Cohousing-L Mailing List: Low-cost Sociocracy workshop for cohousing & other intentional communities July 6-7 in North Carolina

[Diana Leafe Christian (diana]

Hello,

I’m doing a workshop on Sociocracy (also called “Dynamic Governance”) at
Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina on Saturday and Sunday, July 6-7.

*"Sociocracy/Dynamic Governance for Intentional Communities"*
*Saturday & Sunday, July 6–7, 2013*

As you may know, Sociocracy/ Dynamic Governance (DG) is a whole-system
governance & decision-making method designed to foster more harmonious
organizations — and I know communities care about harmony!
Sociocracy is based on the values of transparency, equivalence of voice,
and effectiveness. Its decision-making method — Consent Decision Making —
is similar to consensus because it’s very fair and participatory and takes
into account everyone’s views — but it's also different, because things
move faster.

(And please forward this message to anyone you think may be interested in
the workshop. Thank you!)

Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Massachusetts now uses Sociocracy/DG. Recently
one of their members said, “We’ve been able to make more decisions in the
last two months than we did for the last two years!”
Katywil Cohousing in Massachusetts uses Sociocracy and loves it.

This Sociocracy/DG  workshop is intentionally low-cost — $125 for both
days.
         * Delicious catered organic breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are
$10 per meal additional.
         * Onsite lodging — in the campground ($15/tent) indoor dorm space
($25-$30/person), or indoor lodging units ($50 for 1, $60 for 2, $70 for 3)
— is additional. Motel and hotel rooms are also available in Black
Mountain, a half-hour away.
         * Participants will receive a workshop handout booklet.
         * I’ll give a tour of Earthaven for any interested participants on
Friday afternoon, July 5.

The webpage is
http://www.culturesedge.net/#!self-governance-course-descriptions/c1sp2

I think Sociocracy/DG can  work a lot better for communities than
consensus, at least the way consensus is practiced in most communities.
Sociocracy/DG is not just about decision-making, but a complete system of
governance -- which means organizing the flow of work, money, and
information. It  includes decision-making method. Consensus is a
decision-making method only.

I’ve taught this workshop in four different countries over the last year,
and now know that Sociocracy/DG need not be complex or difficult to learn
when presented in simple, step-by-step, visual, experiential, and
entertaining ways.

I’ve designed the workshop with lively visual presentations, musical skits,
experiential exercises, and practice sessions. The workshop is designed so
participants will learn the following things:

·            * The Sociocracy/DG governance method with circles and
double-links — and how to apply it in participants' communities.
·
·            * (1) Consent Decision-Making, (2) Proposal-Forming, (3)
Evaluating Implemented Proposals, (4) Selecting People for Roles, and (5)
Role-Improvement Feedback.
·
·            * Building “Plan/Implement/Evaluate” feedback loops into every
proposal. (!)
·
         * Why Sociocracy/DG follows as a natural next step from both
consensus decision-making as well as top-down hierarchical management.
·
·            * Suggested next steps to implement Sociocracy/DG in workshop
participants’ own communities.
·
I’ll also be available at no charge after the workshop for informal webinar
sessions on implementing Sociocracy/DG in participants’ communities.

If this interests you, please do check out the workshop details on the
website:
http://www.culturesedge.net/#!self-governance-course-descriptions/c1sp2
Or email info [at] culturesedge.org

         Diana

Here is background information on me as the presenter and our two Resource
Guests for the workshop:

Presenter *Diana Leafe Christian* speaks at conferences and gives workshops
internationally on effective governance and decision-making and on starting
successful new communities. A former consensus trainer, she has now taught
Sociocracy/DG in the US, Canada, Sweden, and France.
To help communities better implement Sociocracy/DG, she draws upon the
wisdom of an informal advisory board of six experienced Sociocracy trainers
worldwide who either live in community themselves or are experienced in
teaching it to communities.
Diana is author of *Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow
Ecovillages and Intentional Communities,* and *Finding Community: How to
Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community.* She is author of a an article
series in Communities magazine about governance and decision-making methods
that inspire harmony and trust and go beyond the limits of consensus as
it’s practiced in most communities. www.DianaLeafeChristian.org

Resource Guest *Monika Megyesi,* a professional group facilitator and
mediator, has taught Sociocracy to businesses and  nonprofits since 2008,
and worked with community mediation centers in Maryland & Washington D.C.
Monika has worked closely with John Buck, co-author of the Sociocracy book,
We the People, and the man who brought Sociocracy/DG to the US and the
English-speaking world. www.governancealive.com

Resource Guest *Sheella Mierson, Ph.D.,* a Sociocracy trainer since 2008,
has trained businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions, and
government agencies in Sociocracy, and has also worked closely with and
co-trained with John Buck, author of We the People. Trained as a
biophysicist, Sheella taught college for many years before becoming a
business consultant and group facilitator. She lives in Delaware.
www.CLSSolutionsInc.com

Resource Guest* Gaya Erlandson, Ph.D., *an asset-based community organizer,
Sociocracy/DG facilitator and relationship coach, has
advocated Sociocracy/DG since 1997 and hosted many of John Buck’s workshops
in Asheville, NC. She has offered several introductory sessions on
Sociocracy, done consulting locally, was a resource guest for several of my
workshops, and practices Sociocracy/DG in her intentional community, Lotus
Lodge. Author of a chapter in the anthology, Aging in Community, she
encourages local organizations and government agencies to help existing
neighborhoods transition to resilient communities. cocreating [at] charter.net