Doing It Online

Moon Talk

Scenario: We all live on a moon base. But mice have gotten into the food supply! What do we do? First step: schedule a meeting.

... but ...

We only have push-to-talk radios, and can't see each other.

Group decision making

The Three Tyrannies

Tyranny of the Majority
Tyranny of the Minority
Tyranny of Structurelessness

Wealth of diversity in meeting tools!

  • Facilitation tools:
    • Stacks
    • Progressive stacks
    • Clarifying questions
    • Points of process
    • Direct responses
    • Proposals
    • Friendly amendments
    • Straw polls
    • Discussion summaries
    • Tabling
  • Meeting phases:
    • Orientation
    • Check-in
    • Announcements
    • Agenda
    • Breaks
    • Check-out
  • Roles:
    • Facilitators
    • Note takers
    • Timekeepers
    • Vibes watchers
    • Shepherds
    • Buddies
  • Hand signals:
    • Twinkles
    • Approval / disapproval
    • Block
    • Wrap-it-up
    • New proposal
    • Point of information
    • Direct response
  • Formats:
    • Icebreakers / fire starters
    • Open stack
    • Go-around
    • Popcorn
    • World cafe
    • Dotstorm
    • Spectrogram
    • Solipsist's meeting
    • Neighbor interviews
    • Break-out groups

Online, not so much...

What are we actually trying to accomplish?

Types of Tasks

McGrath, “Groups, Interaction and Performance”, 1984

Process is Technology

Task→I. GenerateII. ChooseIII. NegotiateIV. Execute
Social processes brainstorming
go-arounds		 deliberating
voting
delegation 		mediation
facilitation
Non-Violent Communication		 action items
committees
work parties
Technologies Dotstorm
Shared docs		 Doodle
Decing
Loomio		 Progressive Clock Trello
Basecamp

⇓

  • Augmenting channels
    - allowing new things to be communicated
  • Guiding and structuring process
    - facilitating meeting process, enforcing rules
  • Reasoning, organizing, or contributing content
    - expert systems, knowledge bases, etc

Making unstructured
channels work

What do facilitators do?

  • Maintain agenda
  • Keep discussion focused
  • Proactively phrase and rephrase proposals
  • Recommend and try different discussion techniques
  • Ensure everyone is able to participate equally
  • Keep track of energy, emotions, and tensions
  • Tabulate votes and results of proposals
  • Enforce policy on proposals, quorum, etc
  • Keep stack

Email practices

When asking:

  • Be a facilitator. Ensure everyone is included.
  • Subject: Use "URGENT", "FYI", "No need to respond".
  • If response is needed, say when (but be reasonable).
  • Recommend a process and a timeline.
  • Have a policy for how to finalize proposals.

When replying:

  • Acknowledge: If you can't respond right away, say when you will.
  • Develop group policy on Reply All vs Reply One.
    (Use Reply All for group discussion or deliberation)
  • Keep it as short as possible (but no shorter). Edit before sending.
  • Remember that people can't read your emotion.

Phone conferences

  • Use active facilitation.
  • Teach people what to expect.
  • Speak up boldly; back off if you interrupt.
  • Ask questions in the negative: “Does anyone disagree?”
  • Allow and expect silences!
  • Make frequent use of go-arounds; call on people.
  • Address audio quality issues early on.
  • Google Hangouts, Uberconference, and similar make some parts easier.
  • Have a policy for how to finalize proposals.

Structured channels


McGrath, “Groups, Interaction and Performance”, 1984

Doodle




InterTwinkles

Loomio

Trello

Doodle

Best for scheduling.

Alternatives:

  • http://meetme.so
  • https://dudle.inf.tu-dresden.de/ (free/open source)

Doodle best practices

  • Use specific times of day, e.g. 11:30am, 7pm
  • If your group needs it, enable timezone support. Think about the extremes of your timezones (e.g. is it too early for Pacific, or too late for Eastern?)
  • Use three color poll option for YES, NO, IF NEED BE
  • Try to limit the number of options
  • When sending out the poll, give a deadline for responding. Don't expect people to hold times open indefinitely.
  • Try to poll dates with as much lead time as possible
*These tips brought by to you by the irreplaceable Esteban Sunshine Superboy Kelly

Loomio pros and cons

Pros

  • Great for simple proposals and discussions.
  • Designed by an awesome cooperative in New Zealand.
  • Built for small democratic groups like co-ops.
  • Notification system helps you stay up to date.
  • Simple and intuitive.

Cons

  • Everyone needs to set up an account.
  • Is another discussion space; divides attention.
  • Only supports simple proposals.

Trello

Trello pros and cons

Pros

  • Great for project management, TODO lists, tasks.
  • Commercially supported, very widely used.
  • Good balance of structure vs flexibility.
  • Very easy to use

Cons

  • Everyone needs to set up an account.
  • Easy to over-build beyond actual use.
  • Proprietary, closed source.

InterTwinkles

Resolve

Points of Unity

Summary

  • Strong facilitation is key.
  • The more flexible a tool is, the more you have to facilitate.
  • Groups must develop practices/policies for how to use online communication, just as groups must develop practices/policies for meetings.
  • Education is essential, just like education in meeting process.
    Sit down with every member and walk them through.
  • There are lots of options
  • Be as creative with (ab)using online systems as you are with running meetings!
    (Sparkle dance party?)