We’re exploring how to build a distributed system grounded in subsidiarity, trusting local teams to make decisions close to the action. That raises important questions about what makes facilitation effective in these spaces—particularly in handling complexity, multiple perspectives, and potential conflict. We want a framework that welcomes differing cognitive approaches and helps people feel heard, rather than overwhelmed or sidelined.
https://david.pledge.fish/assets/audio-notes/Hitchhiker%20Facilitation%20(5%20Jun%2013.22.27).m4a A raw first discussion between Robbie and David regardinmg facilitation.
We’re exploring how to create well-facilitated, participatory spaces that hold complexity and diversity without being overwhelming. We're thinking about subsidiarity—bringing decisions close to their context—and how good facilitation needs not only cognitive capability but the skill to navigate conflict, hold multiple viewpoints, and provide structure. We're drawing on practices from theatre, music, and relationship psychology to imagine more nuanced, layered forms of deliberation.
# Concept Graph
digraph value_graph { node [shape=ellipse style=filled fillcolor=lightyellow] // Interconnected clusters subgraph cluster_facilitation { label = "Facilitation & Deliberation"; fillcolor=lightblue; style=filled; "Facilitation Practice" "Deliberative Space" "Structured Participation" "Cognitive Complexity" "Improvisation" "Gestalt Thinking" "Hosting Skills" "Conflict Mediation" "Temporal Flexibility" "Space for Expression" } subgraph cluster_values { label = "Core Values & Principles"; fillcolor=lightgreen; style=filled; "Subsidiarity" "Collective Intelligence" "Plurality" "Respect" "Inclusion" "Transparency" "Accessibility" "Humane Process" "Agency" "Contingency Acceptance" } subgraph cluster_technology { label = "Technological Support"; fillcolor=lightgrey; style=filled; "Asynchronous Conversation" "Hypermedia Documentation" "Recorded Meetings" "Digital Facilitation" "Summarisation Tools" "AI Transcription" "Integrated Media" "Social Post-Production" } subgraph cluster_governance { label = "Governance & Decision-Making"; fillcolor=mistyrose; style=filled; "Jury-based Decision Making" "Sortition" "Guides & Rules" "Inclusive Budgeting" "Power Dynamics Awareness" "Authority Legitimation" } "Facilitation Practice" -> "Deliberative Space" "Deliberative Space" -> "Collective Intelligence" "Cognitive Complexity" -> "Improvisation" "Improvisation" -> "Gestalt Thinking" "Gestalt Thinking" -> "Collective Intelligence" "Temporal Flexibility" -> "Space for Expression" "Plurality" -> "Respect" "Plurality" -> "Inclusion" "Respect" -> "Inclusion" "Contingency Acceptance" -> "Humane Process" "Humane Process" -> "Facilitation Practice" "Technological Support" -> "Facilitation Practice" "Recorded Meetings" -> "Transparency" "Transparency" -> "Respect" "Digital Facilitation" -> "Asynchronous Conversation" "Asynchronous Conversation" -> "Temporal Flexibility" "Hypermedia Documentation" -> "Transparency" "Jury-based Decision Making" -> "Sortition" "Sortition" -> "Authority Legitimation" "Guides & Rules" -> "Power Dynamics Awareness" "Inclusive Budgeting" -> "Agency" "Collective Intelligence" -> "Agency" }
Technology now allows us to capture conversations in smaller, informal settings—walks, cafes—and then weave them together thoughtfully. This shifts facilitation from a one-off live performance into an ensemble effort involving editing, curating, and connecting dialogues over time. It makes space more humane and eases the pressure on individuals, helping us honour collective intelligence while still holding clear decision routes. Using sortition—assemblies of 42, for example—offers a democratic and defensible route to choosing facilitators and resolving "who decides" questions fairly.
# See - Facilitation Transcript