I did an open space last year for the Campaign to End Loneliness. It was a good example of using open space as part of larger event; the morning was in a more traditional format and we used the afternoon for the more self-organising, conversational format.
I just caught up with this short video on the event. I think conveys the atmosphere pretty well.
In reporting events it’s easy to get very consumed with documenting agreements and actions. That’s fine, but it can sometimes blind us to more subtle connections that are being made that may not generate immediate hard results, but are actually of real value.
I think the search for hard results is done on the basis that outside funders or authorities, not present at the event, need evidence of value for money. They appear to want these solid outcomes… but I think they too often really need just a better emotional feel that good things happened. That’s where this kind of video reporting can be really handy. Even if they have to put with seeing people like me in it 🙂
