rebecca
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Post by rebecca on Oct 17, 2011 0:57:07 GMT -5
Once the occupation starts and assemblies are taking place daily, we will need more people able to act as facilitators. I think it would be a very good idea for us to offer at least one training this coming weekend at the occupation site. I am not attached to being one of the trainers but am available to do so. Do you think we should wait until our next working group meeting to consider this proposal, or figure it out online so it can be announced sooner and folks can plan to be there?
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Emma
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Post by Emma on Oct 17, 2011 10:14:18 GMT -5
If at all possible, I think it would be good to have a facilitator training *before* the occupation begins. We have a bunch of interested people, including a few from our working group. And we don't have much of a pool of people to pull from who can do this well without going through a training.
I don't think there should be any barriers to having the first training before our next wg mtg, as we ironed out so much of the process last week & now have one meeting of experience doing it that shows us some of the existing strengths and weaknesses.
The sooner the better for getting something set up, imo. I think it's more urgent than another full-on f/l wg meeting, so should get scheduling priority if relevant people's availability is limited. There's stuff we need to do in the wg, sure, but not like last week and not with as much urgency.
I'd -like- to see an announced training time by today or at the latest tomorrow, to occur by Thursday. I realize that's a tall order.
What do other folks think?
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colin
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Post by colin on Oct 17, 2011 14:08:29 GMT -5
I agree with Emma that trainings are important. In addition to training inexperienced folks to facilitate there are also several experienced local facilitators who haven't facilitated a GA yet, they are already trained and we could tap them to facilitate on Friday or in the coming days/weeks.
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rebecca
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Post by rebecca on Oct 17, 2011 16:55:36 GMT -5
I think we'd get more people to a training on the weekend, so if it's possible to pull in already-trained folks for Friday that makes most sense to me. But I'm willing to try to do it sooner if folks think that's best. Anyone else want to weigh in on this?
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Emma
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Post by Emma on Oct 17, 2011 21:45:23 GMT -5
This Friday is a really important GA. Lots of folks will be there for the first time. Media will be there. This is our public face. It is so very important that the meeting be run well. I am a bit in doubt that we have all that many people capable of doing that at this time. It seems to be a common perception that Colin carried this past meeting. I'm sure Sharmin (sp?) is potentially awesome at facilitating, but she wasn't at the meeting where we hammered out the nitty gritty of how we're doing OA meetings. It does both the meeting and the facilitators (both) a disservice to put anyone up there who is unprepared.
I also think it's a good idea to have one or two back-up facilitators, or to have the facilitators switch off over the course of the meeting (rather than both being up there at the same time). Facilitating the whole meeting is clearly exhausting (for good reason!) and it'd be great if at some point the vibe watch could tap in a switch-out to get some fresh energy out there. I suppose that should go on this weeks agenda, but it's relevant here because if we do want to have back-ups (even for the possibility that someone's not there who had planned to facilitate), then we need even more individuals ready and willing to do so.
Do we have 3 or 4 people who were at last Thursdays meeting who are up for facilitating this Friday? If so, I could see putting off the first facilitation training to the weekend. If not, I have a strong objection to putting it off.
There's nothing saying we couldn't then have a second possibly bigger facilitation training over the wknd. It might even be helpful to have one smaller one this week to get the kinks ironed out for how that works so as to be more prepared for what would likely be a larger (and more public) one on the wknd.
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Emma
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Post by Emma on Oct 17, 2011 21:48:21 GMT -5
(well, and there's also the problem that this past Thursday's meeting did not as far as I know have any POCs in attendance so if we don't widen the pool before Friday we'll be in a bit of a bind in that way.)
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dylan
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Post by dylan on Oct 17, 2011 22:02:25 GMT -5
Emma, I suggested to Taina (but did not hear back) that the facilitation working group work closely with the POC Caucus to make sure they are involved in facilitation trainings. I suggested that the facilitation team could present at the POC caucus to encourage POC to attend one. You may want to get in touch with her and see what's possible.
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Emma
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Post by Emma on Oct 17, 2011 22:19:07 GMT -5
Dylan, I'd be happy to talk to Taina or any of my other contacts in the POC working group before Wednesday, but I'm not sure what I'd be suggesting or asking at this point. Do we want to know when interested potential facilitators would be available for a training this week? Do we want to invite them to a training we've already set up? Do we want to offer to provide a training immediately following (or preceding) their caucus meeting?
I am not equipped to offer a training personally. I am equipped to explain our procedure, but I have not facilitated this type of meeting nor ever been trained as a consensus facilitator. Therefore, I can't just volunteer something directly. Rebecca and Colin, iirc you guys have volunteered to run trainings, yes? Do you want to do it together? Is there a night this week when either or both are you are willing & able? Is there anyone else who was there on Thursday at the WG and feels prepared to run a training and can do it this week?
If we can pick a time & date I strongly suspect we can get a useful number of people there. It would only take 3 or 4 participants to make it worthwhile imo. As long as that number included some people of color.
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dylan
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Post by dylan on Oct 17, 2011 22:58:54 GMT -5
I was mainly suggesting communication be begun, with a corollary suggestion that you briefly present at their caucus to invite people to a training, but you all should do whatever you think is best.
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colin
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Post by colin on Oct 17, 2011 23:16:34 GMT -5
Emma, I will reach out to the POC and discuss the issue of facilitation. I consider myself a trained facilitator but I've never trained other facilitators and while I'd be happy to give it my best shot, if no one else has that experience, obviously this wouldn't be ideal bc I don't consider myself an expert.
I know that there are other highly experienced facilitators locally, including members of the POC like Tainia and Victorio, who would be very strong facilitators and would not only not require extensive training but could probably go a long way toward training us. I'll see if I can connect one of them with the facilitation working group.
I'm happy to make myself available for either a training or a WG meeting anytime Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening. Personally, I'd like to take a step back for Friday's GA and either not facilitate at all or take a much smaller role as part of the facilitation team.
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rebecca
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Post by rebecca on Oct 17, 2011 23:22:32 GMT -5
I am willing to be a facilitator or backup on Friday. If we're using the people's mic it could be interesting because I'm sick and don't have much voice; that could be a reason I'd be better as backup. But I'm willing to try anyway and hopefully will be better by then.
Still hoping to hear more voices weigh in on this, particularly whether it's reasonable to defer meeting as a working group in favor of having a training if only one of those can happen before Friday. I think I would only be able to do one or the other.
If training is the priority it would be possible for me to do a training Thursday evening, after it had been announced at the POC caucus on Wednesday. I'd love to work with anyone else interested in doing the training, if you're up for that message me? And we'd need a location, open to suggestions about that.
If meeting as a working group is the priority, we just need to know who else can facilitate on Friday, and then I can do a training on Saturday at the occupation. (And still reach out to POC caucus Wednesday, I figure.)
Again I remain totally open to other people's input or taking the lead on the training. I'm offering so something will happen but it might well be better with your approach, please don't defer to me as any kind of expert...
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dylan
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Post by dylan on Oct 18, 2011 6:22:07 GMT -5
Many people might have experience as a facilitator but it is way different facilitating a group of 300 people than it is facilitating a group of 20 or even 50. I would like to see a formal facilitation training happen in the area. I happen to think these meetings and exposure to the consensus process is one of the most important things that will come out of the occupy movement and I want people to walk away from all this with a positive view of that process.
In the meantime for the sake of consistency and competency I would suggest that any facilitator at the minimum attend a facilitation meeting where everyone can share their experiences with the facilitation process especially with what everyone has learned over the course of the past several meetings. That way info on dealing with larger crowds can be shared and if the "trainee" has valuable insight those can be shared as well. It could be more of a conversation than a lecture, but I think having that is important both for the reasons I mentioned above and also so the f&l group can get a feel for what the individual is like in a group setting so if there are some glaring issues they can take note.
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rebecca
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Post by rebecca on Oct 18, 2011 7:34:33 GMT -5
Dylan, I agree that facilitator should have some introduction to this group's specific process, but if we were to make that a firm requirement we'll need to set up a way for the facilitation wg to be meeting more frequently at the site of the occupation, and I'm not sure what our current group's capacity will be for that. How many of this working group's current members will be available on site regularly? I will be there some days but not all, and mostly not there at night.
Separately, on the question of choosing facilitators for Friday: the part of this that is saying the right thing for the media who might be there, at the same time as attending to the group's process needs, is not something I feel confident about at all. I am not a media person. If someone else who has more of that strength can be found for the facilitator team for Friday that would probably be really good.
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dylan
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Post by dylan on Oct 18, 2011 8:01:27 GMT -5
OK just my two cents I'll be quiet now.
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rebecca
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Post by rebecca on Oct 19, 2011 8:38:46 GMT -5
I've proposed trainings at 3pm Saturday and Sunday at Lafayette Park. Emma asked for something concrete that could be announced at the POC Caucus tonight. To be confirmed at our wg meeting but let's call that a tentative plan at least.
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