Taking a creative break with Open Space.

Conferences and presentations bring people together who have the same problems, pursue similar goals and share experiences. But the time available to learn from each other is limited. There is often only the coffee or lunch break to exchange ideas. The ‘Open Space’ method reverses this principle.

Open Space is based on a simple idea: the creative break. The US organisational developer Owen Harris developed Open Space in the 1980s. He observed at conferences that the coffee break often provided participants with more insights than the actual presentations. With Open Space, he integrated the relaxed atmosphere of a break into the group work. The special thing about it: whether 20 or 100 people, the method is scalable and suitable for different sizes.

How does Open Space work?

At the beginning, the group collects suggestions for topics they would like to talk about. These are written on a wall with post-its, for example. Once everything has been stuck and attached, volunteers are found to present topics from the collection.

The group votes together by show of hands on which topics are of interest. How many sessions are then held in parallel depends on the number of proposals, the number of participants and the number of meeting rooms available. Small groups are formed for each topic and the session begins.

The aim is to always offer several topics to choose from. Proposals that are of particular interest to a large number of participants should be offered one after the other in the session planning.

There is no need for an agenda or a plan. Brainstorming ideas, sharing experiences or throwing questions into the room together - everything is allowed. The important thing is to learn from each other. And also: Creativity cannot be forced. It's great when exciting discussions with lots of ideas arise during a session. If this is not the case, it was not the right moment.

Expectations should be lowered accordingly. All results that arise in a session are relevant. Every person who takes part is right there. The discussion is enlivened by different perspectives and experiences. If someone has a specific expectation of the exchange, this should be addressed and communicated to the group.

The session is led by ‘convenors’. The term can be equated here with initiators. This function is often assumed by the person who introduced the topic. The convenor does not moderate, but ensures that the participants take turns speaking. Another task of this role is to take minutes of all contributions, questions and ideas from the group.

During the session, the law of two feet applies: ‘Move on if you have nothing to contribute or learn’. This means that you can also switch to another group within the session and contribute there. Participants often exhibit two typical behaviours, which are metaphorically described as ‘bumblebees’ and ‘butterflies’.

‘Bumblebees’ move from group to group in a similar way to how they fly from flower to flower, thereby bringing thoughts and ideas into various discussions. They thus promote dialogue and networking between the sessions.

‘Butterflies’, on the other hand, linger in one place and attract others through inspiring conversations or new perspectives - sometimes giving rise to completely new discussions and ideas.

When it's over, it's over. A session does not have to be longer than necessary. It can be ended prematurely when everything has been said. It can be extended if the group has not yet reached its goal. At the end, all participants come together again. The convenors present the results and pin up the minutes in the room for everyone to see. This often leads to discussions about the results, which can then lead to further sessions.

Why do we learn through Open Space?

Open Space promotes social learning - a learning theory based on group work. The idea behind it: People are social beings who learn best in a community, because this is where several learning effects happen simultaneously.

Through Open Space...

• we actively work together
• we get to know people with different experiences  
• we adopt new perspectives.  
• we network around a common theme

The special thing about Open Space as a method is that we organise ourselves as a group and...

• talk about topics that we bring along ourselves 
• change the group if we can't contribute or learn anything  
• lower our expectations: All results that arise in a session are relevant. Every person who takes part is right.    

Open Space creates a learning environment that activates our intrinsic motivation. This means that group work is easier for us because we organise the structure and content of the session together. We also come up with ideas and insights more easily because we can utilise the collective intelligence and experience of all participants. wegewerk uses this method, for example, when holding conferences for the non-profit community.