| Meetings & Decision-Making |
Back to the Skills
Toolbox
The success of your group's programs, activities and campaigns
is, in large part, a direct function of the success of your meetings.
Meetings are where you plan and motivate, discuss and decide. How
well your meetings run can influence every aspect of your organization,
from sustaining membership to accomplishing goals.
The most important thing to remember about facilitating a good
meeting is that they don't run themselves. There are several necessary
components to organizing an effective meeting.
Facilitation: The Secret
to Smooth, Synchronized Meetings
The word "facilitate" doesn't mean to lead, control,
or direct. Facilitate simply means to make easier. In a practical
sense, the job of a facilitator is to help create a space that is
comfortable and productive for a group of people.
|
Try not to
have this much fun at your meetings |
Facilitation is like slicking the wheels of a rusty caboose. Facilitators
make meetings, discussions, and events of all sorts run smoothly.
The facilitator should be someone who doesn't have a strong opinion
to express on the meeting's topics. As a facilitator, if you want
to say something, call on yourself in turn, but make sure you don't
use your role to dominate the discussion.
Furthermore, you should not allow people with race, class, gender,
or other subtle or non-subtle privilege to dominate a meeting. As
a facilitator, you should encourage everyone to participate while
moving the meeting along to meet time limits.
In addition to having savvy and well-prepared facilitator(s), smooth
facilitation requires a group in which everyone:
..........1. Understands the goals of
the meeting and the organization
..........2. Keeps the group on the
agenda and moving forward towards the goals
..........3. Respects everyone in the
meeting helping to create a space where shy people are comfortable
enough to speak, and where people who tend to dominate a discussion
feel compelled to defer to others in the group
..........4. Makes sure decisions are
made democratically, with input from many different voices
For more information about facilitation, see below.
- top -
Before
You Start
Bring the MAPS!
 Materials
Bring relevant handouts, minutes from the last meeting, a flip chart,
tape, markers, drinks or snacks, etc to the meeting. Get help from
other folks in your preparation.
 Agenda
At every meeting, clear goals and an agenda should be set
beforehand. Your goals are what you want out of the meeting: the
purpose. Prepare a complete agenda based on your goals. Ask people
for input on the agenda and confirm it with people beforehand. Set
time limits for each agenda item and try to stay under 1.5 hours
for the whole meeting. If you must go longer, the facilitator should
make sure everyone is alright with adding extra time onto the meeting.
If people aren’t okay with it, the discussion should be tabled
until a later date.
A typical agenda might look like:
1. Introductions
2. Review of last meeting and unfinished business
3. Quick and easy discussion items or subcommittee reports
4. Time critical discussion/action item needing immediate attention
5. Discussion/action item that may take a lot of time, be complex,
or controversial
6. New issue for discussion and planning
7. Evaluation of meeting (optional)
8. Announcements
9. Closing - set time for next meeting, make a proposed agenda
|
You'll need
some of these |
 People
Get the word out! Send a notice over email lists and to
your friends, put up posters, make an announcement over the P.A.,
phone up people. Remind everyone who needs to be there more than
once, including once the day before the meeting.
 Space
Reserve a comfortable space for the meeting. Your school will usually
provide free space to hold meetings; if not, you can often find
free meeting space in neighborhood libraries or community centers.
Pay attention to temperature, arrangement of chairs, insulation
from noise, bathrooms, and windows. Bringing quiet munchies and
drinks is a stellar idea!
You should have a regular meeting time and place
(weekly or biweekly is best) so that members can incorporate your
meetings into their schedules.
Your group may also want to establish a defined and agreed upon
set of guidelines by which the meetings will run.
These usually center on the basic rules of courtesy:
..........• One person has the
floor at a time.
..........• Don’t interrupt.
..........• Refrain from personal
attacks.
..........• Everyone's input is
valuable.
..........• New ideas are welcome.
These are fairly straightforward, but in the heat of discussion
it may be up to the meeting's facilitator to insure that these guidelines
are adhered to, and that meetings are run in an atmosphere of friendship
and camaraderie where every member's input is respected and welcomed.
- top -
Kick-Off Meeting
The kick-off meeting is the first big event your group will organize
during the semester. Make it count! The goal is to recruit new members
and get new students involved with the group. Try to make sure that
the meeting is fun, interesting, and participatory.
The first step is to take care of logistics. Pick a time when the
most people can come. Don’t panic! There’s no perfect
time when everyone can make it. Try to pick a time and place that
can stay the same each week. Set a goal for how many people you
want at your meeting (be ambitious). Then reserve a room that you
think will be a little too small. When you pack a room it creates
an atmosphere of excitement; there’s nothing worse than empty
chairs at a kick off meeting. Try to find a room with movable chairs
so you can sit in a circle.
The meeting should be planned far enough in advance to wallpaper
the school with flyers and send an announcement to all available
campus media. Furthermore, the agenda should be planned out to the
minute and the meeting should be well facilitated. Kick-off meetings
are a great time to bring in a guest speaker - often a well-liked
progressive professor will bring more people to an event as well
as keeping it interesting.
If it’s possible, get food for your meeting. Food’s
always nice, and it will help keep everyone in a good mood. Another
mood-saver is to start and end roughly on time. You want to convince
people that the group is a good use of their time.
|
A short guide
to the stages of recognition and acceptance your new members
may go through (pdf) |
During this first meeting, it’s important for everyone to
give introductions, which works best with a fun icebreaker. Don’t
have all the “core people” sit together in a block during
meetings; instead, disperse yourselves throughout the group. This
creates a mood that’s much more participatory. Pass around
a sheet to collect everybody’s name, phone number and email.
One of the planners should give a brief introduction to the group.
New groups need to emphasize that a group is what people make it.
If the planners have some ideas, they should be presented, but as
well-developed suggestions, not declarations. This should take only
about 5 minutes.
Every attendee should leave the first meeting with a good understanding
of what the group's purpose is, how they can fit into the group,
and with confidence that the group is action-oriented.
The organizers should ensure that every new member leaves with
a specific assignment or task to work on before the next meeting.
Work assignments not only make new people feel like vital and needed
members of the group, but people are also more likely to return
for future meetings when they feel that they have a responsibility
to the group. Of course, you want to encourage individuals to willingly
take on tasks rather than just autocratically assigning jobs to
new people – dude, that’s just not cool.
Some key things to do at the first meeting:
..........• Establish Working
Groups on key projects (e.g., further recruitment, fundraising,
media stunt, campaign development, etc.)
..........• Set committee meeting
times and a structure for check-in with the main group
..........• Plan a media stunt
to announce your presence on campus
..........• Set a date and time
for your next meeting
Make your first meeting fun - provide food, play a game - but make
sure that it is much more than a social event. Afterwards, have
everyone go to a café or bar to keep talking and facilitate
a chance for people to get to know each other. A lot of good potential
activists will come back because of someone they met the first night
who they would like to see again (for romantic or platonic reasons!).
Remember, organizing is about building relationships.
- top -
Regular Meetings
Starting The Meeting
Remember, meetings should be enjoyable, efficient, and build organizational
morale.
..........1. Assign, at minimum, a note-taker
and a timekeeper to help the facilitator(s) move the agenda along.
A scribe (writes all ideas, announcements, and other items on the
board), stack-keeper (keeps track of who raises their hands and
calls on them in order), vibes-watcher (assesses the mood of the
group and asks for breathers when necessary), and other helpers
can be useful as well (see Meeting Roles).
..........2. Start on time whenever
possible to encourage good habits. If you must wait for latecomers,
thank people for arriving on time.
..........3. Welcome/introduce everyone
present. Ask someone to think up a juicy icebreaker a few minutes
before the meeting and use it during your opening go-around.
..........4. Quickly review the agenda
at the start of the meeting and ask if there are any items to add.
|
Try to hold
your meetings in color |
During The Meeting
..........1. Be sure to start and end
on time.
..........2. Feel free to take short
breaks during the meeting. Even a quick stretch can lighten the
mood and make everyone more productive and civil.
..........3. Stick to your agenda whenever
possible. It's there to keep the group on track to achieve your
goals. If you have to depart from the agenda, ask for the group's
consent.
..........4. Use appropriate facilitation
tools to get the most out of the voices in the room. Use a go-around
to make everyone heard, small breakout groups to generate lots of
ideas quickly, or basic popcorn discussion to start things off.
Silence is good sometimes, but a good trick if you need discussion
is to say, "Turn to the person next to you and discuss this."
Five seconds and your discussion will be hoppin'
..........5. Ask
everyone to use hand signals to indicate agreement (fingers twinkling),
confusion (arms out, bent, and hands outstretched), and other feelings
(See Hand Signals).
..........6.
Try to keep the conversation flowing and summarize fairly often.
Elicit responses from each member when addressing a key topic. Consensus
does not mean that each person gets to say the same thing five times.
If people seem to be saying the same thing in different ways, try
to summarize and move forward. Ex: "So what I'm hearing people
say is that we're not quite prepared to rally outside the president's
office but that there is interest in putting increased pressure
on him within the next week. Do people have other ideas for a more
strategic next step?" (See Facilitation
Tips)
..........7. Utilize the meeting
roles. They're there to help the meeting go more smoothly but they
only work if people understand what they're suppose to do and others
help reinforce them. (See Meeting Roles).
Closing The Meeting
..........1. Spend a few short minutes
recapping your plan of action at the end of the meeting. Did you
meet your goals? What are the next steps? Who's doing what? Answer
these questions quickly and remind everyone to read the meeting
minutes (see Meeting Minutes).
..........2. Assign roles for next time
and schedule the next meeting.
..........3. Always leave on a positive
note. If all else fails, don't be afraid to make up a brief enticing
and inspirational story that isn't true, then blame anyone but Students
for Bhopal when the group uncovers your lies.
Brainstorming and Small Groups
This is the standard democratic technique for figuring out what
to do. The issue is raised in a general meeting, and for a while
everyone brainstorms. This means tossing ideas into the air (whoosh!!!),
without discussing or criticizing them. Brainstorming allows people
to suggest ideas in an atmosphere of openness, without the fear
of being put down. At the same time, it’s also good to have
some order to the process to avoid a cacophony of voices and so
that each person can be speak and be heard. A good method for this
is to go around the room (called a “go-around”). Each
person names a couple ideas or passes, but does not comment on or
criticize the previous speakers. Meanwhile, a scribe writes all
the ideas on a board. By saving discussion for later, no one is
afraid of having his or her idea rejected.
Afterward, have some discussion to find out what the favorites
are. Then, if needed, a small group can split off to work out the
details. After a set amount of time or at your next meeting, the
small group can come back and report to the whole group on what
they came up with, and make sure it’s OK. Then you kick ass
and do it.
Writing Group Documents
When drafting some important document like a constitution or even
a position statement, more than three people working on the specific
wording is a nightmare. It’s good for a small group to come
up with an initial draft that the group can discuss. The larger
group might tear it apart, but it will provide a starting point.
If it is a long document, the group members may want to take it
home and read it before the next meeting. Group members could submit
electronic or hand written comments to the small group for revision
of the document. After an allotted period of time the small group
could rework the document and re-present it to the larger group.
This process could go back and forth between the larger group and
the small group until all members of the group generally agrees
upon the content of the document.
In A Nutshell:
Remember, to have a good meeting, you need good product and good
process. Good facilitation makes the process run smoother. To have
a good product, everyone should be geared towards achieving the
goals set out by the group. Don’t start a meeting without
goals and an agenda for meeting those goals and don’t let
a meeting stray too far from those goals once you’ve begun.
And of course, the best way to make your meetings and your organization
run smooth like butter over and over again, is to create a respectful
space where everyone is engaged in making decisions democratically
with input from many different voices. You can do it!
- top -
Meeting
Minutes: Brief And Beautiful
Good meeting minutes shouldn't be a script of every word uttered
at your meeting. If something isn't relevant to the goals of your
meeting and your group, leave it out of the minutes (unless it's
funny). People reading the minutes only want to spend time reading
about the essentials. No full sentences or fancy-pants language
needed.
A good format for meeting minutes includes:
..........• The name of your group/committee,
date, place and time of the meeting
..........• The names of members
present and absent
..........• Proposals made and
passed
..........• Tasks people are responsible
for (with names in bold) and deadlines
..........• Reports people made
on a topic
..........• Announcements people
made
- top -
Meeting Roles
To make sure your group meetings run smoothly, you may want to
rotate the following duties. Often, especially in smaller groups,
these duties are combined, and one person may even be taking on
all these roles. However, each one can be a lot of work & so
you’ll probably want to have a different person doing each
one.
Time Keeper
Keeps track of how much time is left for each agenda item and pushes
the group to stick to time limits by notifying the group and facilitator
when there are 20 minutes left, 10, 5, etc. If the group has run
out of time but has not finished the discussion, the group needs
to make a concerted decision to extend the discussion/agenda item
and set a time limit for how much longer it wants to take.
Stack Keeper
Keeps a list of who wants to speak. Makes the facilitator's job
easier when there are a lot of people or a complicated discussion.
The stack keeper should always be looking around the room for people
raising their hands and nod to them to let them know that they are
"on stack" so that they can put their hand down. The stack
keeper can call on just the next person or sometimes say, "On
stack we have Paul, Eachthighearn, Wilbur, then Laestrygones."
Scribe
Takes notes from brainstorms, discussion, announcements, and proposals
and puts them on a big sheet of paper or a white board so that everyone
can refer to them. The scribe is also helpful when good points get
raised then lost in discussion or go unnoticed.
Note Taker
Writes the official notes that can be sent out to the mailing list
and kept in the group's archives for future use. It is the note
taker's job to send the meeting notes out ASAP (preferably that
night) so that people can review their tasks easily and those who
missed the meeting can stay in the loop as much as possible.
Vibes Watcher
Monitors how people are feeling to ensure that no one is being ignored
or personally attacked. A vibes watcher should also be aware of
people that are getting sleepy, restless, or generally too unhappy
to make decisions. The vibes watcher can remedy these situations
by calling for short breaks, stretching exercises, or bring to the
group’s attention the injustices s/he has observed.
Facilitation
One of the most critical positions to fill for smooth, productive
meetings is the facilitator.
What does a Facilitator Do?
..........• Understands the goals
of the meeting and the organization
..........• Keeps the group on
the agenda and moving forward towards the goals
....................-
Makes sure everyone knows what’s on the agenda and what’s
going on
....................-
Asks if there is anything that needs to be added to the agenda or
if changes need to be made
get commitments, don't let things trail off
....................-
Summarizes often (get others to summarize too)
..........• If your group has
chosen to use the consensus decision-making process, guiding the
consensus process will be a large part of the facilitator’s
responsibilities.
..........• Respects everyone
in the meeting helping to create a space where shy people are comfortable
enough to speak, and where people who tend to dominate a discussion
feel compelled to defer to others in the group.
..........• Makes sure decisions
are made democratically, with input from many different voices.
Remember: speaking and listening are like two great tastes that
best go together! You can’t have one without the other.
..........• The facilitator should
be someone who doesn’t have a strong opinion to express on
the meeting’s topics. If you really do want to say something,
call on yourself, but make sure you don’t use your role as
facilitator to dominate the discussion.
Clearly, the facilitator has a critical role in guiding the meeting
and the decisions you make there. Like many skills, facilitation
is one that comes with practice, so you should make sure that as
many group members have the opportunity to serve in this role as
possible.
- top -
Facilitation Tips
..........• Sometimes a good
point gets raised but is lost in the discussion or goes unnoticed.
That is why it is good to have someone writing the brainstorming
ideas on a large notepad or dry erase board. Also the facilitator
can help bring an idea back into the discussion by restating it
or asking the person that came up with the idea to re-state it.
..........• Keep the discussion
moving forward. If everyone seems to agree, state a proposal and
check for consensus. If the discussion is deadlocked, ask people
if a small group can discuss it afterward.
..........• If the discussion
is contentious and/or people aren’t respecting each other,
try this: declare who the next three speakers are, and don’t
let people raise their hands until those three are done. This way
everyone concentrates on what’s being said, instead of sighing,
moaning, and planning his or her response.
..........• If part of the group
is much more knowledgeable, then you can pick several representatives
and let them have a free-form (non-facilitated) discussion in the
middle of the room. This is called a ‘fish-bowl’ and
can also be useful for resolving conflict (by picking representatives
of the different sides of the issue).
..........• Good phrases:
...................."Let's
hear from some people who haven't spoken yet."
...................."The
men in the room have been talking a lot, let's hear from some of
the women."
...................."The
veteran members have been talking a lot, let's hear from some of
the new people."
..........• Keep it positive!
....................-
Instead of using "but", use "and". Ex: “That’s
a good idea AND this is also a good idea” or AND “I
think we should hear from some others”
..........• When in doubt, resort
to the small group!
Often logistical discussions (mtg. times), contentious topics, and
project details (what color the to make the t-shirts) can get carried
away and take up unnecessary amounts of time in the big group meeting.
These discussions can and probably should be dealt with by a small
group of people after the meeting which reports back to and works
with the bigger group later.
..........• If the discussion
is contentious and/or people aren’t respecting each other,
try this: declare who the next three speakers are, and don’t
let people raise their hands until those three are done. This way
everyone concentrates on what’s being said, instead of sighing,
moaning, and planning his or her response.
..........• Have someone in the
group summarize the discussion before starting a new agenda item.
This brings a sense of closure to that agenda item. More importantly,
it allows the group to feel more involved as they are summarizing
the discussion, not the facilitator.
Sample Conversation:
Facilitator: OK, the next thing on the agenda is
the Toxins project. Liz?
Liz: Well, we discovered the school has been dumping toxins in the
lake and...
Amit: Gee, this reminds me of a story I read when I was a kid.
Facilitator: Please, don't interrupt.
Liz: Well we decided we'd like to re-route the drainage pipes into
the President's house.
Facilitator: (Miya raises her hand) Discussion? Yes? (points to
Miya)
Miya: Isn't that a bit harsh? Maybe we should try the publicity
route first.
Andy: Publicity? They didn't care about publicity when they massacred
the class of '98!
Chris: Yeah, but they'll be pretty embarrassed if this comes out.
The Provost did say he's pro-environment the other day.
Facilitator: OK, it seems like we have two proposals: to re-route
the pipes now, or to get a lot of publicity and see what that does.
Hands? (All but two people vote for doing publicity first.) Well,
unless you two have serious objections it looks like we have consensus
for trying publicity first. But if that doesn’t work we can
revisit this discussion.
Looking for more practice? Try out these
role plays!
- top -
Hand Signals and How to Use
Them
Hand signals are ways for people to comment without having to disrupt
the meeting. When everyone is willing to use them, they can save
a lot of time, help the meeting run much more efficiently, and encourage
everyone to actively participate.
For instance, often in meetings people will end up repeating in
different ways what other people have already said. Many people
feel the need to say things like, "I also really think that
we should reevaluate our goals and blah blah blah blah blah."
Instead of having to raise your hand to basically say, "I support
that", people can give the Silent Cheer (see below). This helps
the Facilitator and everyone else read the mood of the whole group
rather than being blinded by the attitudes of a few aggressive speakers.
Silent Cheer/Twinkle: Hold up your hands and wiggle
your fingers in the air.
Focus/Get to the Point: Move your hands back and
forth bringing them together in a 'V' shape. Get back to the point.
Use this signal when people go off on tangents and aren't sticking
to the agenda.
Jargon: Throw up your hands with palms upside
down. Use this for acronyms or when people refer to things you haven't
heard of. If you think other people haven't heard of it you should
do this too so that others who might be too embarrassed to ask a
question themselves can know what's going on.
- top -
Meeting
Tips
..........• START ON TIME! If
you don’t, you’ll find yourself starting a little bit
later every time because people will assume they can come late since
it’ll start late.
..........• Start with brief introductions.
Many people have trouble remembering names, and it will build your
group’s sense of community for people to regularly introduce
themselves and share something significant that happened to them
since you last met. Essential if you have any new members.
..........• Pass around a sign-in
sheet. Essential if you have any new members.
..........• Bring in presentations
on issues or skills. Experienced group members or guests could give
presentations. This helps educate and empower the group internally.
Remember that there are a lot of people coming to your meetings
to learn! Educate and include them.
..........• Discuss recent current
events (that are applicable) and give inspiration.
..........• Split up into small
groups to work on each project. This depends on the size of the
group. You might be able to do everything in the main meeting, or
you might need separate meetings.
..........• Keep the tone of the
meetings positive. Bad meetings completely kill a group, especially
for new members. People should not be bored, frustrated, or confused.
If things get tense, tell a joke! If there seems to be a problem,
be open about it and seek people’s input about how the meetings
could be improved. If you’re wondering how the meeting went,
ask a new member—they’re the best judges.
..........• Include time for evaluation.
Review your group’s most recent event(s). What went well?
What could you do better next time?
..........• Openly discuss the
group’s dynamics. Every couple of weeks it’s a good
idea to air out frustrations. Ask people how they feel about the
group.
..........• At the end of the
meeting give people a chance to bring up any additional concerns.
..........• Try regularly sharing
a meal (like a potluck) before the meeting or at another time during
the week. This will help everyone feel more comfortable and build
community.
..........• FINISH ON TIME! This
goes hand in hand with starting on time. Starting and finishing
on time reaffirms the fact that people’s time is a valuable
commodity.
At the end of the meeting, everyone should know:
..........• When and where the
next meeting is. (Try to hold regular weekly meetings)
..........• What they’re
supposed to do.
..........• How to get in touch
with people if they want to help. (You could write names and numbers
on a chalkboard, or pass out sheet with contacts.)
..........• Who’s going
to facilitate the next meeting and how to get in touch with them.
- top -
Decision-Making
A concrete and agreed upon decision making process is necessary
for any group to operate successfully. Many groups may want to include
their voting/consensus process in their group constitution. There
are two main methods that your group may choose to employ for decision
making, voting or the consensus process.
|
A short guide
to collective decision-making (pdf) |
Voting
Larger groups may find the voting process to be more suitable, while
smaller groups are more comfortable with a more informal consensus
process. With voting, you may find that requiring a two-thirds majority
may promote more group cohesion as it reduces the number of people
who may view themselves as having lost a vote. Also, some groups
may want to link the privilege of voting to meeting attendance or
participation.
Consensus
Alternately, the consensus process seeks to establish mutual agreement
on an issue by addressing all concerns. It can take longer than
other processes, but it promotes group cooperation, creativity and
will usually produce a greater feeling of commitment and individual
buy-in to final decisions. Consensus though, does not always produce
nor require unanimity.
Why Consensus?
..........• No losers
..........• Can come up with creative
decisions that meet everyone’s needs
..........• Everyone feels a fair
decision was made
..........• Everyone participates;
there is no hierarchy
Is Consensus for You?
..........• People in the group
have similar views
..........• The group is relatively
small (the smaller the group, the easier the consensus process)
..........• You all see one another
as equals
..........• Those with more privilege
recognize it and deal with it
..........• The group is willing
to spend a lot of time and energy on the process
..........• Everyone is open to
change and new ideas
|
A consensus
checklist (pdf) |
The Consensus Process
There is no one way to make consensus decisions – your group
will eventually come up with a method that works best for you.
Often, the facilitator will open a discussion item by asking for
an introduction to the issue, especially if new people are present.
From there, discussion proceeds. If many people want to speak, or
especially if people begin to speak at the same time, the facilitator
or the stack-keeper will ask people to raise their hands to be called
on to speak. A "stack" or list of names will be kept,
and each person will be called on in order. It’s the responsibility
of the facilitator to make sure people are staying on topic. S/He
will also stop people from speaking out of turn, being repetitive,
or from engaging in a two-person dialogue.
As the discussion proceeds, a skilled facilitator will try to guide
the group to a proposal that everyone can agree upon. ("What
I'm hearing is this, that and the other, is there anything else
we need to know?") The stack keeper and timekeeper are the
only other people who can interrupt the stack, and then ONLY for
the purposes of attending to their jobs. ("There are 12 people
on the stack, and we only have five minutes left for this topic").
Other than that, there are two ways to break the stack. By holding
up an index finger, a participant is indicating that s/he has a
"point of information" that will clarify an issue, and
save time in the discussion. By raising up both hands with palms
facing each other (| |) or with the fingers touching (^), the participant
is indicating a "process breakdown" that needs to be addressed
immediately. ("The facilitator isn't calling on people,"
"Only two people are talking about this, and the rest of us
are bored," or "Some people keep insulting the endocrinologists
in the group, and we want it to stop," or simply, "Nobody
is talking about the agenda item, let's stay on the subject.")
Silent applause or "twinkling" - holding hands up and
wiggling fingers is a non-interruptive way to show support for what
is being said.
The facilitator should ask the group for a proposal when all concerns
have been aired. After a proposal is made, the facilitator should
first ask the people on the stack if they need to speak before the
proposal is developed. Usually people are ready to move on an issue
by this time. The facilitator asks for concerns or friendly amendments
to the proposal. The note taker is often called upon to read back
the proposal with amendments, so people can keep track of its development.
After amendments are made, the facilitator will check for consensus.
If everyone gives the "thumbs up", then consensus has
been reached, and the meeting goes on to ironing out the details.
("Who's going to write the press release?", "Can
so-and-so bring their car?" etc.) Make sure somebody can coordinate
the event and remind people of what they volunteered for.
If someone gives a "thumbs down", they are signaling
a "block" to the proposed action. A block is a serious,
often ethical objection to the proposal, out of concern for the
group's reputation, legal or safety issues, the bigger strategy
in the community, or something of that scale. Unless amendments
can be made that will convince the person to either remove the block
or "stand aside" (signaling that the person removes him/herself
from the group for the purposes of this issue), a block means that
the group takes no further action. This is a situation to avoid,
obviously. A person who blocks proposals very often will eventually
be asked if they really want to be in the group.
Consensus Tips
..........• Make consensus a group
norm
..........• As you become experienced
at consensus, keep a notebook of how to make consensus work &
how to deal with conflict
..........• Make a set of anti-oppression
rules so that when there are problems relating to privilege, you
can deal with them.
..........• Be aware of your privilege
and position in the group
..........• Loud people: make
sure you let others talk without interrupting
..........• If some people are
getting very emotional, the facilitator can suggest a break, or
ask those people if they would like some time out
..........• The group could agree
to meet the next day, or make the decision at the next meeting
..........• If the discussion
becomes an argument between a few people, those people may be asked
to resolve their dispute elsewhere
..........• If a person or people
from privileged backgrounds are taking over the consensus process,
there may need to be some serious discussion as to whether that
person can continue in the group, or guidelines will need to be
made for that person’s behavior.
..........• If there is serious
animosity between a few people, this may be better dealt with personally,
not in the group.
- top -
Common
Meeting Troubles
..........• Are meetings boring?
If so they probably aren’t action-oriented enough. Try holding
the next one inside a jail, a moving freight train, or a burning
building (just kidding). You may want to have the group make signs
for the next protest, though. Make sure new people are being invited
to help.
..........• Are your meetings
clogged with too much detail? Unless something interests a substantial
part of the group, it should be discussed in a small-group meeting
instead. This is for the facilitator to judge (though anyone can
complain).
..........• Are people feeling
left out and stupid because speakers are assuming that people know
what they’re talking about, and using a lot of jargon? Speak
plainly. Do more education at meetings. If a speaker uses a word
or phrase that a lot of people don’t know (what the hell is
a perched water table anyway?), stop them and have them explain
it.
..........• Are people dominating
because they have neat connections with various bigwigs? Have others
go with them to bigwig meetings. Make sure these connections are
shared, as they belong to the whole group.
..........• Are people dominating
because they know a lot? Have them give presentations and teach
the rest of the group. However, make sure this person is really
teaching and not just showing off.
..........• Are people dominating
because they’re more confident than the rest, better speakers,
etc.? The facilitator should call on others.
..........• Is one part of the
group (men, whites, seniors, etc.) doing all the talking? The facilitator
should ask for input from the rest of the group.
..........• Are people turned
off because speakers are assuming too much about their ideology?
This calls for some simple politeness. If people want to help, they
shouldn’t feel excluded just because they are more conservative
or more radical than the rest of the group. Maybe there could be
a meeting to discuss everyone’s ideology.
..........• Do meetings run overtime?
Set time limits, stick to the agenda, and start on time even if
not everybody’s there. People will be much more willing to
come to meetings if they know they can get out by a certain time.
- top -
Communication Skills
How to Be a Good Communicator
..........• try to put yourself
in the other person’s shoes
..........• concentrate and be
patient
..........• do not interrupt
..........• don’t judge
..........• give praise when it’s
due
..........• use non-verbal gestures
to show your feelings instead of accusing others
....................-
E.g. smiling, nodding etc.
..........• talk about your feelings
instead of accusing others
....................-
E.g. instead of “you make me feel awful when you do that”
say “I feel awful when I am yelled at”
How Do You Communicate?
Think about how these factors affect your communication style:
..........• Tone of voice (angry,
sad, happy)
..........• Volume of voice (soft,
loud)
..........• Body language
..........• Listening skills (hearing
is not the same as listening
..........• Facial expression
..........• Pace of speech (fast,
slow)
..........• Biases, stereotypes,
preconceptions/ judgments
..........• Speaking style (do
you use slang, academic language, simple language, etc.)
..........• Privilege and/or marginality
..........• Life experiences
..........• Cultural background
|
Practicing
active listening |
Active Listening
When to use it:
..........• in very emotional
situations
..........• when communication
is too difficult
..........• when you’re
not understanding each other
..........• when discussion isn’t
going anywhere
How to do it:
..........• don’t judge
or interrupt
..........• listen to learn
..........• listen between the
lines to what they’re feeling
..........• rephrase to make sure
you understand what they said
Conflict Mediation
Finding a way to sort out a problem or conflict between two or more
people or groups with the help of a person or group who can listen
and suggest a compromise without being biased or judgmental.
When to Use it:
..........• The problem is too
hot to handle for the people involved
..........• The argument has been
going on too long and you need to make a decision
The basics:
..........• Let people know you
aren’t there to judge or to be a problem solver – you
are there to help them work through their problems
..........• Keep the discussion
confidential & make sure everyone knows that!
..........• Make an agenda and
time frame so that people know when they will be able to speak and
when they need to listen, and for how long
..........• Set a few ground rules
to help the process move along smoothly (e.g. no interrupting, no
name-calling etc.)
..........• Make sure it is a
safe space for people to express their views
..........• Be an active listener
..........• Don’t take sides
& be objective. Try to understand (not just hear) what each
person is saying and why.
- top -
Icebreakers
& Games
Icebreakers
Note: Some of these icebreakers involve
bodily contact that not everyone will feel comfortable with, and
others may not be accessible for youth with disabilities. Try to
pick an icebreaker that everyone can feel comfortable with, or else
adapt some activities so that everyone can participate (e.g. having
everyone sitting instead of standing for an activity).
Everyone
Who…
..........• Arrange a circle of
chairs. There should be one less chair than the # of people
..........• One person stands
in the middle and shouts: Everyone who________! (makes their bed,
wears glasses, born in July etc)
..........• All those people jump
up and switch chairs
..........• Whoever is left without
a chair is the next to shout
Resistance
Chain
..........• The group stands in
a circle
..........• Everyone crosses their
hands and puts them in the middle
..........• Grab someone else’s
hands (make sure it’s not the same person)
..........• Try to untangle the
knot without letting go of one another
I
am…
..........• Everyone gets a blank
sheet of paper and marker
..........• On the paper, complete
this sentence in 5 ways: I AM_____________ (e.g. an organizer, a
neat freak, a mother, a vegetarian etc)
..........• Walk around the room
and introduce yourself to every other person
..........• Post up the sheets
somewhere in the room for people to look at afterwards
Variation: have people write 5 sentences describing
their skills (e.g. I speak 3 languages, I am a strong swimmer, I
am good at math).
Name
Game
..........• Everyone sits in a
circle
..........• First person says
their name and one adjective to describe themselves (eg I’m
Jake and I’m funny)
..........• Second person does
the same, but also repeats what the first person said
..........• Continue along the
circle this way, so that the last person repeats everyone’s
name
 Group
Mural
..........• Lay out a big piece
of chart paper and markers, crayons, pencil crayons etc.
..........• Each person draws
some sort of image/shape on the mural that represents who they are
..........• When the mural is
done, people explain what they drew
 Solidarity
Tags
..........• Everyone picks a blank
name tag & decorates it with a border, then writes their name
in pencil on the back
..........• Put all the decorated
name tags in a pile
..........• Everyone picks out
a decorated name tag (not their own) & writes their name in
the middle
..........• Then, everyone introduces
themselves to whoever made their name tag.
 Reporter
..........• Randomly pair up people
in the group
..........• Partners ask each
other 3 questions. Eg. What is one interesting thing about you?
Why did you come to this event? Who is your hero?
..........• Come back as a group
and have everyone introduce their partner
 Silent
Communication
..........• Ask everyone to line
themselves up from eldest to youngest/ alphabetical order of first
or last names without speaking.
Group Games: Energizers
Everyone gets burnt out sometimes. If during a workshop or other
group activity you notice people getting restless or bored, it may
be time for an energizer
Coalition
Tag
..........• One person is ‘It’
and tries to tag someone else
..........• Whoever gets caught
joins hands with the one who is ‘It’ and they become
a ‘coalition’
..........• The coalition tries
to catch everyone else. Every time some one is caught, they join
the coalition
Pushover
..........• Group is divided into
pairs
..........• Partners stand with
their palms upright, facing one another
..........• Partners try to push
each other over with their palms without moving their feet
Bean
Bag Toss
..........• Group sits/stands
in a circle
..........• 2 people begin by
throwing a bean bag (or soft ball) across the circle to each other
..........• Slowly, more pairs
begin tossing bean bags across to each other until everyone is tossing
a bean bag to someone else
..........• Make the game more
challenging by adding restrictions, e.g. eyes closed, one hand,
one foot etc.
Freeze
..........• Facilitator plays
some music, or makes some noise, and asks the group to move around
the room
..........• Once noise/music stops,
anybody who moves is ‘out’
..........• Last person remaining
wins
Superstar
..........• Write down the names
of several well-known celebrities – politicians, activists,
musicians, actors, other global figures etc on little pieces of
paper
..........• Tape one paper to
each person’s back
..........• Everyone walks around
and tries to guess what is taped on their back by asking ‘yes’
or ‘no’ questions – e.g. am I under 50? Am I a
musician? Am I still alive?
..........• Continue until almost
everyone has guessed their identity or time runs out
Dictator's
Wink
..........• Everyone sits in a
circle with their eyes closed while the facilitator picks a ‘dictator’
..........• Everyone opens their
eyes
..........• Whoever gets winked
at by the dictator is automatically banished (make the banishment
dramatic!)
..........• Those left try to
guess who the dictator is as s/he continues winking at people
Variation: dictator handshake-people walk around
room, shaking hands, and the dictator banishes by giving a little
scratch when s/he shakes hands
Boomachickaboom!
..........• One person is the
leader
..........• Leader shouts BOOM!
And the group repeats
..........• Leader shouts BOOMACHICKABOOM!
And the group repeats
..........• Leader shouts BOOMACHICKAROCKACHICKAROCKACHICKABOOM!
And the group repeats
..........• Leader begins again,
but in a different tone of voice. Repeat several times with different
voices. Leaders can be rotated.
Spread
the word
..........• Everyone sits in a
circle
..........• One person thinks
of a secret message and whispers it in the ear of the person next
to them
..........• That person passes
the message on to the next person, and so on
..........• The last person says
the message out loud to see how close it is to the original
 The
Youth Say
..........• One person is the
leader
..........• The rest of the group
must obey the leader only when s/he gives a command that begins
with “The Youth Say”, e.g “The Youth Say Jump”
..........• People who obey commands
that don’t start with “The Youth Say” are ‘out’
..........• Last person out wins
 Ruckus
Makers
..........• Each individual picks
a different noise or sound
..........• When the facilitator
says GO, everyone begins making their noise
..........• Repeat a few times
until the group is as loud as they can get
- top -
More Information
..........• Getting
Unstuck: Common Problems in Meetings and Some Solutions by Randy
Schutt
..........• Facilitation:
The Secret to Smooth, Synchronized Meetings by SEAC
..........• Notes
on Consensus Decision-Making by Randy Schutt
..........• Consensus
Is Not Unanimity: Making Decisions Cooperatively by Randy Schutt
..........• Consensus
Decision-Making Booklet by Jason Diceman
- top -
|
IN
BHOPAL