Purpose of the Facilitator:

The facilitator's job is to create a safe environment in which other members can work toward consensus while staying on track according to the agenda. The facilitator is NOT the group's parent, responsible for creating the meeting, but rather the group's midwife, responsible for guiding the meeting to fruition. The facilitator does not think up the solutions to the problems at hand, but rather seeks to distill emerging group opinion into a resolution that can be consensed upon.

How the Facilitator is Chosen:

The facilitator shall be chosen at the close of the previous meeting or by signup weeks in advance. Facilitation duties shall be encouraged to routinely rotate among the membership. Members with strongly held opinions on the matter at hand are encouraged not to facilitate meetings where those matters are discussed.

Duties of the Facilitator:

Well Before the Meeting:

Short committee reports or specific proposals should be given to the facilitator in advance of the meeting. The final agenda should be posted at least three days in advance of the meeting. Facilitator shall review the agenda and determine that it is clear, detailed, workable and can be acted upon within the timeframe of the meeting. Facilitator may choose to research any precedent related to the agenda items, whether from within the group of from other cohousing groups in order to act as a resource to the group's discussion.

Immediately before the meeting:

Facilitator shall visualize how the meeting might proceed and imagine possible outcomes in order to focus on the meeting, and in order to give up his or her own opinions on the matter, instead focusing on the sense of the group.

Facilitator shall have a clear understanding of the meeting's primary objectives. Each key objective should be preceded by an action verb such as decide, determine, prioritize, clarify, announce, approve, etc. These objectives shall be written down where everyone can see them.

Facilitator shall make sure the meeting site is open and properly set up; and that the meeting begins on time. The meeting shall open with a reading of the agenda and time allotted to each item.

During the meeting:

1. Facilitator must keep the discussion orderly by keeping track of who is to speak and in what order.
2. Facilitator must maintain a sense of the agenda, and where the current discussion fits into it. If discussion is off agenda, facilitator must point that out and ask if the group really wants to go off-agenda. If an agenda item is running overtime, facilitator must suspend discussion and ask the group's sense of whether to extend the meeting, shelve the item, send to a committee, etc.
3. Facilitator must guide the group to consensus by listening to the discussions, then pulling out a statement he/she hears people saying which the whole group might agree to. The facilitator then states carefully what he/she has heard and asks whether the group can agree to this statement. If a long silence ensues, consensus should be called for, giving people plenty of chance to object. If discussion continues, the facilitator shall keep all comments directly related to that statement.
4. Facilitator must be careful to allow all members to speak their opinions on the issue at hand, yet not be afraid to stop discussion to call for consensus once three or four members have expressed similar opinions.
5. If a discussion reveals seemingly hard-set opposing views, the facilitator shall extract some element of both views which both sides can agree on, then proceed further from this point of agreement.
6. Facilitator should be seen as impartial. If opinions must be expressed by the facilitator, they should be few, clearly defined as separate from the facilitator's role, and any action he/she takes as facilitator should not be seen as furthering his/her own agenda. Facilitator should recognize that he/she largely gives up his/her right to influence the content in exchange for getting the right to influence the process.

After the Meeting:

Facilitator shall pass on the facilitation paraphernalia to the person facilitating the next meeting.