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This content was posted on  26 Jul 21  by   The Hum  on  Facebook Page
Consensus Decision Making – Seeds for Change

Do you know what consensus REALLY is? Read it for more👇

In common usage, people say “consensus” to mean “unanimous”. In other words, when everyone has the same view.

However, if you read any guide for how to do consensus decision-making, the first thing you read is consensus does not mean unanimous. So that is a confusing place to start!

How to improve our decision making with consensus?

1) Clarify the meaning.
Beware that people in your group will likely have different ideas about what the word means. So align on the meaning of the method first.

2) Listen to everyone.
Proactively try to hear from everyone, understand concerns and objections. Everyone has the chance to express their opinion to help the decision making process.

3) Satisfaction is the key.
Use dissent to improve the proposal until everyone is satisfied this is the best decision we could come to. They may not all absolutely love it, but they are satisfied with the process and everyone’s best efforts to find as much agreement as possible.

4) Be patient.
This process can take a long time. Maybe you want to use it for high risk decisions and when you need strong buy in. Once everyone has really turned over the proposal in their minds and considered alternatives and finally agreed to the decision, you have really strong buy-in and engagement.

Start with this great guide we strongly recommend from Seeds for Change: https://bit.ly/3wsjHUB


Consensus is a decision-making process that works creatively to include all persons making the decision. This briefing includes sections consensus in large groups and consensus troubleshooting.

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