Re: Dealing with sensitive issues
From: Vicki Rittner (vickirittnergmail.com)
Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2019 15:50:47 -0700 (PDT)
This topic really hits home.

Along with 70+ others aged 62-85+ I moved into a brand new residential
cooperative 7 months ago. We didn't get off to a good start (electing a
board and establishing committees), and it feels like it's already too late
to start over again mending fences so we can all get along better.

I'm saying this to hopefully encourage others who are new, to slow down and
learn from those who have done things WELL. You will make too many mistakes
if things start going sideways. Figure out how you're going to communicate
especially on sensitive issues, and build a foundation of respect amongst
yourselves before you start making big decisions and/or changes.

Vicki
Village Cooperative of Fort Collins

On Thu, Oct 3, 2019 at 5:48 AM Marcia Zuckerman via Cohousing-L <
cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

> In my community, Bay State Commons, we have been working hard on building
> community as we get ready to build a 30-unit project in Malden, MA, near
> Boston.  Early on, we realized that dealing with difficult feelings would
> be important to making the best decisions and maintaining harmony.   A
> number of us were lucky enough to attend a workshop with Karen Gimnig at
> the Northeast Regional Cohousing Conference, and we have hired her as a
> consultant.
>
> Karen can do workshops, facilitate meetings, and consult over time.  We
> have had a number of workshops in which we’ve learned important skills in
> listening, empathizing with, and validating others.  Many skeptics in our
> group have come to feel that it’s worthwhile work.  Recently Karen
> facilitated an extended meeting on the topic of affordability, which
> engenders many interpretations and feelings.  We were able to learn more
> about each other and about the range of feelings on the topic.  There’s
> plenty of hard work left, but Karen got us thinking and communicating
> constructively.  I heartily recommend her services.
>
> Karen’s website is https://www.karengimnig.net/ <
> https://www.karengimnig.net/>.
>
> -Marcia Zuckerman
>  Bay State Commons
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