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The article describes the author’s participation in such a conference, outlines underlying principles, and examines how Open Space Technology can support meaningful engagement in adult learning contexts.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/making-conferences-human-places-of-learning/588399/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/making-conferences-human-places-of-learning/588399.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Putri","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-04","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":33},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What problem does Open Space Technology address in traditional conferences?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"It challenges highly structured, hierarchical conference formats by enabling more equitable, participative engagement rather than passive information reception.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"How does an Open Space Technology conference begin?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"It starts with no predetermined agenda and invites participants to put their discussion topics on a conference community wall.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"When does Open Space Technology work best?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"It works best when there is a real issue or question, a diversity of players, complexity of elements, passion (including conflict), and a need for a quick decision.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},588399,1792465476,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":33,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":111,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":117,"preview_page_count":4},962085571259,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Making Conferences Human Places of Learning  \nmichael kenny, national university of ireland, maynooth  \nAbstract  \nOpen Space Technology is a cumbersome name for a participative conference model that enables dynamic inclusive engagement and challenges traditional, highly structured hierarchical conference formats. Based on self-organising systems, (Wenger, 1998) Open Space Technology conferences have an open process, start with no agenda and empower the most equitable outcome determined by those attending. This article describes the author’s participation in an Open Space Technology conference, discusses the principles underpinning Open Space Technology methodology and considers its application in adult learning engagement settings.  \nThe Traditional Conference and Open Space Technology  \nA conference is a structured, hierarchical formal meeting of people with a shared interest. A conference is organised primarily as a plenary event with some opportunity for questions and breakout groups. People generally go to conferences to hear one or more speakers but more often to meet others, that is to network. Generally, most people who attend conferences, except for the presenters, are passive receivers of information and conference proceedings do not issue for a protracted period. Often when asked about a conference attended, people recall a person or persons they met during the coffee breaks as a highlight from the event, or information collected in a side discussion. Open Space Technology suggests that such chance meetings should be the focus of the conference process.  \nHarrison Owen popularised Open Space Technology as a method in the 1980sin response to the stifling nature of traditional conferences. However, Owen did  \nnot copyright or trademark the intellectual property of Open Space Technology and encourages its free use. The very nature of the process challenges the hegemony of control, expertness and hierarchy of traditionally organised seminars and conferences. Open Space Technology is open, participative, and egalitarian. Young people adapt to Open Space Technology as a method without question, while people familiar with control and hierarchy initially feel uncomfortable with its liberating possibility.  \nOpen Space Technology works best where, according to Corrigan (2004), there is:  \n• A real issue or question of concern  \n• A diversity of players  \n• A complexity of elements  \n• Presence of passion (including conflict)  \n• A need for a quick decision.  \nEach person attending an Open Space Technology conference brings with them the responsibility to be fully present, openly participative, and totally inclusive. No delegate should leave an Open Space Technology event saying “I didn't get an opportunity to say something”, or,“I didn't know what they were talking about”, etc. etc. This is because within Open Space Technology, participants have control over their own actions and the opportunity to maximise their involvement, contribution, and learning at all stages during the event.  \nMy First Experience of Open Space Technology  \nSome time ago, I received an invitation to a one-day conference on the theme“Exclusion in Local Development: the Challenges” to be held in Athlone, County Westmeath. The fee was modest, the topic interesting, and I was free. There was no programme in the invitation, just a paragraph about the topic tobe addressed, a start and finish time, that lunch was included, and that it would be a participative event. Even though I noted the lack of a programme, I had trust in the agency running the event and I was keen to learn more about exclusion, so I went. That event introduced me to one of the most challenging group work methods I have experienced–Open Space Technology.  \nWhen I arrived at the venue, about twenty minutes after due start time, I had expected to be able to slip in to the back of the conference while somebody was speaking. Instead, I entered a big room where about eighty people were seated","cbCaiiR0hzd8vm1Y","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiR0hzd8vm1Y","pdf",147465,"English","# The Traditional Conference and Open Space Technology\n## Conditions for Open Space Technology\n# My First Experience of Open Space Technology","[{\"question\":\"What problem does Open Space Technology address in traditional conferences?\",\"answer\":\"It challenges highly structured, hierarchical conference formats by enabling more equitable, participative engagement rather than passive information reception.\"},{\"question\":\"How does an Open Space Technology conference begin?\",\"answer\":\"It starts with no predetermined agenda and invites participants to put their discussion topics on a conference community wall.\"},{\"question\":\"When does Open Space Technology work best?\",\"answer\":\"It works best when there is a real issue or question, a diversity of players, complexity of elements, passion (including conflict), and a need for a quick decision.\"}]","Making Conferences Human Places of Learning | PDF",1792065164]