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What is the Spokescouncil?

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Spokes Council Explainer

The spokes council model is a structured, democratic process used within various organizations, workers' co-ops, and movement groups.

Basic Structure

The spokes council structure resembles that of a spoked wheel. It is designed to allow for decision making to be distributed across large groups of people, by allowing smaller groups to be represented by a spokesperson. Each committee/group selects a representative or ‘spoke’ who shares the perspectives of their group in a council meeting

A graphic showing an imaginary Woodbine spokescouncil meeting:

Spokes

Different organizations may have meetings composed of differing spokes to suit their organizational needs and goals.

There may also be different types of spokes, such as a caucus or affinity group (group seeking to represent a specific interest or issue).

Variations

There can be many recipes for a council. For example there could be an "open caucus" to allow people not associated with any specific group to have voice (though perhaps not vote) within spokes structure.

A "fish bowl" format convenes a central meeting, while allowing group members who are not spokes to observe the meeting, and perhaps pass notes and/or other materials to their representative.

Consensus Models and "Meeting Tools"

Consensus Models

Beyond the structure of the meeting, there needs to be a definition of what a succesful proposal is. While you're most likely familiar with the idea of "majority rule," spokes councils often adopt a higher standard of agreement.

This may be:

  • unanimity, where a successful vote relies on everyone agreeing
  • unanimity -1, where a successful vote relies on everyone minus one. In a group of 15 people 14 voting "yes" would be a succesful vote.
  • A %, such as 75% agreement.

Meeting Roles & Tools

Roles: Formal meetings typically reply on a set of roles:

See Culivate.coop for more detailed explanations.

Tools: Meetings may also use tools such as:

  • Red/yellow/green cards to indicate atendees opinions nonverbally.
  • Indicators showing that clarification is wanted.
  • Whiteboards
  • Handouts
  • Telepresence tools like conference speakperphones to better integrate remote participants

Reference

  • https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/spokescouncil
  • https://cultivate.coop/wiki/Holding_effective_meetings

Spokes Council Explainer Documents Proposals

  1. Spokes Explainer:  Imagine we may want to send something like this to WG's when we announce the Spokes, and it may help us clarify our vision too. Asks questions like What is Spokes? Why a Spokes? What will we do at the first Spokes? How can your working group plug in?  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UT2j64euen_c_yttIsUSBuXqD8wh4lJO0hQciWIjMPc/edit?usp=sharing 

  1. Questions to ask other spaces/projects (please add!): 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15II7M65f4fjH5Z9aj1MZjIfqb2o8EMfh6t3cYMNP6sY/edit?usp=sharing

  1. Running list of WB's working groups/projects: 

Spreadsheet of 22 (from Ella?): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lSYM1QNbiYMHkjW5fiwWCaDvSaXqdZ-ltEl3pwL_HSM/edit?usp=sharing

Merged here into list of 44: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iDlC4P64guqa1a_cZ7IjnngqzZLOWledbCKlF4eXzZA/edit?gid=365292739#gid=365292739

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