[statecom-discuss] [statecom] inactive committees; decision-making process

[Gracegrnrnbw at aol.com]

Betty - I hear you.

I also think that plenty of us get frustrated with our meetings - often.   
And can feel excluded as well.

What I would like people to also be "open" about is that many, many of our 
leadership have never taken a training in consensus, nor facilitation.   And 
that being willing to learn when new skills are required needs to become the norm 
in a social change good, not be seen as a burden.

And making any decision-making process work requires both significant initial 
training and continuing to learn and deepen our undertsandings.   And it is 
about everyone in the decison-making body learning the rules not just afew 
facilitators.

Why cannot we take the time to try to learn how to run better meetings - then 
we can argue about decision-making tools?   Otherwise, i suspect, we trade 
one set of frustrating meetings for another - except that for some people the 
frustrations will at least feel familiar which I guess people prefer?

Thanks, Grace
In a message dated 12/3/07 9:17:36 AM, merelice at gmail.com writes:


> On 12/2/07, Betty H. Zisk <zisk at bu.edu> wrote:
> > I write in reply to the objection to the consensus process that John 
> Andrews
> > wrote and tht others may share. I frankly wish this issue cld be laid to
> > rest but apparently it cant....
> 
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> The only way this issue can be laid to rest is by being willing to
> address it. May I remind people that the proposal that StateCom passed
> (by consensus) does not suggest the consensus process be dumped. But,
> as Mike noted, many members would like to see whether or how it could
> be modified.
> 
> I, for one, have been in meetings where the process resulted in making
> people feel excluded and ignored rather than heard -- which is the
> exact opposite of the result that the process supposedly seeks. And
> while any process requires acquiring practice and experience in its
> implementation, the consensus process has occasionally been
> troublesome even when very skillfully facilitated. It's not just a
> question of learning how to do it right.
> 
> Let's hear people out, and keep an open thought about proceeding to a
> productive result of this exploration.
> 
> Merelice
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> 
> 




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