A plan for online activities
We are an online group trying to achieve results "in the real world," that is, in the households and communities of our members. We must focus on the needs of individual members, and figure out what we can do online to meet those needs in the real world.
I feel it's really important to specify with clarity what we will be doing in the Preparedness Support Group. We need to know what our target is, if we are to have a decent chance of hitting it.
Please take a look at this plan before our next meeting (15 November, more info to come). The activities described in the Method section are what we'll actually be doing in this group going forward, pending discussion and agreement.
Please comment, if you like: here, in the Signal group, or on the email discussion list. Thanks!
❤️ David B.
Goal
Our goal is to make it easier for each of us to do practical things to advance preparedness, at home and in our communities.
Two Needs
There are two kind of needs which the activities of an online group can help to meet:
1. Knowledge (What to do.)
2. Action (Getting it done.)
Method
What are we going to do in our online group to meet our members’ needs in their homes and communities?
1. Knowledge
We can provide knowledge about "what to do" from two sources:
A. Our members who have expertise,
B. Reliable outside authorities.
A. To transmit knowledge from our expert members to our other members, we can do "peer-learning" in our meetings. Using topic-based "pods," we can put people who know about a topic together with people who want to know about that topic. Knowledge can be transmitted in discussion and by Q&A.
B. To deliver knowledge from reliable outside authorities, we can provide documentary resources and references to official websites, in a 'Library'. (Of potential interest is the idea of "Annotated To-Do Lists," i.e. lists of tasks linked to expert advice and commentary.)
2. Action
To enable action and to help in "getting it done," we can provide:
A. Encouragement and problem-solving,
B. "Accountability" to the group,
C. Celebration and positive feedback upon completion of tasks.
A. Members who want to take action but are having trouble actually doing it can share their problems with the group. Other members can offer encouragement and discuss ways to overcome barriers and solve practical difficulties.
B. Members who have decided to take action can make a commitment to the group, thus creating "accountability" which can be a motivation to complete tasks.
C. When a member fulfills a commitment, they can be celebrated by the group, thus providing positive feedback and encouragement for further action.
Conclusion
By providing knowledge and enabling action in these ways, our online group can make it easier for each of us to improve preparedness in our real-world households and communities.
