Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Consensus and the Concept of Blocking

[Becky Schaller (bschaller]

I may have missed this, but I think one important part about dealing with
blocking is how the issue is discussed from the beginning.  Sometimes we're
ok with a committee coming to the general meeting with a proposal.  Other
times, it doesn't work.  In those cases, I'm beginning to think that it's
best to go back to the beginning.

Recently we had Laird Schaub come to our group and do a workshop.  We
discussed consensus building quite a bit.  One thing I learned was a basic
procedure for beginning to discuss a controversial issue.  This is the way I
remember it. Other can correct me if I remember wrong.

There are three steps to achieving consensus.

1.  Flesh out the concerns of the group.  Laird recommends doing this in
small groups and then one person from each group reports back to the larger
group.

2. The issue is then taken to a committee which then comes up with their
best proposal to meet all the conerns named. Committees will have an easier
time if they are given clear mandates instead of general ones.  Part of this
second step is bringing the proposal back to the general meeting to hear
responses. Proposal may be tweaked or it may need to go back to the
committee.  This second step may take several meetings, but it ends when the
group comes to a final proposal.

3.  Group gives formal approval to proposal.

Laird also talked about the difference between basic needs versus derived
needs. These sometimes get confused.  For example, I need lights at night in
the parking lot is not a basic need.  I need to be safe in the parking lot
at night is a basic need. Lights may be the best way to meet that basic need
or there may be better ways to meet that need that would also allow people
who want darkness to have darkness at night.  It's best to focus on ways of
meeting people's basic needs and not confuse basic needs from derived needs.

Becky Schaller
Sonora Cohousing
Tucson, Arizona


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