Workshop: Just enough input — Choosing supportive thresholds

Bring more awareness and choice to your thresholds and practice finding supportive language for guiding groups.

Session 1:
Session 2:

When we ask questions or make requests, our wording and delivery deeply influence the responses we receive. How can we use thresholds effectively to support movement, collaboration, and connection?

The term 'threshold' refers to encouraging or limiting the likelihood of people responding or objecting. In Convergent Facilitation, we aim to use thresholds that invite “just enough” interaction so we can move towards a decision without leaving anyone behind. We adjust our thresholds to help people speak up or step back depending on what we believe serves the group in each moment. Supportive thresholds help the group stay together and save time by focusing on information that moves us forward.

Why are thresholds important?

Using thresholds effectivey will help you:

• compensate for power differences
• invite more diverse perspectives
• encourage people to speak up (or not)
• keep conversations focused
• avoid "long speeches" that don't support the group
• get things done quickly without leaving anyone behind
• resolve or prevent many other common challenges in meetings

Sessions

1st session (Jun 05): Content sharing and live practice

Topics will likely include:

• Becoming more aware of thresholds and how they affect the space
• Recognizing situations that would benefit from a different threshold
• Choosing what threshold to use based on what is needed and possible for people
• Shaping thresholds with words, energy, and context
• Adjusting your thresholds to respond to specific challenges

2nd session (Jun 12): Q&A and more practice

In the second session, we plan to explore any questions that came up for you in your week of practice and engage in additional practice.

Request for financial support

We are offering this workshop within our gift economy principles, which means we are offering this workshop as a contribution to the whole without expecting anything from anyone in return. Still, we need financial support to sustain our living so we share with you below the needs of providers, organizers, and the community.

Needs

• Receiving US$ 2500 in total (from all participants) cares for the short term material needs of the workshop providers and organizers
• Receiving US$ 5500 in total (from all participants) cares for the full material needs and expenses related to offering this workshop
• Receiving US$ 11000 in total (from all participants) supports the stewarding of the CF community and spreading of CF beyond this workshop

Give Gifts

We invite you to gift as much as you can without overstretching or resentment. It’s really important to us that you don’t overstretch. Even if you have no capacity to give us anything, you are more than welcome to participate.

So far we have received US$ 0 (last updated: April 26).

Give via Verene using Direct Bank Transfer (from UK or EU) (Preferred)

Depending on where your bank is located a direct bank transfer might have the least (likely none at all) transfer fees.

💌 If your bank is located in the UK please send GBP to:

Verene Nicolas
Sort code: 23-08-01  
Account number: 55745534

💌 If your bank is located in the EU please send EUR to:

Verene Nicolas
IBAN FR7610278079160001565960196  
BIC CMCIFR2A

Give via Verene using Wise

Sign up to WISE with a free transfer if you are not yet on Wise.

• Go to https://wise.com/send
• Put mail@verenenicolas.org as the receipient
• If you want to send money in EUR, GBP or USD please select Same currency for the transfer
• Else select International and select GBP for the “Recipient gets” field.

Give via Verene using Paypal/Credit Card

PayPal usually charges significant fees, so we try to avoid it. Please select “Family and Friends” as the payment method if asked. You can either use your own PayPal balance or use a credit card.

Support this offering via giving to Verene's PayPal

Give via Verene using Stripe (various methods)

• Give in USD (Credit Card)
• Give in GBP (Credit Card)
• Give in EUR (Credit Card + various other methods)

Additional requests

We are sharing our requests and recommendations to support you in deciding how to attend to your needs and ours. These are not requirements, and we welcome your presence however you choose to join us.

• Spread the word: Please support us in spreading nonviolence by inviting others.
• Prepare a space: We suggest trying to arrange a comfortable physical space with reliable internet access that will support you in being present and focused.
• Prepare for learning: We invite you to arrive with openness to trying new things, making mistakes, and maybe even risking some vulnerability and discomfort.
• Ask for support: If you have questions or need something, please let us know.

Registration

Invitation

Share your thoughts, questions or excitement about this offering with the community: community.convergentfacilitation.org (login required).

Or reach out to the workshop organizers directly at cst1-support@convergentfacilitation.org.

About Roni & Verene

Roni Wiener

Roni advocates for personal empowerment and social change through coaching, teaching, consulting, and activism. They enjoy sharing their passion and insights in diverse settings and scales, from small groups to large organizations. Roni's life journey includes two decades of consulting focused on transforming collaboration practices, extensive work in technology projects and design, and an interdisciplinary degree in Psychology, Sociology, and Gender Studies. They offer fun and interactive workshops on topics ranging from process improvement and project planning to nonviolence, relationships, and sexual health. At other times, Roni may be found on the dance floor, at the beach, cuddling, playing games, engaging in deep conversations, writing an unpublished blog, and plotting global liberation. For more information, visit Roni’s website

Verene Nicolas

Verene is an experienced facilitator and certified trainer in Nonviolent Communication. She has delivered training and facilitated group decisions in many grassroots contexts. Her immersion in the Nonviolent Global Liberation (NGL) community where CF is practiced daily gives her a deep grounding in the power of this approach to sustain ‘radical collaboration’ across differences of all sorts.

Verene will support Roni in designing and delivering this workshop, as well as supporting participants in their learning journey. She and other members of the CF Holding Team within NGL will provide administrative and logistical support for the course.