FREE online courses on Effective Meeting Facilitation - Orchestrating The Meeting - Facilitating Consensus

 

There are many techniques to facilitating consensus:

 

Frame the dilemma so participants see the big picture and recognize their interdependence: What decision do we need to make and why do we need to make it?"

 

Remove insecurity and make sure all participants have the same key information and have the opportunity to discuss that information together.

 

Build little agreements along the way: "So we agree that this is a good way to state the problem we are trying to solve." Or, "At least you do all agree that something has to be done, that things are unacceptable as they are now."

 

Motivate creativity by asking "Isn't there anything else you can suggest?" and then allow for a long pregnant pause.

 

Summarize and fractionate: "This is what we agree on, and this is still in question. What are the specific causes for concern?" Or, "How can we get the benefit from doing this, but not the detriment?"

 

Refer to the mission and purpose of the group for guidance: "If we do this, are we in line with what we are all about?"

 

Finally, ask: "What will happen if we can't all agree?" Or, "Do you really need to make a decision on this issue?"

 

Voting and consensus are the "how" of decision making. Decisions, themselves, seem to come in three shapes:

• Some decisions have to be answered "yes" or "no." Either we close the theater for inclement weather, or we go on with the show. The outcomes are mutually exclusive and a choice is imperative for the good of the organization.
• Other decisions require finding a solution to a problem. "How shall we solve for X?" "What shall we do about lack of attendance at our performances?" Or, reframing the problem in the affirmative: "How can we ensure record attendance?"
• A third type of decision is even more open-ended. "Which way shall we go?" Or, "What goal shall we attain?"

 

Try out different ways of framing the decision using the above three formats. The way in which the decision is framed sets the stage for the solutions generated. Different framing of the same topical issue elicits very different solutions. For example, a decision regarding regulation of outdoor advertising can be framed, "Who is going to control outdoor advertising local municipalities or the state?" Responses will be very different from those prompted by the question: "How can local government determine the character of its land use without eliminating outdoor advertising?"

 

The important rule of thumb about good decision making is "Do Not Decide Prematurely." Ultimately, the thinking process for any type of decision is the same:

 

• Gathering and analyzing relevant information
• Careful framing of the question you want answered
• Discussing values and criteria
• Envisioning various scenarios
• Evaluating consequences of those scenarios
• Making the decision
• Refining specific aspects of the decision and ensuring its implementation