Do It Yourself: tools for empowerment and grass-roots social change.
Proposal for consensus decision making workshop
90 mins
Em and Alice

Aims:
1.	To explore and deepen understanding of consensus decision making, (CDM) processes and it's applications.
2.	To be confident to facilitate, initiate and ultimately run a training in CDM. 
3.	To become familiar with a range of tools for using within CDM process.
4.	To deal with questions, doubts, issues e.g. informal hierarchies. 

Objectives: To answer the following questions:
i.	What is consensus decision making? To find an outcome that everyone is happy to work with, or happy for other people to work on to implement on their behalf. From Wikipedia: Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that not only seeks the agreement of most participants, but also the resolution or mitigation of minority objections. Consensus is usually defined as meaning both general agreement, and the process of getting to such agreement. Consensus decision-making is thus concerned primarily with that process.
ii.	What is wrong with voting?  Voting is a means by which we choose one alternative from several. Consensus, on the other hand, is a process of synthesizing many diverse elements together. Voting assumes that people are always competitive and that agreement can only be reached through compromise. Consensus assumes that people are willing to agree with each other, and that in such an atmosphere, conflict and differences can result in creative and intelligent decisions. Another important assumption made in consensus is that the process requires everyone's participation, in speaking and in listening. No ideas are lost, each member's input is valued as part of the solution, and feelings are as important as facts in making a decision. It is possible for one person's insights or strongly held beliefs to sway the entire group, but participation should always remain equal.(Starhawk ref link broken?)
Plutocracy, oligarchy, majority, hierarchy, apathy, bad decisions
iii.	Where is consensus used? Historical examples, such as Religious Society of Friends and the American Haudenosaunee Confederation. Contemporary examples working and housing co-operatives, activist groups/mobilisations, amongst friends, NGOs, companies, consensus democracies?
iv.	What are principles of CDM? (direct democracy, accountability, affinity, self-management, co-operation, participatory, inclusivity, egalitarian, solution orientated)
v.	What needs to be in place for it to work? (facilitation, a commitment to finding a consensus, some commonality between participants, time, space to meet, understanding of/commitment to the process)
vi.	How does it work in practice? There are stages in the model, (flow chart- define and clarify, explore issue and look for ideas, look for emerging proposals, discuss, clarify and amend proposals, test for agreement, implement the decision)
vii.	What tools are available for the different stages? (roles-Facilitator, note taker, timekeeper, vibe watcher) ice-breakers, active listening, hand-signals, group agreement, idea-storm, go-round, small groups, prioritisation tools, parking lot, note-taking, throwing back to group, discussion, summarising and re-stating for clarity, stand asides, blocks, concerns, action points, periods of reflection, breaks, re-framing proposal, sub groups/working groups, hand signals, red/amber/green cards, modification, celebration, implementation, fish bowls
viii.	How does it work at large scale? Spokes-councils, see other handout
ix.	How does it work in emergency situations?
x.	What are some common problems? Veto, hostage to a minority, Abilene paradox, status quo maintained, run out of time, tyrannny of the obsessed, lack of facilitation skills, no commitment to the process

Workshop Plan for 90 mins/ 12 participants

Activity	Description	Aim/Objective 	Time 	Resources / Notes	Who 	
Intro/warm up	Explain activity who has experience of consensus?  Used it? Facilitated?

Paired listening. 1 minute each way. 
Topics: An important group decision you have been involved in. Did you vote or use consensus? What was it like?	Share personal experiences	5 mins	Timer	A	
Idea storm	What is consensus decision making? (CDM) Write up ideas on to flip chart/board	Elicit the principles no.4 objectives	5 mins		A	
Consensus table	Table voting v consensus, based on Starhawk definition.  Outline differences and check for any clarifying questions. 	Establish and deeepen understanding of CDM	5mins	Table written up	E	
Hannd signals.	Explain hand signals used in consensus process, elicit and demonstrate	Oultine hand signals	5mins		E	
Stages in the process	Go through process required for reaching a decision; explain block and stand aside.	Understand the process, so can teach/initiate 	5mins	Flow chart on flip chart 	A	
Practise example	What shall we do tonight?  Facilitate consensus decision, ask group to consider tools used etc.	Put theory into practise	10mins		A	

Toolkit for consensus	Tools for reaching consensus.  Divide group in half, give each group 6 tools on pieces of paper, where should they be used in the process?  Why?  	Provide practical toosl to aid proces	10mins	Cards with specific tools on	E	
Feedback and handouts	Feedback, each group reports back on different tools. Give out handouts for checking answers.	Check understanding and give info	10mins	Seeds handout	E	
Skills for facilitators	Brainstorm qualities for facilitation skills, give out handout.	Highlight skills needed for facilitation	5mins	Handout of faciliator roles	A	
Dealing with problems	Divide group into 2, each group tackles 2 problems 
-How to deal with big groups, what to do when not got much time, e.g. on an action 
-What  to do when people are not committed to process/ or dominate/ abuse veto power. Each group has list of pointers that they expand upon to feed back. 	Outline skills needed for specific situations	10mins	Flipchart paper?	A/E	
Feedback	Each group presents their expanded ideas and A and E feed in. 	To feedback	5 mins		E	
Problems	Summarise possible problems:  when consensus isn't working, Abiline paradox, ask for any final points/questions.	To highlight problems	5mins		A	
Conclusion	Any questions, feedback		5 mins		A