Cohousing-L Mailing List: Today, Mon, Jan 18, last day for Sociocracy Course Early Bird Discount; responding to Melanie's question

[Diana Leafe Christian (diana]

> Hello everyone,
        Thank you to everyone who participated in our free Sociocracy Overview 
classes, and thank you Carol Brook, for your kind words about them.  
         My first reason for writing is to let folks know the Early Bird 
Discount price of $225 for our 10-week Online Sociocracy Course for intentional 
communities starting Feb. 8 runs through today, Monday, Jan 18 and ends 
tonight. The Regular Price, starting Tues, Jan 19, is $245-$445 sliding scale. 
Here's more information about the course, what it covers, how it focuses on 
using sociocracy in intentional communities specifically, and the various 
learning modes we use in it. https://tinyurl.com/SociocracyFeb2021 
<https://tinyurl.com/SociocracyFeb2021>
        Second, I want to respond to Melanie G's question "Did Diane actually 
use these words "Sociocracy makes governing easy and takes away blockers and 
controllers and bullies in the consensus process," or are you paraphrasing?"
>       I didn't say it that way, and I don't see it that way. Rather, in my 
> experience, when a community meets what I call "the four necessary 
> conditions" for using sociocracy effectively, they can experience (1) having 
> better meetings, including less conflict in meetings, (2) getting more done, 
> (3) being better organized, and (4) feeling more connected to other community 
> members.
>        When a community uses all of what I call "the seven parts" of 
> sociocracy, the parts tend to mutually reinforce each other and serve as 
> checks and balances against abuses of power in meetings, such as the 
> controllers and bullies Melanie mentions. But just in meetings and the 
> self-governance process; there's no specific sociocracy process to deal with 
> controlling or bullying behaviors outside of meetings.
         To this point, sociocracy doesn't have a conflict resolution method, 
although the seven parts working together tend to reduce community conflict in 
meetings, and having better meetings tends to increase good will in a group. 
And there can certainly be a committee specifically to learn and practice 
antidotes to conflict, such as Nonviolent Communication, and the Restorative 
Circles conflict resolution method.
       Further to Melanie's question, there aren't "blockers" in sociocracy 
because there is no process for blocking. There are what are called 
"objections" to proposals, but these are concerns, not blocks, and are meant to 
be resolved. In sociocracy the bias is to move forward by meeting community 
goals and consenting to proposals. 
       Third, while Melanie couldn't attend last week's free Sociocracy 
Overview classes, we're offering them again this week: Thursday evening, Jan 21 
(5-7:30 pm Pacific Time, etc.) and Saturday, Jan 23 (10-11:30 am Pacific Time, 
etc.). We got such a huge response to this offer that the first set of classes 
filled up, then we arranged a second set, and they filled up too. But we found 
a way to accommodate more people, so now they're open again. Melanie, if you 
are able attend these next two free Sociocracy Overview classes, please do, and 
any other interested people as well. Just email diana [at] ic.org to register 
and I'll send you the Zoom link and short videos and handouts about the two 
topics we'll cover, Selecting People for Roles (Jan 21) and Role-Improvement 
Feedback (Jan 23).
     All good wishes,
     Diana Leafe Christian