
Books...
B is for Books. For goodness sake, write it down!
In this blog, we are taking inspiration from John McCutcheon’s storytelling folk songs:
"Write it down so we'll remember
What is was we said
I believe we really need to
Summarize what we've agreed to
Pass that paper 'round
Now that we've agreed
Let's write it down."John McCutcheon, Write it down, 1997
Memory in groups
Anyone, who knows me, knows I love books and, perhaps, if you know me better you know I am always writing lists. It’s partly because fatigue messes with my memory, but also because it ensures the details don’t get ignored.
It becomes even more important when working with a group of people; my memory will be influenced by my preferences and by what I consider important. Someone else in the same group will have a different perspective and so a different memory.
Games People Play (1964, by Eric Berne) is an early text of the theory of transactional analysis, it sets out how our personality and formative experiences influence what we take away from our interactions with others. However, if we have a written document, we can sometimes cut through the emotional and personal to present an agreed version of events.
Community vision...
In the context of community projects, it allows us to communicate a vision that others might sign up to, ensure others have key practical information and give “proof” of what has been agreed and done.
Sometimes that proof is just to keep the team on mission “look, this is what we agreed previously” or to recognise achievements e.g. when applying for paid work, but, in more extreme cases, it may needed to protect the team/organisation from prosecution if an accident or injury should take place.
Sharing our vision is so important for recruiting partners, volunteers and, particularly, when looking to attract external funding. People assessing grant applications want to understand how the funding will make a difference in people’s lives. It’s not enough to know a building needs a new boiler, they want to know who is going to be using the building and how functional heating will make the space accessible to others.
Having an agreed shared vision makes this possible.
At MBS we have a huge number of templates and support to know what and how to record important information effectively. These include our project action plan template and learning modules about writing policies. You can even book one of us to talk this through with you and offer personal guidance.
MBS Resources and Courses:

Karen Fishwick
MBS Education Team