Lesson Three: Dividing Up The Task
In contrast to the pure ritual practice of nonverbal Threeing which involves the pleasure of merely going round and round, verbal Threeing is usually a form of collaboration about something to be done. That something to be done should be divided up fairly in terms of the three roles proper to Threeing. This lesson presents a procedure for the fair division of a task.
Preparation:
- Read section in chapter two on fair division (Fair Division, Steven J. Brams and Alan Taylor).
- Read chapter three in this book on “Sex, Gender and Threeing”
- List all the relevant topics in chapter three.
- Read Chapter four in this book ‘The Trinity, the Self and the Internet”
- List relevant topics in chapter four.
Objectives:
- Learn a procedure for the fair division of tasks.
- Anticipate the connection between dividing task and decision making.
Materials:
- Comfortable private room, big enough to divide everybody into small groups of three and four, ideally around a small table.
- Writing material, including pencils or pens.
- Copies of third and fourth chapter of Three Person Solution for each participant
- Tricolor Talking Sticks
Procedures:
- Review course and fair division procedure explained in chapter two.
- Recombine teams of three without repeating combinations. As much a possible configure teams in which each member is strongest in a one of the three different skill sets.
10 minutes
Fair Division Exercise # 1
Your group of three plans to make a presentation on “Sex, Gender and Threeing” to a series of different audiences. Each of you must master that part of the chapter most appropriate for your skill set. The person strongest in the first skill set should be given the most sensitive and intuitive parts. The person in the second skill set should be given the most factual and specific information to master. The person in the third skills et should given charge of the overall argument. Presume that you have license to reconfigure the order of the chapter to suit your team dynamics and the kind of audience you face.
Based on your separate preparations, compile a composite list all the topics that you must cover. Then, using the three person cutters pickers formula, divide up the topics into three lists; one for the first skill set person (Yellow), one for the second skill set person (Red), and one for the third skill set person (Blue). In dividing the compete list into three different piles, Blue divides the list into three piles. Red trims the piles so as to make them fair in her judgment, setting aside any extras. Yellow has first choice at selecting a pile. If any pile that red trimmed is still available, red must take that pile. Otherwise he has free choice. Blue takes the remaining pile. Repeat procedure with trimmings.
30 minutes
Fair Division Exercise # 2
Your group of three plans to make a presentation on “The Trinity, the Self and the Internet” to a series of different audiences. Each of you must master that part of the chapter most appropriate for your skill set. The person strongest in the first skill set should be given the most sensitive and intuitive parts. The person in the second skill set should be given the most factual and specific information to master. The person in the third skills et should given charge of the overall argument.
Based on your separate preparations, compile a composite list all the topics that you must cover. Then, using the three person cutters pickers formula, divide up the topics into three lists; one for the first skill set person (Yellow), one for the second skill set person (Red), and one for the third skill set person (Blue). In dividing the compete list into three different piles, Blue divides the list into three piles. Red trims the piles so as to make them fair in her judgment, setting aside any extras. Yellow has first choice at selecting a pile. If any pile that red trimmed is still available, red must take that pile. Otherwise he has free choice. Blue takes the remaining pile. Repeat procedure with trimmings.
30 minutes
Group Discussion of Fair Division Procedures.
25 minutes
End Of Lesson Three
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Diner Exercise
Your group of three agrees to make diner together. List all the tasks that are required to make diner. Work through a fair division of those tasks with the following variation on cutters/pickers.
Blue divides the entire task sheet into three piles. Red trims the piles so as to make them fair in her judgment, setting aside any extras. Yellow has first choice at selecting a pile. If any pile that red trimmed is still available, red must take that pile. Otherwise he has free choice. Blue takes the remaining pile.
Repeat the procedure with the trimmings until what is left is insignificant.
Actually make the diner together and share the meal.
Task Exercise
Pick a task of importance to your group. Go thought the procedure for fair division presented about.
Read Fair Division, by Steven J. Brams and Alan Taylor
