Open Space Technology (OST) is an approach for hosting meetings, conferences, corporate-style retreats focused on specific and important issues but not beginning with any formal agenda, beyond the overall purpose or meeting.   Participants willing to raise a topic for discussion come to the center of the circle, write it on a sheet of paper and announce it to the group posting it on a wall. That wall becomes the agenda for the meeting.

Those interested in a specific topic placed on the wall, will congregate in a group, discuss, set solutions as well as follow up tasks. At the end of the Open Space Meeting, the group will report their findings and follow up tasks, if any to the entire group.

The beauty of any Open Space Meeting is:

• 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.

Guiding Principles of Open Space:

• Whoever comes are the right people
• Whenever it starts is the right time
• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have

The One Law of Open Space:

The Two Foot Law – If at any time during the meeting you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet, go someplace else, refocus, re-energize and come back to the meeting ready to contribute.

Please join CNG Chicago for what will be an extremely interesting learning experience.