Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Consensus Decision Making Using a Digital Platform

[Doug Huston (huston]

Hi Liz,
I met you in Portland and enjoyed your sessions. We are about to have our first 
COVID era plenary meeting with a mix of in-person and Zoom. It will be an 
adventure and your e-mail was both funny and illustrative.
- Doug

> On Apr 26, 2020, at 8:21 AM, Elizabeth Magill <pastorlizm [at] gmail.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> We are using zoom.
> 
> We had the unexpected challenge that our laminated cards are highly
> reflective so we couldn't see what color they are. Also we had encouraged
> folk to find things at home in the appropriate colors, thinking it would be
> fun and funny--which it was--but mama mia you can't see what color a pencil
> is on zoom, and red (stop the discussion) and orange (appreciation) look
> pretty much exactly the same.
> 
> For the easy decisions (approve minutes and approve agenda) we asked "any
> objections" after carding so the people on the phone could speak up. For
> the hard decision (spend $10,000 on new pathway lighting) we asked the
> people on the phone what color their cards were.
> 
> While the feedback from the meeting was mostly very positive the
> facilitators were quite overwhelmed and we'll do somethings differently
> next time.
> We had both facilitators helping each other AND side discussions in
> chat--we are inclined to turn off chat completely next time. There was no
> way to keep up with it as facilitators.
> (We'll tell people to text or use slack for their side discussions, which
> folks did in our live meetings already.)
> Does anyone know how to make it so cohosts can all chat but others cannot?
> 
> Also we are thinking two hours is too long, next meeting 1.5 hours max.
> 
> AND we are taking advantage of this opportunity to ask what was already out
> in the air before this--why do we meet? What do we aim to get from meetings?
> 
> Liz
> Mosaic Commons in Berlin, MA
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 7:16 AM Dick Margulis <dick [at] dmargulis.com> wrote:
> 
>> Rocky Corner is a whisker's breadth away from move-in (Xeno's Paradox in
>> real life), and we have been using Zoom for meetings for a few years now.
>> 
>> Main takeaway: meetings work much better with everyone on Zoom than with
>> half the people in the room and the rest on the screen. That arrangement
>> was perennially maddening, because the remote people missed much of what
>> transpired in the room (too far from the mic, mumbling, crosstalk, body
>> language, you name it).
>> 
>> With everyone on screen, as we are now, we all have an easier time
>> seeing everyone, the facilitator has better control of the process (and
>> can mute people at will), we conduct rounds efficiently, and sociocratic
>> decision-making goes smoothly.
>> 
>> We use the chat feature for things like posting links and passing
>> nominations in confidence to the facilitator (rather than slips of paper
>> we would use in an in-person meeting). We use Google Drive for sharing
>> the agenda and the meeting notes. People can screen share to present
>> complex information, graphics, etc.
>> 
>> Overall, I recommend Zoom or any equivalent platform for meetings
>> anytime someone whose consent is required cannot be physically present.
>> If you have good enough tech that one or two people can be remote and
>> still participate fully with everyone else in a meeting room, go for it.
>> But if you're jury-rigging a half-assed solution in someone's living
>> room, it's better to have 100% of the participants on screen.
>> 
>> Dick Margulis
>> http://www.rockycorner.org/
>> 
>> 
>> On 4/26/2020 12:02 AM, Ann Zabaldo wrote:
>>> Hello all —
>>> 
>>> For those of you using a digital platform to conduct meetings, how are
>> you handling consensus decision making?  I’m not talking about discussion
>> but the actual time you are moving towards consensus on a proposal.
>>> 
>>> What challenges have you had or do you foresee?
>>> 
>>> What has gone well w/ your consensus process via a digital platform?
>>> 
>>> Do you have suggestions for communities starting to use a digital
>> platform?
>>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> -- 
> -Liz
> (The Rev. Dr.) Elizabeth Mae Magill
> Pastor, Ashburnham Community Church
> Minister to the Affiliates, Ecclesia Ministries
> www.elizabethmaemagill.com
> 508-450-0431
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> 
> 
>