Nobody changes the minds of others; people change their own minds. Nobody talks you into anything – you decide. Consensus and compromise are how big things actually get done and that comes about when people are able to collaborate and change their minds to some degree. This requires people with varying mindsets to come to… read more →
The most effective public involvement being done these days seems to be in communities where public services are already closer to the people using them. Urban planners are significant users of public engagement and many of them have asked us for some examples that are a little out of the ordinary. So we thought we’d… read more →
My colleagues and I have the privilege of working with lots of smart people and over the years we’ve seen inevitable changes supported by new research that shows we’re slowly losing some innate and critically important abilities. Interpersonal communication skills are waning in people who have been focused on pure science, technology or some other… read more →
Power Balance Requires a Facilitator Role The subject of Power is so vast that it’s hard to tackle from any angle. Power is the warp and weft in the tapestry of human history. Power grabs, power imbalances, abuses of power, struggles against power. The subject is just as ubiquitous today as it was during the… read more →
Meeting facilitation can be a complex art and science when the issues themselves are comparably complex. As we teach in our meeting facilitation training, learning to do meeting facilitation well requires paying attention to nuances, one of which is getting the right people in the room. The room, of course, can be either physical or… read more →
For those of us who love ice hockey, ’tis the season! As a fan of ice hockey and my work, it struck me that a hockey match is kind of like a public meeting that, if facilitated properly, can end up being a satisfying experience for most. Like many public meetings, participants are the opposing… read more →
As you have perused our website, you have been treated to several blogs about consensus building. What is it? What isn’t it? How do we achieve it? Why does it take so much time? What are some specific techniques to help you and your group gain consensus? The Red, Yellow, Green Card technique can help!… read more →
The mainstream news media, and politics in general, has had a love affair with the word mandate for the past several presidential news cycles and that should make all of us a little crazy. Elections are decided by vote, still probably the cleanest and most efficient system that we’ve come up with for empowering people… read more →
How are consensus decisions developed? Consensus becomes possible within groups that are committed to honoring each person’s contribution. The collaborative problem solving process involves a shared commitment to listen respectfully to each other and the choice to allow each unique perspective to inform the whole view. A consensus-building group will make a deliberate effort to… read more →
What is consensus decision making? Consensus is one way that groups can make decisions. There are other ways, of course. A conceptual range of options is depicted graphically below. It spans from one person making a decision on behalf of the entire group to consensus with no constraints, meaning that the group will take whatever… read more →