Democratic Meeting Facilitation
Total time: 2 solid hours without breaks or optional piece.
Introductions (5min)
Agenda Review – butcher paper
Logistics – bathroom, snacks, etc.
Current Process Overview (5min)
Go Around (5min)
“What do you want to get out of today's training?”
What experience have you had with good/bad facilitation?
Meeting Facilitation - (45min)
Agenda Formation – (5min)
Agenda planning helps use everyone’s valuable time well. (Instead of wasting the time of 25 people at a bad meeting)
For difficult meetings or meetings with more than 10 people, ideally should spend equal time planning meeting as actual meeting time (2 hours planning for a 2 hour meeting). But facilitator should go over at least an hour before if not the day before every meeting.
Be realistic in suggesting times taking into account what you know about each item – contact agenda item presenter if necessary
Standard Agenda
Hand out a standard agenda for this group including items like: Intros, Agenda Review, Report Backs, Announcements, Evaluation, etc.
When you order stuff, don't put hard stuff together
Feel free to split up big decisions
Written Proposals – Especially for controversial or large proposals. Clearly written and given to Facilitator before meeting ideally including:
Date and name of proposal author(s)
Statement of problem or issue being addressed
Relevant history
Options for addressing problem or issue
Recommendation for best option
Cost (if any)
Trial period and evaluation process
Agenda Formation Exercise(15min)
Brainstorm list individually)
Roles – removed scribe, doorkeeper, snackmaker, vibes
Facilitator – (15min)
Facilitate means to make easy
Facilitates hearing and communicating
Clarify issues
Focus discussion
Prioritize
Bring out all viewpoints
Awareness of who’s speaking (gender, race, age, etc.)
Draws out quiet/oppressed people and limits talkers/privileged
Listen for underlying agreement
Synthesize differences
Ok to make judgment calls
Basically bottom-line responsible for making the meeting run well.
Make sure people know about meeting (make sure you or someone else calls them)
Come with proposed agenda
If it is going to be a hot issue for you it would be good to ask someone else to facilitate (when you want to focus on the issue more than the process)
Also if you have a lot to report back it’s better if you don’t facilitate to balance of talking time
Guerrilla Facilitation
Tyranny e
Note taker – (5min)
Names, date, highlights of discussions, word for word proposal and decision reached and intention of decision
Level of detail of note taking depends on subject matter and discussion
Emailing notes out to entire group can be helpful in keeping folx informed who can’t make meetings – taking in to account that not everyone has internet access.
Keep them in a notebook as a record of decisions and group history
Reading notes from last meeting helps prevent unnecessarily repeating discussions and proposals and can improve follow up and accountability on implementing decisions
Good to go over notes at end of meeting to remember what decisions were made and make sure they have people assigned to implement them
Timekeeper – (5min)
Need a watch
Strive towards informing rather than interrupting while being firm
Your job is not to just hold a watch and feel important (or unimportant). You are the champion of a meeting ended early and the last defense against the evil of a way too long meeting.
Need to make judgments about where the discussion is at – for example if its in the middle of a complex discussion it’s not likely to be wrapped up in less than 10 minutes
Warnings at 10, 5, 2 or whatever’s appropriate.
Some democratic theory – (15min) [OPTIONAL]
elements of successful democratic process
Clear process that is understood by all
Adequate participation
Adequate deliberation
Adequate information
Mitigation of "invisible" barriers to democracy(AKA oppression)
Honesty and Solidarity
Flexibility
Collaborative decision-making vs Competetive decision making
Be careful that debate(deliberation) doesn't lead to debate(defensive posturing and positioning)
Instead of one idea vs. another it is a collaborative synthesis of best solutions for all concerns raised
Perhaps you can help articulate the position of someone you disagree with - less likely in an argument.
Less likely to make improvements if you are defending your position
Pitfalls of voting, Majority Rule, and competetive decision-making
watch out for a rolling majority that silences members
Pay attention to people consistantly in the minority opinio
are they being listened to, heard, is oppression at work?
Decision making deconstructed
Consensus Role Play - (30min each)
Scenario 1 – Ordering a Pizza
Setup 5 min
You are hungry for pizza after a long day of fun in the snow and it closes in 15min
Nearest working phone is ¼ mile down the road
role-plays
You are a vegan (nice but militant)
You Love anchovies and never get to have them
You Love sausage and are a little tired of vegetarians
You are vegetarian
Decision 15
Eval/Debrief – 15
Scenario 2 – 9/11 Anniversary “United We Stand” Parade (30min)
Setup 5 min
PCASC has been planning to hold anti-CAFTA signs at the World Trade Center in which is along the route of the parade. The parade will start in 15 minutes and take about 5 minutes to reach the world trade center where you are now.
You can already see thousands of people with flags getting ready for the parade. On the news coverage of the event last night the Police Chief was quoted as saying, “I believe in free speech but these people need to remember which government gave them that freedom. Any unlawful attempt to disrupt the parade WILL result in arrests.”
You just found out that the Senator will be marching in the parade. He is a key in the upcoming CAFTA vote in congress.
Someone suggests taking the 1000s of anti-CAFTA leaflets in their car and joining the parade with a Senator handing out leaflets.
role-plays:
You told the Senator the last time you saw him that you would never let him sleep if he voted for Fast Track.
You have an ankle injury from soccer, which will make it painful to march.
Can’t get arrested ‘cause you have a warrant
You are scared about going in the street.
You think people who don’t want to go in the street are liberals.
Decision (15min)
Debrief (10min)
Who facilitated? Was it a decision or did someone just do it?
Does anyone think it was a bad decision?
What worked well? What could have worked better?