Open Space Conferences, Events, and Workshops are one of my favorites ways to learn. Many people have never had the opportunity to experience an Open Space Event or even know what it is. I hope you can learn more about Open Space and even attend an event and experience the amazingness!
Imagine walking into a large conference or event room with 100 or 1500 people. You look around the room and know only a few people. You see a blank wall with time slots and room names on it.
Two facilitators kick the event off. They explain a light structure for success, a few core principles, and create a fun energy in this large room. They invite anyone in the room (including you) to propose a session on a topic that is of value to them. Simply step up to the microphone and propose a session. You can’t imagine proposing a session, but plenty of other people are. The person sitting next to you stands up and heads over to the mic to propose a session. You notice that blank wall of time slots filling up with a variety of session topics! Next thing you know, you are in line proposing a session! Wait – what happened! As the time to propose sessions is up, there is now a large wall (or marketplace) of sessions to choose from. You decide on a session to attend in the 1st time slot and head over to that session ready to learn and contribute! And still a bit surprised that this worked!
You might be thinking, “Can this happen?” I can tell you, it can! I’ve had the opportunity to attend and participate in many open space events and facilitate them. And I’ve seen excellent learning, connections, and fun happen repeatedly!
I’ve also facilitated open space events for companies and larger open space events at conferences. I facilitated Open Space at Mile High Agile 2017 in Denver, Colorado (~500 people?), and it was a fantastic experience to watch everyone help make it a great event! I prefer to co-facilitate because it brings more energy to the events and audience, among other things!
So, what is Open Space? Where did it come from? How does it work? Let’s dig in!
We get many questions on Open Space, so we wanted to take some time to answer some of them here.
What is Open Space Technology?
[Written by Allison Pollard and me] Space is not that open park near your house! Well, it could be, but it is not the Open Space we are talking about. We are talking about Open Space Technology. Most people simply call it Open Space; however, if you want to search for more information on it, you might want to Google “Open Space Technology,” which is the fancier name. Harrison Owen discovered Open Space in the early 80s! Amazing discovery!!
Open Space is a straightforward way to create participant-driven events. Open Space is an opportunity to engage, learn, listen, and share ideas. These events may be company meetings, conference sessions, entire conferences, or workshops. Participants (attendees) propose sessions they are most interested in or find valuable. Participants don’t have to propose a session; they may choose only to attend sessions. Either or both are fine! Open Space provides a simple structure and principles allowing everyone to participate. People choose not only what sessions to attend, but also when they leave. When your energy in a session wanes, you can go. Really. It’s a law (see below)! You can find another session to attend, grab a snack, take a few notes, have a hallway conversation, etc. It is up to you. You are in control.
As an attendee, you will have the opportunity to propose and attend sessions on the topics that are most important to you! You will also have the opportunity to participate in sessions with others whom you may not normally have a chance to talk with.
How does Open Space work?
Open Space Events begin with an opening session, during which attendees propose topics for sessions they would like to host and participate in.
After they propose a topic, they select a time slot and a room for the session.
- You might propose a session on a topic you feel passionate about and have some knowledge around -OR-
- You might propose a session that you don’t know a lot about but want to invite others to dig into the topic with you -OR-
- You might simply listen to the proposals and attend sessions that sound valuable and interesting to you!
What conversation are you willing to propose, initiate, listen to, or engage in?
Anyone may propose a session – YES, even YOU. You don’t have to be the author, expert, or guru — often the best sessions come from those who say, “I know a little on this topic and want to know more!” When you propose a session, you are a host who gets the topic rolling and engages others to contribute their thoughts! If you are an author, expert, or guru, you are also welcome to propose sessions!!
After the opening and the creation of the session marketplace, attendees review what is available and choose the sessions they want to attend.
They find the sessions they want to attend, the time, and location – then simply show up, listen, share, and learn!
Does Open Space Really Work?
The short answer is ABSOLUTELY! It works all the time! Many companies run internal Open Space conferences, and many public conferences are run only with Open Space—meaning there is no list of speakers or sessions in advance! All the sessions are created on the day of the conference!
Many people find that they learn as much or more in Open Space than in traditional conference sessions! You also have an opportunity to build on ideas from traditional conference sessions during Open Space sessions (for conferences that offer both types of sessions). Open Space sessions we have hosted and participated in have surprised us and created new insights and ideas, well beyond what we expected going in!
Prepare to Be Surprised and to Surprise others!
You know the types of conversations you have over dinner with friends? Deep, rich, informal conversations where everyone is enjoying themselves in the moment? Open Space is much like that… because it creates a safe place to step in and either listen or participate.
Open Space is a place where you can engage in a session, but don’t need to be the expert or guru on the topic. It celebrates that we all are creative and intelligent and have amazing ideas and things to share (yes, everyone!).
Everyone has the choice to participate to the extent that they want to. You might find that you plan to listen but end up jumping into the conversation. You might find that you plan to jump in the conversation but find that you are just listening! There’s an important place for active and engaged listeners. By choosing to be a listener, others are invited to share more deeply and contribute more to the topic.
Some people compare open space to “hallway conversations,” but hallway conversations can sometimes be intimidating, especially when you don’t know a lot of people. Most of us are not going to just walk up and start talking to a group of people, even if we overhear them talking about something we are really interested in. Open Space provides an opportunity to hear about and see a list of topics that interest you, and create an “open space” where you can step into amazing sessions to listen, engage, and learn.
Now What?
Consider attending conferences that incorporate Open Space formats or are run entirely using Open Space. Anyone curious about Open Space or how to run Open Space events is welcome to ask questions in the comments. It may also be helpful to review the guide on Proposing Open Space Sessions.
2 thoughts on “Open Space Conferences & Events – Created by Attendees!”