How to: Run an engaging virtual Open Space event
Jan-Willem Rutten
De Workshopper: training and workshop design ? facilitation ? team coaching ? liberating agility for better results with more fun!【ツ】
Category: Hands-on facilitation for groups
This article offers a step by step facilitator's guide to organizing an online Open Space event using Welo and a collaborative online whiteboard like Mural.
Introduction
Open Space
Open Space is an engaging way to structure a meeting without obligation. Each participant is free to propose a topic to discuss, it being thoughts or learnings to share, challenges to address or questions to ask the group. The topics are placed in timeslots in parallel tracks on a timetable and everyone is free to engage in any topic of their choosing, as long as they are either learning or contributing.
Open Space knows four principles and one law:
The law of two feet (or: law of mobility) indicates that you are free to go where you please. If you are neither learning nor contributing, it is time to go look somewhere else. And that is perfectly okay. Don't feel afraid you might somehow offend the presenter by leaving, this is what Open Space is all about.
Welo
Welo is a visual online meeting platform with numerous different maps, of which currently three are specifically designed to support an Open Space setup. After welcoming everyone in the main circle and setting up the timetable together, participants can simply move their avatar into one of the other rooms to engage in conversation about whatever is going on in that room.
You can easily see who is where and video, audio and screen sharing work seamlessly with great performance. As a facilitator you are able to label rooms so they are easy to spot. It is possible to assign resources to rooms, for example a link to an online whiteboard containing the timetable and topics. It works pretty straight forward and doesn't require login for guests.
Mural
Mural is an online collaborative whiteboard where a facilitator can invite others to join and simultaneously work on the whiteboard together. There is no login required for guests and boards can be shielded with a password.
Instead of Mural you could use an alternative tool like Miro or Microsoft, as long as it provides a single collaborative whiteboard that is easily accessible for all potential participants. This is required to gather topics at the start of the Open Space event.
The following chapters explain the steps to facilitate your own online Open Space event.
Step 1: Determine context and target group
Determine the goal of the Open Space event and think about who should be invited to join. Possible questions to ask yourself:
Think of a catchy event name that covers the Open Space concept, the context of the meeting and the goal of the meeting. Use this event name as much and as consistently as possible to make people familiar with your event. This includes mentions on the online whiteboard, the Welo space and in the invitation and other communication.
For an event designed to enable Scrum Masters and Product Owners to learn from each other about all things Agile, I chose the name "Open Space Agile Learning".
Step 2: Setting up the online whiteboard
The online whiteboard should clearly display all information that is relevant to the Open Space event and nothing more.
At least the following information should be included:
It should be easy for participants to spot what information can be found where on the online whiteboard. Make sure each piece of information is just one click away. In Mural this is done by adding areas to the Outline.
The following paragraphs explain the preparation of the different areas on the online whiteboard. Make sure to save some space on the online whiteboard as we will add the Welo parts after Welo is setup properly, as described in step 3.
Explanation of Open space
Start your online whiteboard with a brief explanation of the Open Space concept, for example by using an image that captures the principles and law of two feet. Include a link to detailed information about Open Space technology for people who like to learn more.
Timetable
A timetable is constructed of timeslots and tracks. Depending on the size and needs of your target group you can play with different aspects to create the right timetable for the occasion.
Event duration
First determine the total length of the event. How much time are people willing to invest to achieve the goal you have in mind? If the event is organized to facilitate decision making around complex issues, people might be willing to invest quite some time. If it's about easy accessible knowledge sharing, you might need less time.
For an event for quick and effective knowledge sharing in timeslots of 20 minutes, I planned a 60 minute meeting, which included a plenary part at the start of the event.?
Plenary part
Based on the duration of the event and the size of the group, determine how much time should be reserved for the plenary part of the event. This timebox should be big enough to cover the following:
The more topics you expect to be pitched, the more time you need to reserve. Once participants are used to Open Space and Welo you might need less time to explain those concepts.
For an event with 30+ participants, with 2 tracks and 2 timeslots, we needed 20 minutes for the plenary part.?
Wrap up
Depending on the type of event you may consider reserving time for a plenary wrap up at the end. You could use this timebox to have each presenter share the outcome of his/her session. You could gather feedback from the participants about the event. Or you could just thank everyone and explain where people can find the meeting notes and info about next events.
Timeslots
The time remaining can be divided into timeslots so you can have multiple rounds in the Open Space event. The timeslots form a series of subsequent sessions. The length of each timeslot depends on the required time to discuss the type of topics that you expect for this Open Space event.
For quick and effective knowledge sharing 20 minute timeslots worked well.
Tracks
Tracks represent the number of breakout rooms in which different topics are discussed simultaneously. This is determined by the total number of topics that are expected to be discuss and the number of timeslots you have available.
Make sure you have at least 2 tracks so participants can choose between topics in each round. If you expect fewer topics than you can spread over two tracks and the number of timeslots available, it is best to cut down on the number of timeslots by lengthening them or shortening the total event duration.
For an event with 30+ participants, 2 tracks and 2 timeslots were enough, facilitating 4 sessions in total.
Meeting notes
Make sure to include a link to the meeting notes for each event. This way people can get an idea of what the event is all about and determine whether it is useful for them to join. It also acts as a central reference to anything discussed in the past.?
Step 3: Setting up Welo
Choosing a map
Welo offers numerous different maps, of which currently three are specifically designed to support an Open Space setup. When picking a map two aspects are important. First, make sure the number of seats in the main circle outnumbers the potential number of participants of your event. Second, make sure the number of seats in the breakout rooms is large enough to avoid people unable to join a certain topic because the room is full.
In order of size the following maps are available in the Open Space category:
map name | size main circle | size breakout rooms |
Setting up the main circle
The main circle is where you start your Open Space event. It is the main room where you welcome participants, gather topics and collaboratively fill the timetable.
Right click on that room on the map, choose "Change Room Settings" and check the "Guest reception area" box. This way people will automatically join this room once they enter your space.
Setting up breakout rooms
The breakout rooms are the smaller circles where a topic is discussed each round.
For each track in the timetable choose a breakout room directly next to the main circle so they are easy to spot. Note that rooms that look the same may not be of the same size. Right click on a room to see the number of seats available.
Right click on each room, choose "Change Room Settings" and enter a room label. This label will be displayed on the Welo map and should be the same as the label of the corresponding track in the timetable. If you can't come up with a catchy name just hit the Windows+dot or Windows+semicolon keys on your keyboard to insert a digit emoticon.
Assigning resources
As you want to give all participants easy access to the online whiteboard with topics and timetable, make sure you add the guest URL of the online whiteboard as a resource in Welo.
Place you avatar in a room to enable the Quick actions button in the lower left corner. Click it to select "Manage Resources" and create a resource. Select the information icon so participants can easily recognize the resource as the go-to place for information. Enter a clear but short title. Only a limited amount of characters is displayed on the map. For example "Whiteboard" or "Timetable" should suffice. Enter the URL and save the resource.
Each Open Space map in Welo contains an image of an actual whiteboard. This is where participants look when they are looking for the timetable, so this is where you should add the resource you created.
Right click on the visual whiteboard on the Welo map, choose "Assign Room Resources" and select the resource that represents the guest URL of the online whiteboard. This link is now displayed above the visual whiteboard in Welo.
Step 4: Adding Welo to the online whiteboard
Once Welo is setup properly you can add information about Welo to the online whiteboard.
To enhance participants understanding of the setup of the break out rooms you could include a screenshot of the Welo space map, clearly marking the breakout rooms. You could also visualize the connection between the tracks in the timetable and the breakout rooms by drawing an arrow from each track to the corresponding room in the screenshot.
Include the guest link to that Welo space so participants can easily enter Welo from the online whiteboard.
Briefly list some guidelines on the basics of using Welo. This is helpful for people using it for the first time. Examples are:
Step 5: Inviting participants
Invite people with an engaging invitation that explains the goal and context of the event and how you apply the Open Space concept to achieve that goal. If Welo is a new tool to your target audience perhaps lure them in by explaining how Welo is different from your conventional videoconferencing tooling.
Be sure to include the guest link to the online whiteboard and the guest link to the Welo space. Perhaps include a link to the meeting notes of previous events so people can get an idea of what the event is all about and determine whether it is useful for them to join.
Also ask them to bring a friend if applicable to the context of your event.
For an event for knowledge sharing about all things Agile I invited Scrum Masters and Product Owners and asked them to invite anyone else who would be interested to learn and share in the realm of Agile and agility.
Step 6: Running the event
Make sure you are in the Welo space before everyone else is. You don't want people to move around the map before you've had the chance to explain that the event starts in the main circle and they are unable to hear you if they are in a different room.
Position your avatar in the middle of the main circle to emphasize your role as the facilitator.
Welcome participants
Reserve 5 minutes for everyone to join the session before kicking off the event. Welcome everyone to the event and mention the goal and context of the event.
Explain Welo
Explain how Welo works. Quickly mention that participants only hear people that are in the same room on the map. Advise against moving the avatar into a different room before the plenary part is over. Then take everyone through the basics of using Welo.
Explain Open Space
Explain how Open Space works. Take everyone through the principles and law of two feet. Also explain how to record discussions and insights; The presenter can choose to do this him/herself or arrange someone else to do it.
You might also want to include some information for the presenters about facilitating a session. For instance making sure that everyone in the breakout room is heard in a discussion and avoiding one or few people dominating the outcome. Another example is how to make people feel safe and welcome so they have the confidence to take part in the discussion.
Gather topics
Explain that raising a topic is voluntary and that the person raising the topic will host the discussion and also makes sure the discussion is recorded.
In online meetings it is quite easy to not bring a topic to the table. Therefore it is advised to ask everyone to take 1 or 2 minutes in silence to craft a topic within the context of the Open Space event. This could be thoughts or learnings to share, challenges to address or questions to ask the group. You can set the timer of the online whiteboard for this.
You can choose to have participants add their topics directly to the timetable or gather topics centrally first and then fill the timetable collaboratively.
Fill timetable
Explain how participants can add their topic, including name or initials, as a sticky note to the online whiteboard. Once a participant adds a topic he/she should briefly pitch the topic so everyone understands what it is about. If you end up with more topics than sessions available you could choose to put similar topics together.
Start the Open Space!
Once all topics are added and pitched give participants a moment to decide where they want to go and remind them about the law of two feet. Set the timer of the online whiteboard (or Welo) to indicate the end of each round and announce the start of the first round. Go!
Step 7: Inspect and adapt
At the end of the event or shortly after, make sure to gather feedback from the group. Use this feedback to improve your next event. To get people engaged you could use the start of each event to mention the improvements you made based on the feedback.
For an event for quick and effective knowledge sharing I sent out a survey after the event, which included the questions below.
Always leave room for comments, tips and thoughts.
I hope this makes it easy to organize your own engaging virtual Open Space event. If you have any questions or remarks feel free to get in touch. When you have organized your own event I'm very curious as to how you approached it and how it went. Good luck!
#openspace #virtualevents #workingfromhome
De Workshopper: training and workshop design ? facilitation ? team coaching ? liberating agility for better results with more fun!【ツ】
1 年Linda Anders,, in short: No, the phrase "Open Space" is not copyrighted. But it would be so great if everyone could use the same definition when combining these words together (outside of the landscape planning domain off course). The Open Space approach was created by Harrison Owen in the 80s when he wanted his conference to feel like one big coffee break. Later on, it got widely known through Liberating Structures, which is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Now I'm curious. ?? What made you ask this question?
Advanced Practice Nurse | Community Advocate | Champion for Healthcare Inclusivity & Access
1 年Jan-Willem Rutten is the phrase "Open Space" copyrighted? Or can that phrase be freely used?
Making work better since 2005
3 年There is a big learning curve to these tools. Only one subset of society likes learning new IT tools. Many find it an off-putting obstacle. Likewise navigating virtual spaces. Personally I derive no delight from new tools, just stress which completely distracts from the event. Perhaps it is more inclusive to use the simplest, most widely understood tools, like Zoom. Or at a minimum have a room that people first enter, where they can stay and be looked after and included by those more adept with the tool.
Enterprise Agile Coach & Org. Designer at NTT DATA US
3 年Danielle Lopes Wagner Alencar da Silva Ideias para o Summit
Scrum Master CSP-SM | Coach | I help teams achieve their business goals, create a collaborative culture that unlocks their hidden potential, and increase productivity.
3 年Thank you very much for the nice step-by-step guide. It will be really helpful to me when entering into discussion with internal sponsors of such an event.