A Large Group Intervention Method. An Open Space gathering is a new kind of meeting or conference in which the participants create their own program of self-managed discussion groups, experiential workshops and planning sessions.
Open Space allows diverse and often very large groups of people to get together, discuss issues of heartfelt concern, pool their knowledge and develop plans for collaborative action. Participants in an Open Space gathering create their own program of self-managed sessions (discussion groups, experiential workshops, ideas sessions and planning meetings) related to a central theme, such as:
- What are the issues and opportunities facing the XYZ Corporation?
- There are no invited speakers, and just one facilitator to explain the procedure and facilitate the plenary sessions.