How to Ask Questions

In a couple of weeks, I'm going to be doing some facilitation for one of our County Commissioners. He is interested in hosting regular "Town Hall Meetings" as a way of keeping residents up to date on what decisions are being made in the county -- so that they can be more engaged with the making of such decisions.

He has invited the County Budget Director to the first of these meetings, so that citizens can learn more about where county funding sources come from, how they are distributed, and what limitations there might be on spending them.

What a great opportunity for us to all learn how to ask questions! So often, we barge into meetings with complaints and loud suggestions about "what they ought to be doing." I wonder if it possible that we might all feel better about the running of our local communities if we were to first make some connection with others...if we were to first gain some understanding of what they have been asked to do and what their constraints are.

What if facilitation was designed to not only move folks smoothly through a discussion process, but also to give them room to practice new skills of democracy?

This first meeting will be a new experience for all of us. Want to be a part of it? Let me know and I'll send you the date/time/location information (I'll at least tell you now that it will be on Camano Island, Washington.)