Sociocracy for Communities

7-Week Online Course | Starts September 18, 2024

Discover a way to make fast, clear and inclusive group decisions in your community with the Sociocracy for Communities course.

Course fee: $140-$280 USD

Individual class fee: $20-$50 USD

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Sociocracy for Communities Course

Sociocracy for Communities Course

Starting From $140.00
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Classes in this course are suitable for:Community Newcomers | Community Seekers | Community Starters | Community Residents

Course description and syllabus

Used in intentional communities, nonprofits, cooperatives and schools, Sociocracy (aka Dynamic Governance) is for everyone who dreams of a world where we can make decisions as equals and enjoy deep human connection while getting things done to create and sustain our communities. Through Sociocracy, you can design feedback systems so everyone in your community or organization knows what is going on and can be heard on matters that affect them. Far from the intentional community horror stories you may have heard, a Sociocratic meeting is manageable and calm. There are opportunities for every person in the room to express their thoughts and be heard.

Sociocracy for All’s Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, your course instructor, will cover how to optimize group listening, divide decision-making authority into meaningful chunks, and empower people to act with clarity. During this Sociocracy for Communities course, you’ll learn what sociocracy is, and how to implement it correctly, with adaptations for your community’s specific needs.

Live classes are hosted on Zoom. All classes are recorded and available on our learning platform within 24 hours after each class ends and through 30 days after the last class.

Register for the full course

Classes and topics in the Sociocracy for Communities syllabus include:

Individual classes starting at US $20

September 18: Introduction to Sociocracy

  • the basic principles of Sociocratic decision-making
  • structure with linked circles and roles
  • feedback loops
Register for September 18 class

Sep 25, Oct 2 & 9: Effective Community Self-Management

  • three steps of consent descision-making
  • dealing with objections
  • generating proposals from scratch
  • the selection of members to leadership roles
  • meeting format and agenda design
  • organizing the community into connected working teams
  • boards and bylaws and community agreements
  • giving and receiving the gift of feedback
  • getting started introducing and implementing sociocracy
Register for Sept 25, Oct 2 & 9 classes

October 16: Facilitating Sociocracy in Community

  • working with objections, cross talk, emotional outbursts, counterproposals and run-on talkers
Register for October 16 class

October 23: “Managing” Communities Effectively: The Sociocratic Way

  • interplay between whole community meetings and traditional legacy systems (Boards, Mission Circles, Steering Committees, etc)
  • bylaws and policies
Register for October 23 class

October 30: Strategies for Implementing Sociocracy

  • step-by-step strategies for existing and forming communities
  • legal implications and sociocracy
Register for October 30 class

All Sociocracy for Community classes are held on Wednesdays from 11am-1pm Pacific / 12-2pm Mountain / 1-3pm Central / 2-4pm Eastern. You can view your local time here.

November 6: Q&A Session

  • Ask any additional questions
  • Get personalized help with your project
  • Networking

The Q&A session is optional and will take place from 11am-12pm Pacific / 12-1pm Mountain / 1-2pm Central / 2-3pm Eastern. You must register for the full course to attend the Q&A session.

Register for the full course

Your instructor

Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, Sociocracy for Communities course instructor

Jerry Koch-Gonzalez

Jerry helps communities and organizations implement sociocracy to create adaptive and effective organizations where all members’ voices matter. He is a consultant and certified trainer in both Dynamic Governance/Sociocracy and Compassionate Communication (NVC), focusing on egalitarian governance, decision-making, communication skills, and conflict resolution/Restorative Circles.

Jerry is a founding resident of Cherry Hill Cohousing, a 30-year old community in Massachusetts that has been successfully using Sociocracy since 2013.

With his colleague, Ted Rau, Jerry co-founded Sociocracy for All, an international member-run nonprofit promoting egalitarian governance through training, consulting, and resource materials. He co-authored the Sociocracy manual Many Voices One Song and has taught sociocracy and NonViolent Communication to many audiences.

Testimonials

“This was a wonderful course which gave me a lot to think about and some very specific tools. Jerry and Ted were open, warm and knowledgeable and the classes were always interesting and well paced.”
-Shaun McLeod

“This course is a comprehensive overview of sociocracy, well presented and run by Jerry and Ted. There was a good mix of participation in breakout groups and presented content. The supplementary materials were ample and informative. It was enlightening to learn and hear from others in a range of intentional communities across the globe (in the breakout rooms).”
-Lindsay McLaughlin

“What a treat to join others on the journey of discovery and implementation of sociocracy, with the writers of the books as our guides! I think the sections on aim, structure, consent, how to object, feedback, facilitation, and meetings were all immensely valuable, with real-world applications and circle diagrams from actual communities sprinkled throughout.”
-Andreas Bastias

“The online [Sociocracy for Communities] course included multiple interactive, small group discussion segments in each session. This gave us all an opportunity to practice the process and techniques being covered in class, and made the learning experience more hands-on and meaningful. It was valuable to hear about other communities at all stages of development from newly forming to those transitioning to a second generation 20-30 years later. All communities deal with sensitive, complex issues. Sociocracy provides a governance structure that engages everyone in decision-making in a respectful, clear and participatory process , that integrates objections, without demanding full consensus.”
-Anne Harper

Course registration

Sociocracy for Communities Course

Starting From $140.00

(Price is per person)

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The elements of an online course

Online learning platform

Once you register, you’ll get access to our learning area that includes:

  • class slides and other course materials
  • class video recordings, audio files, and transcripts for learning on the go
  • recommended books with access to course participant discount
  • a dedicated discussion forum to connect with your classmates

Live interactive sessions

Each week you join a 2-hour live class with the course instructor, where you learn in a group setting with:

  • interactive presentations
  • break out sessions
  • group discussions
  • the opportunity for questions and answers, and personalized support

Classes are recorded if you miss one, and you will have 30 days after the last class to view recordings.

Journey with a cohort

You’ll join participants from around the world how, like you, want to learn how to be better communitarians. Benefits include:

  • opportunities to connect with like-minded people
  • opportunities to share ideas and stories
  • a network of support to carry your community project forward