Sociocracy leads to more effective meetings

Meeting facilitation is a vital skill for collaboration.
This page is for facilitators who want to learn and practice.

One part of using sociocracy is evaluating every meeting. People often share that they feel better than when they started! Can you remember the last time you had a meeting where you left feeling more energized?

Meeting facilitation and decision-making sheet with flowchart

Facilitation sheet!

A sheet for facilitators – everything on one page!

Get the facilitation sheet
Meeting format in sociocracy 1. Check-in "How are you entering this meeting?" "Let's make sure everything is taken care of before we start on our agenda items." A.D.M.I.N. stands for Attendance, duration, minutes, information, next meeting. 2. Agenda "Let me describe the agenda..." "Are there any additions or changes?" "Are there any objections to the agenda? Consent to agenda 3. Topics Decision: "Let's see if we can make a decision on..." Exploration: "We will gather some ideas/input on..." Report: "Let's hear what's happening in..." 4. Update Backlog "What from today's meeting needs to go on the backlog?" (term ends for roles/policy; follow up topics; new items) 5. Evaluation/Closing Round "How are you leaving this meeting?" "How could we improve content, process, interpersonal dynamics?"

Meeting posters

Posters are useful for meeting rooms to remember the basic patterns of Sociocratic meetings.

Get the meeting poster
Facilitating Meetings in Sociocracy by Ted Rau

A booklet of facilitation tips and formats

Easy to read, templates in the back – your companion for meetings.

Get the booklet
2023 Meeting Template thumb - meeting facilitation,facilitation training,facilitation - Sociocracy For All

SoFA agenda template

Better meetings start with a better agenda.
Here’s a Google Doc version!

Make a copy and use it for your own meetings

Other templates like that (roles, performance review)

Get trained

Learn more about facilitation in sociocracy through our basic training modules

Inclusive meetings. Better meetings with clarity and flow.

In this class:

  • meeting format
  • agenda planning
  • rounds and staying on track
Consent decisions. Making group decisions together.

In this class:

  • step by step to get to consent
  • what are objections?
  • what to do when someone has objections?

See a real meeting

Watch this meeting recording to get a feel for what a sociocratic meeting sounds like!

meeting notes icon - meeting facilitation,facilitation training,facilitation - Sociocracy For All

Read the meeting notes

video play button icon

Watch the entire meeting

Opening round (ca. 5 min)

Check-in round. Everyone shares how they are entering the meeting

(A good chance for people to get to know you better!)

Opening Round

ADMIN (ca. 1 min)

Making sure the circle is ready for the meeting:

  • Attendance (Who is here/absent? Roles filled?)
  • Duration (How long is this meeting?)
  • Minutes (Last meeting’s minutes ok?)
  • Info (any announcements outside of the circle’s domain?)
  • Next meeting (When are we meeting next? Or, who schedules?)
ADMIN

Consent to the agenda (ca. 1 min)

  • Understand the agenda proposal
  • (Asking for reactions/additions if desired)
  • Consent/integrate objections to the agenda proposal
Consent to the Agenda

Agenda items (examples)

All agenda items, falling into one of the below categories  

  • Reports →  e.g. reports from sub-circle or parent circle, reports on metrics
  • Explorations → e.g giving feedback, brainstorming, generating proposals
  • Decisions ↓ e.g. policy decisions, selections processes, possibly significant operational decisions, policy reviews
Consent process with Objection
Exploring ideas
Circle Report
Selection Process
Accepting a new member (consent)

Update backlog (ca. 2 min)

What needs to be added to the backlog for future meetings?

Updating the backlog

Check-out (ca. 5 min)

Meeting evaluation, e.g. with regard to

  • content of the meeting
  • interpersonal dynamics
  • process
Meeting evaluation

How can you learn more about facilitation?

See our facilitation training for groups and individuals

Now you’ve seen an example of a real meeting, but what next? Learning about facilitation is best done through real practice. Our group training is perfect for groups that want to get hands-on experience in their own group. Live classes for individuals will make sure all your facilitation questions are answered!

Advanced classes for individuals

For people with experience, or for those who would like to observe sociocracy in practice. Join us to play with facilitation scenarios.

Facilitation practice – find a class!
facilitation class 1 - meeting facilitation,facilitation training,facilitation - Sociocracy For All

For groups

The same level but in a video-led, self-paced format for groups. Groups of 4-8 people can practice together with a variety of scenarios and practice tips.

Group class with videos + exercises
Facilitation ELC SoFT - meeting facilitation,facilitation training,facilitation - Sociocracy For All

Integrating objections

Learn how to integrate objections by reading “Strategies for integrating objections” and then watch the examples below. 

Understand

Ask the objector to state the objection. Allow for clarifying questions

Explore

Reaction round(s): How do you relate to the objection? Do you have ideas for amendments? Possible strategies:

  1. modify the proposal
  2. shorten the term
  3. measure the concern (more info)

Synthesize

Synthesize amendments into the proposal and go back to the consent round

Fictional examples (full process):

Integrating Objections: Space Olympics
Integrating Objections: German Christmas Cookies
Integrating Objections: Facebook Forum

Rent a facilitator

Do you need a sociocratic facilitator to facilitate a meeting or series of meetings for your organization?

Find a Facilitator from Sociocracy For All to facilitate a meeting or series of meetings for your organization

Sociocracy for All can match you with a knowledgeable, experienced certified facilitator to meet your organization’s needs!

We work with:

  • sociocratic organizations who are new to sociocracy and would benefit from experienced facilitation,
  • sociocratic organizations who are practiced in sociocracy, but could use some help facilitating important or challenging meetings,
  • non-sociocratic organizations looking for support with complex meetings,
  • non-sociocratic organizations who value inclusive and efficient meetings and processes,
How do I hire a SoFA facilitator?

Articles and videos about facilitation

Read and learn with our most-read articles

decision making methods comparison - meeting facilitation,facilitation training,facilitation - Sociocracy For All

Comparison of decision-making methods

What are the downsides and advantages of different forms of decision-making?

understand - explore - decide - Sociocracy For All

How to have quick meetings that don’t waste time

Reports- exploration -decision – one of the most useful frame for sociocratic and non-sociocratic meetings!

3 tools - meeting facilitation,facilitation training,facilitation - Sociocracy For All

3 tools from sociocracy to use right away, plus magic phrases

Learn how to make decisions effectively with Sociocracy in this easy-to-follow guide. Improve teamwork and collaboration with practical tools for smoother operations.

Long Meetings short - Sociocracy For All

Keeping meetings short

Learn how to shorten your meetings with Sociocracy. By avoiding large groups, defining clear outcomes, and implementing facilitation hacks, you can make your meetings more efficient and productive.

Facilitating a meeting - Sociocracy For All

Six Tips to Facilitate a Meeting Like a Pro

Do you remember being confused about the purpose of a meeting? Or perhaps the conversation kept wandering without any concrete decisions? 

The 5 Minute First Aid Kit from Dem Steve for meetings in sociocracy - Sociocracy For All

The 5 Minute First Aid Kit for a meeting

What can you do when things go sideways?

Here’s a list!

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