How we work together
How we come to agreement and communicate as a group is very important, particularly as a diverse group of people working to build an intentional community and with a development project focus.
We have strategies in place to facilitate discussion and come to understanding – our Communications Agreement and a method used to find group consensus.
How we engage with one another
We have a Communications Agreement in place that sets out our expectations of how we as individuals will interact with one another.
- I will use "I" statements, and speak for myself, not others.
- I will speak succinctly and to the point.
- I will take responsibility for owning and naming my own feelings.
- I will respect others’ rights to speak without interruption.
- I undertake to respect other’s privacy by not discussing outside the group other people’s personal issues which may arise within the group process.
- I undertake to value and respect different contributions and perspectives of all individuals.
- I undertake to keep relationships within the group clear by dealing with any problematic issues directly with the persons concerned.
- I recognise that we work best together when we remember to have fun!
How do we come to a decision as a group?
We use a system of coloured cards to facilitate group discussion and come to consensus. The cards indicate, for example, whether a person has a question, comment or an answer. These each have different priorities within a discussion. The process ensures everyone is heard, everyone contributes, and there is a focus to the discussion.
The coloured cards system is used successfully in many other cohousing communities.