Meeting Facilitation

Community Meetings

Community meetings are held on the second  Sunday of each month from 1-5 PM; the meeting may be rescheduled when it falls on a holiday. Each month (on a rotational basis), an Odonata member will have the role of Facilitator. Members should read the following material thoroughly in preparation for their rotation.

Meeting Format

  • Beginning circle (1/2 hour)
    • Grounding (meditation or other way to bring us all together)
    • Inspiration (reading or other method of keeping our sights high)
    • Greeting (if needed, for new members or visitors)
  • Requests for volunteers & passing out consensus cards
    • Time-keeper, who watches the clock for the facilitator to keep the meeting on schedule
    • Heart-keeper, who watches for the emotional climate of the meeting & may call energy issues to the group’s attention (the facilitator or circle will respond), and
    • Note-taker, who will be responsible for taking notes during the meeting and putting those notes on the website
    • Consensus cards are for use in discussion and decisions during the meeting
  • Outline of the agenda, including the time allotted for each item.
  • Partnership Agenda: scheduled discussions, presentations etc. (2 1/2 hour)
    • Break time if energy is lagging – a quick 5 minute stretch.
    • Finishing agenda items: end on time! Either table remaining items for a future meeting or – if a conclusion seems within reach – ask for consensus to extend the meeting to reach that specific goal.
    • Extension of the Partnership Agenda period should NOT reduce the time allotted to the sharing circle; rather lengthen the meeting as a whole.
  • Sharing circle (1 hr) to close
  • Appreciations for the facilitator.
  • Closing

Roles of the Facilitator

The entire circle also watches for and assists with these functions. The facilitator is the person who steers the meeting, while all participants may point out the road.

  • Keeps the discussion on topic
  • Encourages and moderates participation
  • Watches for confusion – provides clarification
  • Summarizes underlying agreement and differences in viewpoints
  • Keeps the pace from lagging or getting too intense – keeps things running on time
  • Helps to reformulate – takes notice when new issues are being raised and writes them down for the group to address later or, if it seems important, asks the group to give the new issue precedence.
  • Solicits feedback – asks for agreement or disagreement on re-phrasing, summaries etc. She/he is open, serving the group.

Looks for group readiness to come to decision – asks if all discussion is complete. States the proposal and asks for a vote with the consensus cards. Clearly reiterates decisions and stops to make sure they are recorded. If appropriate, tables any proposal unable to reach consensus for future discussion / revision.

Conflict Management – The Facilitator’s Role

  • Assists The Quality Of Communication: Asks a speaker to rephrase something if it is not being understood or asks a listener to restate what is being said to insure correct understanding.
  • Aids The Group’s Emotional Climate: Allows for break times when the group becomes restless, a quick energy-building exercise when concentration dissipates, a moment of silence in the heat of an argument.
  • Facilitates Disagreements: Keeps disagreements and criticisms focused on ideas and issues and behaviors, not on member’s personhood. The facilitator should uphold the guideline that no one should be personally attacked. Upholds the use of NVC skills when conflicts arise.
  • Encourages Expression Of Issues: Suppressing conflict should also not be encouraged and, if suspected, the facilitator can ask that issues be identified and addressed. A “round robin”(each member of the circle shares one at a time) can be helpful in getting all perspectives out in the open.