1. Consensus Decision Making Third World Group 2010

2. Taking an individual decision is… …definitely not easy! Why?

3. Taking a group decision is… …much more difficult! Why?

4. What is consensus? A cooperative process for making decisions in which everyone consents to the decisions of the group. Not a process for determining whose ideas are best, but searching together for the best solution for the group A questioning process

5. Foundations of consensus Trust (☻) Respect Unity of purpose (☻) Non violence (☻) Self empowerment Cooperation (☻) Conflict Resolution (☻) Commitment Active Participation Equal Access to power (☻) Patience (☻) Social prejudice( )

6. How? 1. Raise issue 2. Clarify and put into context 3. Discuss 4. Note agreements and disagreements and the underlying reasons for them 5. Synthesize proposed ideas/solutions 6. Evaluate the different ideas until one idea seems right for the group 7. Check that everyone truly consents to the decision

7. DO or DON’T? Assume someone must win or someone must lose Try to write personal proposals in advance to save time Change your mind to avoid conflict Take disagreements with your idea as a personal attack Give in Bargain Avoid conflict-reducing techniques such as majority vote, averages, coin-flips, and bargaining. Argue for your own idea Have a facilitator to monitor the process Limit discussion to one proposal or choosing between two Voice YOUR opinion for more satisfying solutions Synthesize, not compromise Vote

8. An example of different decision- making strategies

9. Types of consensus decisions All agree to one decision All agree to disagree and go separate ways Some agree to “stand aside” with their concerns recorded in the notes(open to discussion whenever necessary) All agree to let one person or a committee decide (most often by delegating to a working committee) All agree to go along with what most people want

10. Advantages True democracy Formal Consensus works best in an atmosphere in which conflict is encouraged. Least violent decision-making process Strives to take into account everyone's concerns and resolve them before any decision is made.

11. Disadvantages Not easy Time-consuming (BUT making complex, difficult decisions is time-consuming, no matter what the process) Requires great understanding and a fair bit of experience to practice well.

12. References http://www.vernalproject.org/papers/process/ ConsensNotes.pdf http://www.vernalproject.org/papers/process/ ConsensNotes.pdf http://www.ic.org/pnp/ocac/