Dear @reeflings and in particular @reef-facilitation
Team Conflict Management has worked on a proposal for co-facilitation during the coming plenary meetings. We would like to first start a discussion with Team Facilitation to see whether this is something that could be interesting to do together. I’ve noticed that team facilitation already co-facilitated some (parts of the) meetings, so let’s see if this proposal can actually contribute to the existing structure and our needs.
Context
During plenary meetings, a designated facilitator safeguards some of the following principles: ensuring respect, keeping to the agenda, preventing diversion, and—crucially—maintaining a sense of safety, especially when discussions become heated.
In practice, this is a demanding role. As the conflict management team, we propose an additional role to strengthen our collective care.
Proposal
Introduce a Co-Facilitator role for plenary meetings.
This role focuses specifically on relational and emotional safety, complementing (not duplicating) the task-based focus of the main facilitator.
Role Description: Co-Facilitator
Core Purpose
To “read the room” during plenaries and support emotional safety, inclusion, and mutual respect—before, during, and after meetings.
Responsibilities
During the meeting:
• Observe group dynamics, body language, tone, and participation patterns.
• Notice signs of tension, withdrawal, discomfort, or escalation.
• When appropriate, discreetly signal the facilitator (e.g. suggesting a pause, check-in, or clarification).
After the meeting:
• Briefly debrief with the facilitator: what went well, what felt tense, what may need follow-up.
• Reach out (if needed) to participants who appeared uneasy, unheard, or unsafe, using NVC principles.
• Offer a listening ear and, where appropriate, help connect people to conflict-resolution pathways.
Boundaries of the Role
• The co-facilitator does not intervene in content or decision-making.
• They do not replace personal responsibility for speaking up.
• They are not a mediator unless explicitly asked and mandated.
Relationship to the Facilitator
The facilitator remains responsible for:
• Process, agenda, timekeeping, and decision-making frameworks.
The co-facilitator supports by:
• Holding relational awareness.
• Acting as a second set of eyes and ears.
This shared responsibility reduces overload and increases collective resilience.
Rituals
-
Opening Safety Check (1 minute)
• Facilitator names both roles and briefly reminds the group that emotional safety is a shared priority and responsibility. -
Closing Temperature Check (2 minutes)
• Quick round or visual signal (e.g. thumbs / scale 1–5): “How ‘hot’ was this meeting for you?” Or: “how much tension did you feel?”)
• Co-facilitator notes patterns, not individual scores. -
Explicit Follow-Up Window
• At the end of the meeting, the co-facilitator states they are available for short follow-up conversations.
Pilot & Evaluation
We propose:
Piloting this role for a fixed period (e.g. 3–5 plenaries)
Rotating the role among (trained) volunteers.
- rotating prevents power accumulation,
- rotating builds collective capacity,
- but should be opt-in (some people are naturally better at this than others).
Evaluating together:
- Were tensions noticed (earlier)?
- Does de facilitator feel supported (not burdened)?
- Did follow-ups feel supportive (not intrusive)?
- Do we want to continue this role?
Any first thoughts? Especially from @reef-facilitation ?
