Information Insights provides facilitation for meetings of many types and sizes. In some circumstances, we use a meeting style called Open Space Technology. Less a facilitation technique than a philosophy of empowering groups to do their best work, this approach to meetings is one we have found to be particularly effective when the participants have passion for the topic and strong desire to help develop solutions or effective plans
Open Space provides one way to enable all kinds of people to create inspired meetings and events. Over the last 15 years, it has also become clear that opening space, as an intentional leadership practice, can 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 of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance, such as: What is the strategy that all stakeholders can support and work together to create? The participants largely self-facilitate their own breakout groups, with constant assistance and support from the facilitators. With groups of five to 1,000 the common result is a powerful, effective connecting and strengthening of what’s already happening in the organization: planning and action, learning and doing, passion and responsibility, participation and performance.
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, intentional self-organization, spirit at work, chaos and creativity, evolution in organization, and a simple, powerful way to get people and organizations moving – when and where it’s needed most.
And, while Open Space at first glance presents an apparent lack of structure, it turns out that the Open Space meeting is actually very structured – but that structure is so perfectly fitted to the people and the work at hand, it goes unnoticed in its proper role of supporting (not blocking) best work. In fact, the stories and work plans woven in Open Space are generally more complex, robust and durable – and can move a great deal faster than expert- or management-driven designs.
We never know exactly what will happen when we open the space for people to do important work, but we can guarantee when any group gets into Open Space:
• All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will be raised.
• All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them.
In a time as short as one or two days, all of the most important ideas, discussion, data, recommendations, conclusions, questions for further study, and plans for immediate action will be documented in one comprehensive report – and in many cases the summary can be finished, printed and in the hands of participants when they leave.
Information Insights is a creative and innovative organization offering skilled, experienced and diverse staff providing a wide selection of services from facilitation, surveys, visioning, planning, writing, and leadership.
– L. Diane Casto, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Division of Behavioral Health
| Project | Client |
|---|---|
| Tongass Futures Roundtable 2007 | The Nature Conservancy |
| Tongass Futures Roundtable | National Forest Foundation |
| View All Projects » | |
July 2nd, 2010
Interior residents will have a chance to share their insights on the Fairbanks economy through an effort sponsored by the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The web based survey, which went live today, will allow Fairbanksans to share their thoughts and insights on the area’s economy for the Fairbanks Community Economic Development Visioning Project. Interested members of the public can complete the survey online until Friday, July 23. Survey questions are designed to solicit ideas from local residents on what’s working well in our economy, what might be upcoming opportunities and what barriers could stand in the way. Continue Reading »
April 28th, 2010
Information Insights will be helping Bristol Bay residents develop a region-wide vision. Five regional organizations – BBNC, BBNA, BBEDC, BBHA and BBAHC – are partnering to make the project happen. Information Insights will work to engage residents in every village in the region through community meetings to be held this fall and winter. At the meetings, Information Insights facilitators will seek to identify the underlying principles that unify the people of the region in order to develop a common vision that will give voice to their shared values. The visioning process will be transparent, neutral and inclusive for all residents of the region. Consensor™ audience response technology will be used to ensure that all participants have an equal voice. Lead project staff at Information Insights are senior consultants Sherry Modrow and Cady Lister and project consultants Jane Angvik and Dr. Steve Langdon. Other project staff include Brenda Holden, Chris Rogers and Jessica Holden. Jana Peirce will develop a project website and social media presence to reach out to younger Bristol Bay area residents.
March 25th, 2010
Information Insights just completed a media kit for the Alaska Scenic Byways program. See a clip of the final video on YouTube. The video is both a marketing and education piece on Alaska’s most scenic byways and includes footage from all eleven byways. The video is part of an integrated communication plan that Information Insights recently completed for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) to help increase awareness of the state’s 16-year-old byways program. Continue Reading »