Conflict Resolution

From Noisebridge
Revision as of 00:25, 10 April 2015 by Maltman23 (talk | contribs) (minor tweeks of language)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Suggestions for members of the greater Noisebridge community who are having problematic interactions in or relating to Noisebridge

Personal Confrontation:

Is someone bothering you? Talk to them about it -- and be excellent while doing so.
This is a pretty important step, and it usually has the desired effect. It should not be skipped if at all possible.

Get Support:

Did that not work? Or are you afraid to approach the other person? Ask someone else around the space who you like and/or trust. Maybe they can come along with you to talk to them, or talk to them as your proxy.

Mediation:

Did that not work? We have a Mediation page, where people can sign up to act as mediators. You should ask one of the people on it to help you mediate your conflict. They can actively mediate a discussion between you and the person with whom you are having conflict, or, if you prefer, the mediator can talk to that individual as your proxy.

Mindfulness towards Escalation:

If it seems appropriate, after talking with the original parties, the mediator (and indeed everyone involved) should start to tactfully ask around and find out if this is an isolated conflict or a more generalized problem in the community. Most personal problems at Noisebridge can be resolved through a series of calm one-on-one talks, and almost all of the rest can be solved by a series of mediated discussions. If mediation is unsuccessful, or if what is going on appears to be part of a larger pattern, the mediator may suggest that you bring your problem to a Safe Space Working Group for discussion.

Advocate:

Discussing personal conflicts at the larger group level is not really considered all that excellent. On the other hand, a small supportive group environment more specifically committed to calm discussion and de-escalation can help defuse a problematic situation. If the parties involved cannot reach a resolution by talking with each other, or with the help of a mediator, the mediator can suggest calling a meeting of the Safe Space Working Group to involve other community members to help resolve the conflict. If you try to follow these suggestions, that would be totally excellent.

Before a problem with an individual is brought to the level of calling a meeting of the Safe Space Working Group, someone must step forward to act as an advocate for the individual, even if that individual happens to be widely disliked. It is all too easy for conflict to make people act in ways that they later regret. There are sufficient people around the Space who are willing to act as advocates at the group level (see list of mediator volunteers on the Mediation wiki page).

Reporting Misbehavior

If you wish to report harassment anonymously or privately, you can send a message to secretary@noisebridge.net (or contact one of the people who have volunteered as a mediator on the Mediation page.)


Noisebridge | About | Visit | 272 | Manual | Contact | Guilds | Resources | Events | Projects | 5MoF | Meetings | Donate | (Edit)
Manual | Visitors | Participation | Excellence | Do-ocracy | Consensus | Standards | Outreach | Operations | Cleaning | (Edit) | Category