OS Free to share for non,commercial use. More content and classes http://www.sociocracyforall.org/ Session 1 – for leaders and facilitators The first session is to ensure you have the basics of what it takes to run a circle. You will be able to use those two features in any group outside of this Learning Circle: • Use rounds. As often as possible. Rounds not only enable everyone to speak, but they also support listening. • Always have a facilitator in any group to ensure equal voice, intentionality and effectiveness in your discussions and decisions. Preparation ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL EST. TIME Reading about rounds Reading about roles and elections On rounds On elections 15 min 25 min What the circle will need for session 1: Package 1 o Session 1 plan o Poster 1 (meeting agenda) o Poster 2 (Elections) o Handout for everyone (“Basic concepts session 1”) o Nomination sheets (print more for groups bigger than 6) Other: o Computer with good internet connection to play videos o A timer (phone app works well) o A way to take notes for questions and feedback
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Session'1'–'for'leaders'and'facilitators'The first session is to ensure you have the basics of what it takes to run a circle. You will be able to use those two features in any group outside of this Learning Circle:
•! Use rounds. As often as possible. Rounds not only enable everyone to speak, but they also support listening.
•! Always have a facilitator in any group to ensure equal voice, intentionality and effectiveness in your discussions and decisions.
Preparation'
ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL EST. TIME
Reading about rounds Reading about roles and elections
On rounds
On elections
15 min
25 min
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What the circle will need for session 1: Package 1
o Session 1 plan o Poster 1 (meeting agenda) o Poster 2 (Elections) o Handout for everyone (“Basic concepts session 1”) o Nomination sheets (print more for groups bigger than 6)
Other:
o Computer with good internet connection to play videos o A timer (phone app works well) o A way to take notes for questions and feedback
Free to share for non-commercial use. More content and classes http://www.sociocracyforall.org/
Session'2'–'for'leaders'and'facilitators' The second session guides through the elements on a sociocratic policy circle meeting. You will also start learning about how to make policy by doing the first and second step: picture forming and gathering. After this session, in any meeting you are a part of, you can:
•! Encourage any group to use the essential meeting parts from sociocracy (check-in, administrative, consent to agenda, content items, meeting evaluation/check-out)
•! Large decisions can be made in a group process using picture forming and proposal shaping.
Preparation'
ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL EST. TIME
Reading Reading
On meeting format On picture forming and proposal shaping
Free to share for non-commercial use. More content and classes http://www.sociocracyforall.org/
Session'2'plan'
ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL LENGTH TIME
check-in video (facilitator for rounds) 10 min 0:00-0:10
administrative Video (facilitator for rounds) 10 min 0:10-0:20
why sociocracy? outline of class
Video (facilitator for rounds) 20 min 0:20-0:40
Meeting forma5 Video (facilitator for rounds) 10 min 0:40-0:50
picture forming Video (facilitator for rounds) 15 min 0:50-1:05
proposal pieces Video (facilitator for rounds) 15 min 1:05-1:20
meeting evaluation (facilitator for round) write down all questions, and make sure you have dimensions and proposal pieces recorded! (if working on a flipchart: take a picture)
10 min 1:20-1:30
Session'2'enrichment'
ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL EST. TIME
videos Policy vs. operational decisions <2 min
FAQ: What is the general structure of a meeting?
<2 min
FAQ: How is the content part of a meeting structured?
<2 min
OS
Free to share for non-commercial use. More content and classes http://www.sociocracyforall.org/
Session'3'–'for'leaders'and'facilitators' In this session, you will make two or even three decisions by consent. You have already used consent rounds in elections, now you will use consent decision-making for policy. We subsume all decisions under policy that help us govern how we do things. In that sense, how you will evaluate your ELC is a policy decision. Also, in this session, we will talk about aims.
•! Consent decision-making for policy •! What are objections, and how do we deal with them?
Preparation'
ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL EST. TIME
reading On consent process and objections 20$min$$
Session'4'–'for'leaders'and'facilitators'The fourth session covers organizational structure. Since you are only one circle, we will have to look at examples of organizations with more than one circle. If we imagine your ELC being linked with SoFA through your coach (or with another body filling that role if your coach is using the ELC curriculum without being part of SoFA), then we can now establish double linking between your ELC and SoFA training circle. In order to establish double linking, we will select a delegate from this circle to SoFA. After this session, you will able to use these skills:
•! Understand the organizational structures of non-profits, for-profits and very flat organizations.
•! Double linking can be used in any organization - just insist on linking two committees with two people instead of (n)one.
A time bank is an organization where people can trade services (for instance, Mike cuts Petra’s hair for one hour, and Petra weeds Tim’s garden, and Tim watches Paul’s kids…). Every hour is tracked in an online-system. Department circle aims:
, DITT: enabling trades through online platform and website , Membership: strengthening and growing community of time traders , Management/development: growing financial foundation for the time bank
Comments:
, No top circle/board level , Coordinator of the General Circle got added after the initial implementation , Double linking between department circles and sub-circles of membership
circle , Sub-circles of membership circle were added later (“budding out”) , all volunteer (ca. 16 volunteers) , ca. 1 year after implementing sociocracy
This is a worker-owned bakery/café. Not all workers are owners. Comments:
, Top circle/board of directors has outside people and helps to connect with other organizations from the cooperative world and the community.
, The General Circle has many members because of the number of department circles. This is – among other reasons – because the restaurant is open 7 days a week and relies on redundancy for conflict between meeting time and work shift time.
, The non-owner members are part of the governance system. The owner-circle has only owners, and worker-owners wear their owner hat in this circle.
Session'5'–'for'leaders'and'facilitators'The fifth session is all about evaluation and measurement. You will also do a role improvement session for your leader. After this session, in any organization, you can ask for:
•! role improvement sessions and circle evaluation
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Preparation'
ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL EST. TIME
reading On feedback
30 min
What the circle will need for session 5: Package 5 (this)
o Session plan o Poster (meeting agenda) o Handout$for$everyone$(“Basic$concepts$session$5”) $
Other:
o Computer with good internet connection to play videos o A timer (phone app works well) o A way to take notes for questions and feedback
Session'6'–'for'leaders'and'facilitators'The sixth session is review (selection process, evaluation) and leaves some time to plan a presentation, or for a topic of your choice.
1.! You could watch some complimentary videos and have a discussion 2.! You could talk about next steps 3.! You could plan a presentation
Preparation'
ACTIVITY REFERENCE MATERIAL EST. TIME
reading Skim all content for interesting content (Jerry’s youtube channel, SoFA blog, other websites)
30 min
What the circle will need for session 6: Package 6 (this)
o Session plan o Poster (meeting agenda) o (no handout)
Other:
o Computer with good internet connection to play videos o A timer (phone app works well) o A way to take notes for questions and feedback