Decision Making and Consensus Building School Community Councils

Session objectives Participants will understand the dynamics of group decision making develop a deeper understanding of consensus and decision making rules within their School Community Council understand the core values and benefits of participatory decision-making

Grouping Activity: Line up Each person finds their place in the line according to their birthday--month and day Turn to the person next to you and discuss The BEST thing about being born in your particular month Facilitator leads the “wrap-around” of the line from one end (January) to the other (Dec) Each group of four will “hut” with their hands up to form a team and choose a leader

Family Feud game Your groups of 4 will be your “family” team and will compete against the other teams On your Team Answer Form (Handout A), write your team name Facilitator will give a topic and each team will choose the top two answers and write it on the Answer Form

Name a shape Christmas cookies come in PRActice Round Name a shape Christmas cookies come in Write your teams top 2 answers on the two lines under Practice Each group will share their answers round robin with the large group Facilitator gives the top five answers and respective percentage of responses Teams check their answers and record corresponding percentage points if appropriate

Practice Round results Name a shape Christmas cookies come in Our Survey says… Trees 58 Star 19 Santa Claus 13 Bell 7 Angel 2

Family Feud Let’s play 2 rounds of game

Debrief of Rounds 1 and 2 How did your group decide which two answers to go with? How did your process change between rounds 1 and 2? As an individual in your group, how did you feel?

Consensus Latin origins Consentire con (together with) + sentire (to think and feel) Translation: to think and feel together Consensus is the process—a participatory process--by which a group thinks and feels together en route to their decision

Which decision rule(s) did your group use in rounds 1 and 2? Common decision rules Answers the question: How do we know when we’ve made a decision? Unanimous agreement Majority vote Person-in-charge decides after discussion Delegation Person-in-charge decides without discussion “flip a coin” Which decision rule(s) did your group use in rounds 1 and 2?

Family Feud—Rounds 3 and 4 For these rounds, let’s try using a very simple form of consensus as the decision-making rule When deciding on your group’s top two answers, use the Fist to Five strategy

Fist to Five Strategy Five fingers = I like it Four fingers = Basically, I like it Three fingers = I can live with it Two fingers = I have no opinion One finger = I don’t like this but I don’t want to hold up the group Fist = I disagree but I will support the decision

Family Feud—Rounds 3 and 4 Let’s play rounds 3 and 4!

Debrief As an individual in the group, how did you feel? What happened to your group’s decision- making process when you used the Fist to Five strategy? How did your group’s dynamics change?

Comparison of two types of groups Everyone participates, not just the vocal few People give each other room to think and get their thoughts all the way out People are able to listen to each other’s ideas because they know their own ideas will also be heard The fastest thinkers and most articulate speakers get more air time People interrupt each other on a regular basis People have difficulty listening to each other’s ideas because they’re busy rehearsing what they want to say Participatory Conventional

Comparison of two types of groups Each member speaks up on matters of controversy. Everyone knows where everyone stands. When people make an agreement, it is assumed that the decision still reflects a wide range of perspectives. Some members remain quiet on controversial matters. No one really knows where everyone stands. When people make an agreement, it is assumed that they are all thinking the exact same thing. Participatory Conventional

Participatory Decision-making core values Full participation All members are encouraged to speak and say what’s on their minds Members become more courageous in raising difficult issues Can acknowledge the diversity of opinions and backgrounds in their group Mutual understanding Members understand and accept the legitimacy of one another’s needs and goals This allows people to develop innovative ideas that incorporate everyone’s point of view

Participatory Decision-making core values Inclusive solutions Integration of everyone’s perspectives and needs leads to wise solutions These solutions take advantage of range and vision of the whole group Shared responsibility Members feel a strong sense of responsibility for creating and developing sustainable agreements Members recognize that they must be willing and able to implement the proposals they endorse so they make every effort to give and receive input before final decisions are made

Benefits of Participatory values in groups Personal Learning Improve leadership skills Stronger powers of reasoning More confidence More commitment Better communication skills Greater ability to assume broader and more difficult responsibilities

Benefits of Participatory values in groups Effective Groups Greater ability to utilize multiple talents Access to more types of information Development of a respectful, supportive atmosphere Clear procedures for handling group dynamics Increased capacity for tackling difficult problems

Benefits of Participatory values in groups Sustainable Agreements More ideas Higher quality ideas Solutions that integrate everyone’s goals Wiser decisions More reliable follow-through

Significant results Adherence to these Participatory Values will produce significant results in your SCC: Stronger individuals Stronger groups Stronger agreements

Resources Kaner, Sam with Lenny Lind, Catherine Toldi, Sarah Fisk and Duane Berger, Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, New Society Publishers, April 2003, 13th printing, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada and Philadelphia, PA School Community Council Handbook II