Consensus Building

A consensus building process is the primary means of decision-making. Any agenda item which starts with opposing sides (or otherwise does not begin with consensus) falls under this method to reach consensus. On the other hand, if it starts with no objections then it's already done.

One responsibility of the meeting chair is to act as a facilitator for building of consensus. The chair enforces the ground rules of the meeting which are listed on this page and any that the meeting body has adopted as its own procedures.

The following ground rules for consensus building are adapted from Appendix B of "Breaking Robert's Rules: The new way to run your meeting, build consensus and get results" by Susskind and Cruikshank. We aren't using the same wording due to copyright issues. But we are definitely crediting them for the original source of the ideas.

Rules of Behavior

• One person at a time. No one interrupts another while they are speaking.
• Identify the interests of one's constituency. Whatever interests are represented must be known.
• Express one's own views only. It is not acceptable to speak for or attribute motives to others.
• No grandstanding. (acting dramatically or repeating statements/questions to dominate the discussion) Everyone should be given a fair chance to participate in the discussion.
• No personal attacks. It's OK to challenge an idea but not a person. Don't make it personal. If a personal attack occurs, the meeting chair will ask the member(s) not to make attacks. If the attacks continue, the meeting chair may temporarily recess the meeting for a cool-off period. Another option is for the meeting chair to enforce more formal mode of discussion and have all statements directed to the meeting chair for the duration of the topic(s) where is it necessary.
• Stick to the agenda. Everyone will make an effort to keep the meeting moving forward through the topics that were agreed upon via the agenda.
• Focus on each statement's merits. Each participant must try to understand the concerns of others, asking questions as needed. Rhetorical questions and disparaging remarks are not helpful and should be avoided.
• No surprises. Concerns should be voiced as they come up. Participants should not wait until late into a discussion to make objections because that makes it more difficult and frustrating to find consensus.
• Seek common ground. Each participant must try to help develop ideas, options or proposals which may lead to acceptable compromises in the best interests of the group as a whole. However, this should not be used to minimize or exclude legitimate disagreements.
• Everyone reserves the right to disagree. Everyone also accepts responsibility to present alternatives that accommodate their interests and others' interests in the meeting.
• Everyone keeps their constituencies informed. Each member who has a constituency is responsible to bring ideas under consideration back to them for feedback.
• Public statements must be about one's own views only. Any statements on a member's blog, web site or public e-mails must be about the participant's own views, not speaking for other participants or the whole. Only the meeting chair or a properly authorized delegate may make public statements on behalf of the whole - those statements must be based on actual decisions from the meeting records or minutes.

It is expected that everyone will cooperate as a group in order for the meeting to move forward toward a conclusion. The final responsibility for ensuring these rules of behavior are followed falls upon the meeting chair.

Rules for Group Decision Making

• Everyone participates fully in the process unless they withdraw. If a participant must leave while a decision is unfinished or no longer wishes to participate in the discussion, they must let the others know about it as soon as possible. They must explain a reason for withdrawing. They may present any concerns not yet stated in order to give others a chance to consider them. They must then accept that the discussion will continue without them.
• Consensus is reached when everyone can live with the current proposal. Not everyone has to agree completely. But for consensus, the proposal has no remaining significant objections in its current form.
• Straw polls should be used to gauge whether consensus has been reached. Each participant expresses their level of comfort or approval with a response from the list below. If the responses are all at least weakly supportive then consensus has been achieved. Any participants whose responses are weakly opposed or below must present their concerns clearly and offer constructive alternatives.

Full description	Alternate description
completely supportive	wholeheartedly agree
supportive	good idea
weakly supportive	OK but not great
weakly opposed	reservations - would like to talk
opposed	serious concerns - must talk
completely opposed	cannot be part of the decision - must block it

• The group must select an option if consensus cannot be reached. If consensus cannot be reached, the group may select one of the following.
  • Postpone (table) the item until a following meeting, document what has been agreed upon, and one or more of the following items:
    • Document what remains in disagreement and any currently-known options to resolve the disagreements. (This is the default choice if the group cannot agree on one.)
    • Assign some research that must take place before the discussion can proceed.
    • Seek advice from the meeting chair or an expert in the topic area on how to resolve the remaining disagreements.
  • Take a 3/4 majority vote to decide the matter.
  • Include a minority report.
  • Allow the meeting chair or a specific neutral third party to make the decision.