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Consensus
Decision Making > Defining Consensus
Purpose:
To enable a team to come to a shared definition of consensus. To encourage
group members to work together before they deal with a decision they must
make. Help strengthen the relationships within the group before they make
consensus decisions.
When to Use: When a team is agreeing on how to make decisions
Whom to Involve: All team members
Time Needed: 30 minutes
Activity: Defining Consensus
- Have each person write his or her own definition of consensus.
- Divide the group into pairs and have individuals in each pair compare their definitions.
- Then, ask them to re-write their definitions to incorporate aspects of both versions. Ask them to write their definition on a large sheet of paper.
- Group each pair with another pair. Ask the foursome to combine the two definitions into one definition. Again, have them write their new definition on a large sheet of paper. Repeat this process with a foursome joining another foursome; then groups of eight joining another group of eight, etc., until the entire group reaches a single definition of consensus.
- Display
the final agreed-upon definition of consensus.
Debrief Questions:
- Do all team members understand the importance of consensus versus other methods such as voting in making decisions affecting school-improvement?
- How did the definition change as more people became involved?
- To what extent did the final definition resemble the definition given on the main consensus page?
- How did you feel about participating in this process?
- How does the process of reaching consensus compare with other decision-making processes?
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