Glossary

an ordered plan of topics to talk about during a meeting; will include desired outcome and estimated duration; consented to by the group before the beginning of the meeting; can be adjusted during the meeting

a description of what an organization/a circle is doing, for example “keeping website current and posting new content on social media”

a list of topics that the circle intends to talk about in the future

a group of members of an organization working together; has defined membership, defined aim and domain.

method of decision-making; a decision on a proposal is made when no one in the circle has an objection

(representative) a circle member who reports from their circle to the parent circle; full member of the circle and the parent circle

the area of authority where a circle has full authority to act, including both policy making and operational activities

circle role; moderator of circle meetings

a circle made up of two members of each of its child circles; serves for flow of information and coordination among circles

a temporary circle formed by a circle; can be a subset of the circle or have other members; often formed to accomplish a defined set of tasks to support the parent circle

an iterative process of planning, carrying out the plan, measuring and evaluating the success of the action performed

circle role; the leader (1) oversees the operations of the circle (2) reports to the circle from the parent circle (3) is a full member of the parent circle

the concept of connecting two circles by having members be part of two directly related circles for flow of information and influence between the circles

a repository for the knowledge base and policies of an organization

meeting notes; final when consented to by all circle members/attendees

the overall strategy an organization chooses to reach its vision. Comparable to Board of Directors. Does this last comment belong on the mission circle entry?

the circle that translates the mission of the organization into the aims; holds the organization true to its mission

non-violent communication: a communication framework for understanding how it affects our feelings whether we perceive our needs as met or unmet

a formal concern that approving and carrying out a proposal would negatively affect how a circle can achieve its aim

the tasks performed to achieve the aim of the circle

general decisions on how operations are being performed; can be governance, workflow, definition of roles, strategy

a suggested piece of policy brought to a circle for decision

what a given circle member can work with; includes personal preference and whatever member does not object to

a cluster of defined tasks and authority; a member can be selected to fill a role and will perform the tasks with the given authority in the role;

role that enables the circle to function in general

role that is created to cover a certain set of tasks

a conversation format; every group member will speak in a selected order, with no (or limited) talking out of order

circle role; the secretary takes notes during the meeting, prepares and publishes meeting minutes and interprets decisions in case of ambiguities in wording

(elections) a format to choose which member will fill what role

a circle that is formed by another (parent) circle

the duration of how long a policy is in effect or how long a role is filled before new (s)elections

a defined statement about ideal conditions that the organization commits to working toward