The main function of the clerk or facilitator is to serve the group by managing the process of consensus decision-making rather than advocating a particular position, including the clerk's own opinion.  As champion for holding to the process, the clerk's job is to recognize themes of agreement as well as to name differences and conflicts, then work with the group to channel that content through to a decision and implementation.
 

What to do BEFORE the meeting.

     Before each meeting the clerk (or when there is a convener, the convener may do this) should:

• Set the agenda after appropriate consultation with various individuals and groups.

• Organize the meeting time and place.

• Circulate relevant background reports or other materials in advance.

• Arrange for people to be present at the meeting to introduce reports and answer questions about them.

• Ensure that appropriate seating, equipment and refreshments are arranged for the meeting.

1.  At the outset of the meeting, the clerk should:

• If appropriate, allow for a few moments of silence.

• Remind the group that it is has the responsibility to seek the common good of the group and to stay focused on the task at hand.

2.  In order to encourage quality  individual participation, the clerk needs to:

• Identify who will speak next.

• Encourage less verbal members of group to express their concerns and insights.

• Ask questions that help draw out speakers' meanings.

• Encourage speaking without attributing earlier comments to individuals.

• Create safety for the whole meeting by tactfully interrupting a speaker who has gone on too long, is repetitious, is not addressing the issue at hand, is operating from his or her own agenda, or is abusive of others.

4.  Conflicts are inevitable.  The clerk can manage these tense situations by employing one or more of the following:

• Name the differences and conflicts.

 
• Encourage expression of missing or conflicting viewpoints.

 
• Redirect attention to ideas and information that were previously disregarded by the group.

 
• Call for silent pauses as needed to restore the group to its common purpose.

• Relieve tension.

 
• Enforce open consultation, not behind-the-scenes coalition building.  If the clerk is aware that behind-the-scenes coalition building is occurring, it should be named.

• Keep track of the flow of discussion.

• Ask if enough alternatives have been developed or if criteria for problem solution have been met.

 
• Express group feeling or thought: voice the sense of what the group is feeling and describe the reaction of the group to an idea or a solution.

 
• Propose a "minute" that states the "sense of the group."  Ask if anyone has unresolved concerns that must be addressed.  If so, call for further discussion and revision of the minute until the concerns are resolved.  The clerk then asks for approval of the minute.  (No names are noted in the minute because the decision belongs to the group as a whole.)

• Identify issues about which agreement has been reached.

• Name issues remaining to be resolved.

• Suggest possible steps for further vetting of the issue  (e.g., hold the discussion over for the next meeting, define steps to take before the next meeting, or assign the issue to an existing committee or an ad hoc group).  The clerk asks for consent to move forward in this way.

8.  In closing the meeting, the clerk initiates an evaluation of the process.  (If there is a separate convener, the convener may have this responsibility.)

See sample "Script " that a Clerk can us when opening a meeting.