Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Process Committees

[Maraiah (Lynn) Nadeau (welcome]

Years ago, we tried rotating facilitation among all the members. In my opinion, 
it was awful: meeting facilitation is a skill not everyone has.

In 1986 I was on the elected “city council” of the cross-country Great Peace 
March for 6 months, meeting nearly every day, with a consensus-based process. 
As the same group was facilitated by a series of various facilitators, the feel 
and efficiency of our meetings varied enormously. With one facilitator things 
proceeded peacefully and effectively; with another facilitator it felt like we 
were dragging through mud. The skill of the facilitator was the variable, and 
it made such a difference.

At RoseWind we moved from rotating to having a pool of facilitators. Then Rob 
Sandlin counselled us to switch from having a POOL of facilitators to having a 
TEAM of facilitators. This has worked successfully now for many years. The team 
meets ahead of the monthly business meeting, to plan, and in the week after the 
business meeting, to debrief. At the meeting itself, various team members guide 
different parts of the meeting. 

If the process runs into challenges, the facilitation team can call a break and 
confer among themselves, as to what to do. 

This is going well.

RoseWind Cohousing
about 34 years in, in Port Townsend WA