Still, yes still, rolling around with this notion of the Four Practicesof OpenSpaceTech. Finally occured to me today that these map perfectly to the four D’s of Appreciative Inquiry. This came as no surprise to my partner in crime here, Chris Corrigan, but it did make me wonder if teaching these practices still constitutes teaching OpenSpace.
Tonight, I’m settling toward naming these four practices as… Welcoming, Inviting, Organizing, and Reporting. These labels link solidly back to the basics of Opening Space and still reach out and link easily to other practices like AI. There’s a nice symmetry and balance to them as well.
And, even as I say this, I’m really liking the way these same practices have shown up in the four practices that make up my own professional practice, as I’d posted it earlier this year in the MichaelHermanAssociates homepage: Big Picture, Next Steps, Best Ever, and How To…
Feeling good about how these are settling and yet still staying open and flexible.
Dan, what’s clear to me from your invitation is that you ought to have your own blog! I’d be happy to work with you to help make that happen.
peace,
i’d be glad to help, as well, dan. see the model at http://www.smallchangenews.org for how one blog could be the central connecting point for individual tutor/mentor or tutee/mentee weblogs, or group blogs. sorry i’ll just barely miss the conference this year, flying back to london on the 12th as things stand now.
Michael, I’m pleased to see the link between the four practices and AI. As you know, the Tutor/Mentor Connection incorporates the four practices into its work. Recently I was introduced to AI in a workshop presented by Odette Samuelson at a Midwest Facilitators Network workshop. As a result of my invitation, she’s now going to lead an AI workshop in the May 12 and 13 Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conference (http://www.tutormentorexchange.net)
In the past few weeks I’ve been investigating blogs as a source of partners to expand the invitation base for tutoring/mentoring. I love the way so many people are expressing themselves via blogs.
My goal now is to enlist a few who will focus regular portions of their blogs to volunteerism, tutoring/mentoring, etc. as part of workforce development strategies.
I’m hoping to find one or two who focus their entire blog to tutoring/mentoring, with links to others who do the same. Such a web site would look exactly like PeaSoup, but all of the links would connect people all over the world who are spending some time each day thinking of ways to help kids born in poverty get the adult support they need to be starting jobs/careers by age 25.
I hope that some of those who visit this message will help spread the invitation.
Dan Bassill
Tutor/Mentor Connection
Chicago
312-492-9614
tutormentor2@earthlink.net