View source for FAQ - Phase 1/en

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Dieudonné,

The page http://www.cnvc.org/fr/avenir/faq-phase1 is ready to be translated to French, if you would like to do so. While less essential than other texts (and so more tolerant of imperfect wording), it might nonetheless be helpful to have translated. You can edit the web page directly, if you would like.

This page uses a technical feature that allows text to be “collapsed”. Please do NOT translate the text "[collapse collapsed title=“ or “]” or “[/collapse]” but instead leave this unchanged. The quotation marks around the questions could probably be replaced by the French style of quotation marks, if you prefer.

Thanks,

Bob

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This page answers various questions that have come up with regard to the Synanim process. Additional questions and answers may be added, so you may want to check back later to see if this page has changed.

[collapse collapsed title=Questions about changing or cancelling your registration]

[collapse collapsed title="If I registered for one time, can I change my mind and register for another?"] Yes, you are free change your mind and register for a different time. [/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="How can I change to a different time slot?"] To change registration, simply register again for the time you want. The old registration will be cancelled. (Currently, this cancelation is done manually, though we might add an automatic feature to do it.) [/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="Should I tell you if I change my mind and won't be able to participate?"] Yes, it is helpful to us to know if you are not going to be able to participate. This is particularly true if you registered for a time which does not have very many participants. So, if you know you can't attend, please send mail to synanim-admin-fr@cnvc.org [/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="How can I cancel my registration?"] To cancel a registration, send email to synanim-admin-fr@cnvc.org and we will attend to this manually. It is useful to us to know about cancelations. [/collapse]

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[collapse collapsed title=Questions about registering for sessions other than the first]

[collapse collapsed title="When can I register for other sessions?"] The registration system only allows you to register for the "Stage 1 / Session 1." For all other sessions, what happens is that when you participate in one session, at the end of that session you may be invited to sign up for a following session. Note that you will only have a 90 seconds to choose which time to sign up for. If you take longer, you will lose your chance to continue. [/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="What if I sign up for a time for a later session then change my mind"] If you change your mind about the time when you can participate in a later session, then write to synanim-admin-fr@cnvc.org. We may be able to change the time you are registered for. However, this would be a manual operation, so it will be easier for us if this does not happen too often.[/collapse]

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[collapse collapsed title=Questions about small groups]

[collapse collapsed title="What’s this about small groups?"] In a particular Synanim session, you will be organized into a small group, and during that session, you will interact with the written ideas of people in that small group. [/collapse] [collapse collapsed title="How are the small groups decided?"] It’s easiest to think of it as random. But if you’d like to be more precise, what really happens is that it is based on the order in which you log into the system and click on the project you will be participating in. The system puts you in a queue, and groups are formed by taking people off the queue in the order that they arrived. [/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="How big will the groups be?"]

Groups will typically have around 6 people in them. Depending on how many people are available to put into groups, the groups could be a little larger or smaller.

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[collapse collapsed title=Questions about language]

[collapse collapsed title="Will people in a given session all speak the same language?"]

Yes, a given session (and a given series of sessions) will all be conducted in a single language.

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[collapse collapsed title="What languages will sessions be held in?"]

To understand the language options, see the list of supported languages. The sessions that you participate in will be held in the same language that was used when you registered to participate in the process. So, if you used a registration form that was in English, your process will be in English, while if you used a registration form that was in French, your process will be in French.

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[collapse collapsed title="What if I am not very fluent in the language that sessions are being held in?"]

Regrettably, if you have difficulty in understanding and writing quickly in the language that is being used, it might be challenging for you to participate as fully as you might like. The process involves fixed amounts of time to do each step, and the times are designed to work for those who speak the language more easily. But, if the process isn't offered in your preferred language, we hope you will give it a try anyway.  If you will be participating in a language that isn't easy for you, we hope you can relax and simply do your best to take in what is being written, and to offer what you have to offer. You might try adding your ideas to things other people have written. If people like what you say, perhaps others will add it to what they are writing. We hope you will be accepting of the imperfections of the process.

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[collapse collapsed title="What if I want the process to be held in another language?"]

We are happy to offer the process in additional languages -- if you or someone else is willing to offer some leadership to make this happen. You will need to be able to organize volunteers to get some things translated, and you will need to be able to get the word out to people to invite them to participate, and to help address any questions they might have. To learn more, please contact us at future@cnvc.org.

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[collapse collapsed title="Are there different email addresses to get help in different languages?"]Yes. You can send email to a number of addresses, including synanim-admin-en@cnvc.org (English), synanim-admin-fr@cnvc.org (French), and synanim-admin-de@cnvc.org (German). The email will go to those administering Synanim (who speak only English) plus a native speaker of the relevant language, depending on the email address used. [/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="What web address do I use to register in different languages?"]

To register for the process in a particular language, go to together.cnvc.org/register (English), ensemble.cnvc.org/register (French), gemeinsam.cnvc.org/register (German), juntos.cnvc.org/register (Portuguese), and tomoni.cnvc.org/register (Japanese).

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[collapse collapsed title="What web address do I use to participate in different languages?"] The language of the process you participate in will be determined by the web address you register with. You can't change the language of your process without changing changing your registration. To participate in the process, you are encouraged to use a web address corresponding to the one you used to register. So, you would use one of these: together.cnvc.org (English), ensemble.cnvc.org (French), gemeinsam.cnvc.org (German), juntos.cnvc.org (Portuguese), and tomoni.cnvc.org (Japanese).[/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="What it I register for a process in one language, but try to participate in the process using an address for a different language?"] While this isn't recommended, it will work, if you're able to deal with a mix of two languages. Here is what will happen: The language you registered for will control the language of the questions you are asked and the language in which people write answers. However, the language of the site you logged into in order to participate will control some of the instructions you will see in the user interface.[/collapse]

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[collapse collapsed title=Questions about time]

[collapse collapsed title="Why should I log in before the schedules start time?"]At the start time, everyone who the system knows is waiting will be put into groups, and the process will start for those people. Anyone who isn't ready at that time might not be able to participate in the session.[/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="Is it just a matter of logging in, or is there something else I need to do before the start time?"]After you log into the system, there will be a page showing you what "projects" you are associated with, and what projects are "open." There will be a link to click on to enter your open project. You need to click that link to tell the system that you are ready to start.[/collapse]

[collapse collapsed title="What will happen if I log in late?"]At certain times after the official start time (probably 5 and 10 and 15 minutes after the official start) the system will check to see if there are enough latecomers to form an additional group. If there are, then those who arrived late will be able to participate. However, if there aren't enough other people who also arrived after the official start time, then you will not be able to participate. [/collapse]

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[collapse collapsed title=Questions about advancing from one stage to the next]

[collapse collapsed title="How are choices made about who advances to future stages?"]

The mechanism is described to a significant extent in the 14-page (in the English version) document describing a “Process for a New Future.” (See the section entitled "MORE ON FRAMING THE BIG PICTURE” which begins on page 12.)

Basically, as people participate, the software scores them, and those with the highest scores are given priority for being invited to the next stage of the process. Conceptually, the score is intended to assess two things: To what extent is the participant good at articulating things that resonate with the group as a whole? And, to what extend is the participant able to track and work with what the group as a whole seems to want to express? Practically, the first component of the score is computed based on how often other participants choose what you have written as their preferred text for continuing forward. And the second component is computed based on how often you chose as the working text to carry forward a text that others also chose.

The selection process is entirely automated and algorithmic (i.e., according to a recipe).

[/collapse] [collapse collapsed title="What happens if someone doesn't accept an offer to advance?"] Note that at the end of a session that marks the end of a “stage,” only some participants (those with the highest scores) will be invited to sign up, in that moment, for a time slot for the next session. If someone selected to advance declines the opportunity, the next-highest ranked participant from the same small group will be invited to advance. [/collapse]

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[collapse collapsed title=Questions about stages of the process]

[collapse collapsed title="How do the later stages of the process differ from the first?"]

Additional sessions differ from prior sessions in that (1) slightly different questions will be asked, albeit these will cluster around the same themes, and (2) you will be interacting with a different group of people.

With regard to the first point… Because the process involves iteratively improving the answers to each question asked, it can take quite a bit of time to address some questions. Consequently, it doesn’t work to ask very many questions in a given session. Yet, exploring a complex subject is likely to benefit from exploring multiple facets of the situation. So, one thing having a series of sessions does is allow the subject to be explored from more angles than might otherwise be the case. Although the actual texts you came up with in prior sessions likely won’t be carried forward, the hope is that participants will have been internalized and been changed by what is discussed, and will carry this with them into subsequent sessions.

With regard to the second point… It’s a little bit like a World Café, in that the system mixes people between sessions, and in so doing, mixes ideas, so that strong ideas have a chance to spread through the group, and ideas that originated in different places potentially have a chance to interact to see what emerges.

[/collapse] [collapse collapsed title="Why do some stages have multiple sessions?"]

The first stage has two sessions. This is because everyone who wants to will be able to participate in the first stage, and we really want their ideas to have a chance to be seen. And, it will take two sessions to ask enough questions to really scratch the surface of the subject matter, and to give everyone a chance to engage the territory.

The last stage (which only involves one small group) also has multiple sessions. This is so the group that will arrive at the ultimate summary statement(s) will be able to journey together through the territory of the subject being investigated.

[/collapse] [collapse collapsed title="Will there definitely be five stages to the process?"] While a 5-stage process has been laid out, it is possible that we might decide at some point to change the number of stages, or make some other adjustment. Adjustments might arise as a result of the number of people who end up signed up for the process (if there are fewer than what we designed to accommodate, it could make sense to reduce the number of stages), or perhaps something we discover about the process as we experience it in action might suggest an adjustment. [/collapse]

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[collapse collapsed title=Questions about assorted topics]

[collapse collapsed title="Is audio/video part of the Synanim process, or is it it just text?"]

There is no audio or video involved. The process is entirely text-based.

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[collapse collapsed title="Will I be able to interact with other people during the process?"]

There will be no direct interaction or conversation. You will interact with others only indirectly, through reading what they write, and through deciding whether or not to use their words as part of what you write.

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