'Working With Open Space Technology'

Open Space Facilitator Training - Sustainable Participation & Change
January 21st, 22nd 23rd 2009
Amadeus Centre - London with ROMA ISKANDER and SHEILA MARSH

About Open Space:

Open Space connects personal responsibility with fresh thinking by creating structured opportunities for passionate & powerful conversations that inspire meaningful action.
‘Open Space can help you when a major issue must be resolved, characterised by significant complexity and diversity, the pressure of potential or actual conflict and a decision time of yesterday’
Harrison Owen, designer of the Open Space approach

‘if you give people the right conditions, people will do it for themselves… All my experience of working with change taught me that unless people do it for themselves nothing moves anyway!’ (participant in open space event)

People who come:

• want to work creatively for positive change
  
• need new ways to create community/organisational engagement & participation and meet their company or statutory obligations
• want participative events to lead to sustainable action
• are from a range of sectors including local authorities, education, regeneration, health, arts, community development, environment, business, housing & voluntary organisations
  

They get:

• A tool to engage the whole system and rapidly boost ownership and contribution
• A tried and tested process for creating participation for large and small groups
• A method of involving service users/staff/ communities in planning and joint action
• Principles for genuine engagement
• The skills and confidence to facilitate an Open Space event and full course pack
• The understanding to know when and when not to use Open Space
• An inspiring 3 days with a creative and diverse group of people!
  

They say:

• ‘Genuine openness, passion and professionalism’
• ‘Realised open space is a genuine, authentic process of self-organisation, not just “another technique”
• ‘Innovative and refreshing, will take good ideas away with me for events I facilitate’

About Sheila Marsh and Roma Iskander.

Roma Iskander & Sheila Marsh have between them led over 60 open space events in a variety of settings. Roma trained with Harrison Owen and Brigitt Williams and has worked with Open Space since the late 1990s. Sheila has worked with large group methods for 15 years and began Open Space work in 2001.
They are independent consultants & members of the Health Directions Network.