Every year, open space practitioners meet to learn more about the open space method from each other. This meeting is of course held as an open space meeting – I mean, what else?
And this year, this “Open Space on Open Space” is in Denmark, on august 23-26. You can read about it here. I’ll definitely be there, trying to learn from and contribute to Open Space practice all over the world!
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
– George Bernard Shaw
Last wednesday Project Happiness at Work had it’s first paying customer!! We held a seminar for 15 secretaries at nch, and judging from the feedback it was a great success. This is of course only the beginning, but it did prompt me to create a page for companies on the project’s website, outlining the products we intend to market to businesses.
Over the next two months we’d like to find 10 companies interested in trying the workshop. The workshop is an excellent way to start spreading happiness in any workplace. It can be done in one or two days, with up to 40 participants. Afterwards the participants have all the knowledge they need to hold more workshops in the company themselves, and they also get all the necessary workshop materials. This can make the spread of happiness self-reproductive within the company.
The Copenhagen Zoological Museum cut up a whale today. Yep, a small whale (meaning 5 meters long and weighing 3 tons) was found dead in a fishing net, and though whales are normally cut up at the place where they’re found, this one was small enough to load on a truck, drive to the Zoological Museum and dismember in front of an excited crowd. The skeleton will end up in the museum.
This I had to see. I mean, don’t we all secretly wish to see large oceanic mammals be cut up? I certainly do. It was kinda fund to see the inside of a whale, but I’m disappointed that nobody brought rice – it would have made sushi for hundreds of people. I even have pictures.
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Lately I’ve been using a very simple but VERY powerful method called “yes, and…”. This method comes from improvisational theater, where it is the most basic rule. When you’re on the stage doing improv theatre, every idea proposed by another actor must always be accepted. You can add to it, but you can’t reject it – and you’d look pretty foolish on the stage if you tried. Hence the “Yes, and…”
But “yes, and…” can be used in many other situations, and mainly it can be used to counter the ingrained tendency to say no, that many people today exhibit, particularly when pressed or stressed. It’s often safer , easier and more comfortable to say no.
One case where “yes, and…” works especially well is when brainstorming for ideas. When people know in advance, that any idea proposed will be received positively, they feel much more free to suggest any ideas they may have. In this way you get many more ideas to work with. Ultimately, “yes, and…” can teach us a positive and healthy attitude of saying yes to life, and to whatever reality surrounds us.
My good friend Carsten introduced this question some months ago, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since: How do you find your playmates? As a kid it was easy: Go up to any house on the road where a kid about your age lived, ring the doorbell, and ask “Wanna play?”
The need for playmates doesn’t go away as we get older, but the way we find them certainly changes. Adults don’t even call them playmaytes, we call them friends, acquaintances, colleagues, etc. But they still offer us the same space as playmates: A safe environment where you can try new things, be yourself and be surrounded by people you like, who like you.
So here’s my question to you: “How do you find your playmates?”. Think about it and comment if you like, I’m very curious to know what you think.
These are the 10 most read posts in may on this site:
1. Cool name wanted
2. Selling fish in Seattle – and having fun
3. Generosity in action
4. Happiness at work marches on
5. Book review: The fifth discipline
6. 100 things about me
7. How Denmark won the 1992 european soccer championship
8. Book review: The fifth discipline fieldbook
9. Book review: Pattern recognition
10. Book review: Getting to yes
It seems that my readers’ interests are pretty varied, or maybe different people just read this blog for wildly different reasons. Who knows – and I’m certainly happy either way :o) Thanks to everyone who reads this, it’s a pleasure to share with you.
I researched business democracy a little on the net, and I came acrosss this article on democracy in food coops. A teaser from the article: The best-run co-ops weave employee input into every aspect of operations. There is a culture of employee involvement in every decision that impacts working conditions.
I want to go to Ohio, and try the worlds fastest, tallest roller coaster, Top Thrill Dragster in Cedar Point. How does 128 meters tall, and 0 to 190 kph acceleration in 4 seconds sound to you?
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