult history) entered Open
Space. They emerged two days later with a new design, and a full set of working drawings, and managed to
have quite a bit of fun in the process. The AT&T executive in charge of the project called it "magic."
“Open Space is, far
and away, the most cost-effective
way of getting people, information,
and spirit moving in an
organization.”—BP
“If you want to
get the impossible done,
use Open Space. Period.”
—University of Chicago,  
Graduate School of Business
“Open Space gets
people passionate about their
work again, which is good for
every aspect of the company.”
—Washington Homes

Many thanks to
• Michaël Molenaar, Tilburg - Netherlands—For the excellent photos E-Mail: michael@syst.nl  
• Michael Herman, Chicago—Friend and Open Space Man Extraordinaire E-Mail: mherman@globalchicago.net

• Larry Petersen, Toronto—Larry Petersen and Assoc. E-Mail: larry@spiritedorg.com

• Harrison Owen, Maryland—Open Space Founder E-Mail: owenhh@mindspring.com

• And to all our phenomenal Open Space colleagues around the world who are creating inspired organizations
and communities with open hearts and open minds. Thank you for the ongoing conversations on the OS List!
www.openspaceworld.org

www.collaborativeawareness.com 
Maureen K. McCarthy & Zelle Nelson

Co-Directors, The Center for Collaborative Awareness

(+1) 847.859.9046

2021 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock, NC, 28731, USA

conversations@collaborativeawareness.com
The Center for

Collaborative

Awareness

A Tour through Open Space

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