Consensus Through Conversation

Facilitation expert Larry Dressler's Consensus Through Conversation is a guide for the effective facilitation and practice of one of business's most popular -- but most widely misunderstood -- decision-making models: consensus.

If you are a consultant, manager, meeting facilitator, team leader, community organizer, or simply someone who is involved in lots of group decisions, Consensus Through Conversation was written for you. Consensus Through Conversation is a portable, easy-to-read reference to help you facilitate and participate in consensus decision-making processes. It contains the basic principles and methods for making consensus work, whether in the corporate boardroom or in the community meeting hall. This book was developed as a companion to Consensus Cards, a tool I developed to assist groups in making consensus-based decisions. The book can be used on its own or in conjunction with this tool....Consensus can be a powerful and transformative tool. However, it is by no means a panacea that will transform your organization into a perfectly democratic or otherwise utopian world. Your job as a leader will be to decide when and where to use a consensus-based approach (see Guidelines in section entitled ''Consensus Defined, '' Chapter 1)

The best 'how-to' for encouraging consensus in firms and organizations. Communication within many organizations has been reduced to email, electronic file transfer, and hasty sound bytes at hurried meetings. More and more, people appear to have forgotten the value of wisdom gained by ordinary conversations. The Art of Focused Conversation convincingly restores this most human of attributes to prime place within businesses and organizations, and demonstrates what can be accomplished through the medium of focused conversation. Developed, tested, and extensively used by professionals in the field of organizational development, The Art of Focused Conversation is an invaluable resource for all those working to improve communications in firms and organizations.

A step-by-step guide to the most efficient and effective method for participatory group decision-making Are you frustrated by that common challenge called group decision-making? Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making can help! Clearly written and well organized, keep this book by your side and refer to it often. Groups you are part of will function better as a result. -- Peggy Holman, author, Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity For any group or organization to function effectively, it must be able to make decisions well. Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making is the first book to offer groups (and group facilitators) a clear and efficient path to generating widespread agreement while fostering full participation and true collaboration. Poised to become the new standard for group facilitation, Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making combines: Deep insight into complex group dynamics Effective conflict resolution techniques Powerful communication skills Groups using this simple, step-by-step approach experience increased cohesion and commitment and stronger relationships as a result of their successful cooperation. Incorporating the principles of collaboration, inclusion, empathy, and open-mindedness, the consensus-oriented decision-making (CODM) process encourages shared ownership of group decisions. The method can be used in any group situation, regardless of whether the final decision-making power rests with a single person or team, a vote of members, or unanimity. Business, government, nonprofit, social, and community organizations can all benefit from Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making . Whether you are a designated facilitator or an active participant, understanding this powerful framework will help you contribute to the success of your group through achieving maximum participation and efficiency, a clearer decision-making process, better decisions, and improved group dynamics. Tim Hartnett, PhD, is a group facilitator and mediator who blends extensive knowledge of non-violent communication with insightful understanding of group dynamics and effective techniques for conflict resolution.

Readings for Reflective Teaching in Schools provides a portable library of over a hundred readings to support teacher education and professional development. Extensively updated since earlier editions, the book concisely introduces both classic and contemporary research and understanding on teaching and learning. The selection reflects current issues and concerns in education and has been designed to support school-led teacher education as well as a wide range of school–university partnership arrangements. Uniquely, two types of reading are provided: - summaries enabling easy access to evidence on key classroom issues – including relationships, behaviour, curriculum planning, teaching strategies and assessment processes; - analyses of deeper forms of understanding about teaching and learning processes, to support the development of expertise throughout a teaching career. This collection of readings is edited by Andrew Pollard, former Director of the UK's Teaching and Learning Research Programme, with the advice of primary and secondary specialists from the University of Cambridge. Readings for Reflective Teaching in Schools is part of a fully integrated set of resources for primary and secondary education. Reflective Teaching in Schools focuses on how to achieve high-quality teaching and learning. By design, it offers both practical support for effective practice and routes towards deeper expertise. The website, reflectiveteaching.co.uk, offers supplementary resources including reflective activities, research briefings, advice on further reading and additional chapters. It also features a glossary, links to useful websites, and a conceptual framework for deepening expertise. This book is one of the Reflective Teaching Series – inspiring education through innovation in early years, schools, further, higher and adult education.