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Facilitation

You can search for postings containing "Facilitation" in the Cohousing-L archives.

The following pages and articles on this website are also tagged "Facilitation":

  • Tools for Tackling Issues
    March, 2008

    These tools of use to groups tackling issues come from Seeds for Change, a British nonprofit that seeks to equip those working for change with better skills.

  • Let’s collect the successful practices of successful communities
    July, 2007

    As many of the requests on the cohousing List-serve demonstrate, when a community has to draw up an LLC agreement, bylaws, pet policies or other documents, they often ask if anyone would share what their community has created. Those same appeals come up time and again, with mixed results. The recent creation of the Wiki is another attempt to learn from the successful practices of successful communities.

  • Handling inappropriate blocks in consensus
    by Tree Bressen, Walnut St. Co-op
    February, 2007

    When a block arises in consensus process, the situation is typically scary for everyone involved, and it can cause so much frustration that it gives the whole process a bad rap. The accepted wisdom says that blocking should happen extremely rarely. Doyenne Caroline Estes says that in 45 years of facilitating hundreds of groups she’s witnessed a correct block less than a dozen times. But less skilled groups often struggle with more frequent blocks. Blocking based on the individual’s personal preference or values rather than on the group’s well-being and values is the most common mistake in attempts at consensus process. What can you do when someone blocks inappropriately? Here are suggestions.

  • Deep Process: Facilitation Free-For-All

    Eris Weaver & Liz Logan

    Do you facilitate meetings in your community? Come get together with other facilitators for a freewheeling session of discussion, problem-solving, and sharing. Bring problems or questions that are currently challenging or puzzling you and receive group support and suggestions for solutions. This is not intended solely for professionals!

    Eris Weaver’s career as a facilitator and group process consultant has grown directly out of her nine years of experience living and working in cohousing. She enjoys working with forming and existing communities to improve their interpersonal connections, communication skills, and decision-making processes. With a background in improvisational theater, she brings a sense of humor and playfulness into everything she does. Eris is part of the community building team at Cohousing Partners and a founding member of FrogSong in Cotati, CA.

  • Eris Weaver, Facilitator & Group Process

    Consensus is a powerful process for collaborative decision making and building group cohesion. However, it is not something that comes naturally to those of us who’ve grown up in an individualistic, competitive culture! Many cohousing communities find that investing in training and occasional outside facilitation can greatly improve the quality of their meetings and increase the depth of their interpersonal connections.

    Eris Weaver’s career as a professional facilitator and group process consultant has grown directly out of her years of experience living and working in cohousing. She works with communities to:
    * Facilitate meetings on difficult or emotional issues
    * Coach process teams on agenda planning and facilitation techniques
    * Teach workshops on consensus and other collaborative decision-making techniques; communication skills; and conflict resolution.

    707-338-8589
    Eris Weaver - Website (www.erisweaver.info)

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