Session Brief: Open Space Technology

Goal

Artifact: Session Marketplace

Working Question

Which topics under the guiding theme are important enough that people lead a session themselves, and what outcomes come out of self-organized conversations?

Context

Theme and invitation text at least two weeks ahead; day schedule with marketplace slots; the four principles and the law of two feet introduced; documentation requirement per session.

Setup

• Format: Method session
• Duration: 1-3 days, minimum 4 h for a compact version
• Mode: Workshop
• Participants: One sponsor who introduces the guiding theme and keeps energy; one facilitator with Open Space experience; participants (minimum 15, ideally 30-100); volunteer session hosts; one documentation owner per session.
• Owner: One sponsor who introduces the guiding theme and keeps energy
• Participation mode: Team round, shared work and alignment
• Outcome logic: Finish artifact

Participation Logic

Use the session for shared understanding. Contributions are collected visibly, assumptions are aligned, and open differences remain traceable in the artifact.

Outcome Logic

The session works directly toward Session Marketplace. After the session, the artifact should be shareable, reviewable, or reusable.

Input

Large room with chairs in a circle; at least three breakout rooms or open areas; marketplace wall with time-space grid; A4 paper and markers for session proposals; pinboards in breakouts; documentation template per session.

Preparation

Circle seating without tables in center. Marketplace wall with slots (time x room) visible. Materials for proposals at entry. Publish principles as poster: Whoever comes, whatever happens, whenever it begins, when it is over, it is over. Plus law of two feet.

Agenda

1. Phase 1: Introduction and opening (30-45 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Sponsor explains the guiding theme and urgency. Facilitator introduces the principles, law of two feet, marketplace mechanics, and documentation requirement. Circle seating keeps attention centered. Hint: If the introduction lasts longer than 45 min, energy for the marketplace drops. Keep it concise and clear. Sponsor remains visible in the plenary, not as a distant observer. Output: Session Marketplace

2. Phase 2: Marketplace (30-45 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Participants who want to lead a session enter the circle, write topic, name, and preferred room on a sheet, pitch in 30 s, and pin the sheet to a time-space slot. Multiple proposals allowed. Hint: If no proposals appear after 15 min, the facilitator stays calm and waits. Pressuring the room destroys momentum. The first proposal is always the hardest, then the marketplace opens. Output: Proceedings

3. Phase 3: Session rounds (60-90 min per round, 2-4 rounds) Owner: Facilitator Action: Participants choose sessions by interest and switch freely (law of two feet). Hosts facilitate, everyone documents in parallel using the template. After each round, 15 min pause at marketplace. Hint: If a session is empty, this is a signal about topic relevance, not a problem. A host may join another session. No one is forced to stay in a session. Output: Action Topics

4. Phase 4: News Wall and convergence (30-45 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: All session documents are made visible on the News Wall. Participants read across sessions, mark topics with energy (dots). Optional prioritization with dot voting. Hint: If documentation is missing or only keywords, this phase has no value. The template must be clear in advance (topic, discussion, next steps). Output: Session Marketplace

5. Phase 5: Closing Circle (20-30 min) Owner: Owner Action: Recenter in the circle. Each person speaks for 30 s: what I take with me, what I commit. Sponsor closes with thanks and next step for the outputs. Hint: Do not skip closing. If the sponsor does not clarify what happens with outputs, Open Space is just a meeting without consequence. Output: Proceedings

6. Publish artifact (10 min) Owner: Owner Action: Check the artifact for completeness, define location, set version or status, and name review recipients. Output: Session Marketplace

Closeout

• Update result artifact: Session Marketplace
• Define location, version, and review recipients.
• Define owner, next step, and review date.

Session Marketplace: Open Space Technology

Working Question

Which topics under the guiding theme are important enough that people lead a session themselves, and what outcomes come out of self-organized conversations?

Context

Theme and invitation text at least two weeks ahead; day schedule with marketplace slots; the four principles and the law of two feet introduced; documentation requirement per session.

Participants

• Owner: One sponsor who introduces the guiding theme and keeps energy
• Participants: One sponsor who introduces the guiding theme and keeps energy; one facilitator with Open Space experience; participants (minimum 15, ideally 30-100); volunteer session hosts; one documentation owner per session.

Input

Large room with chairs in a circle; at least three breakout rooms or open areas; marketplace wall with time-space grid; A4 paper and markers for session proposals; pinboards in breakouts; documentation template per session.

Template

Open Space Technology Working Template

Goal

Self-organized large-group format in which participants shape the agenda and sessions themselves.

Context

When and for what do we use this method?

Input

Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?

Execution

Short notes along the runsheet.

Output artifacts

• Session Marketplace:
• Proceedings:
• Action Topics:

Assumptions and open questions

• ...

Decision / Next step

Owner, date, and success signal.

Completion Check

• Session Marketplace is complete enough for review:
• Location:
• Version / status:
• Review by:
• Next step:

Next Step

• Review result
• Mark open questions
• Schedule review or decision