<aside> 💡 A powerful, facilitated group decision-making process with a bias to action. The process seeks to quickly make ‘safe to try’, ‘good enough for now’ decisions whilst integrating the wisdom of the group.
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Proposal: Have a clear proposal in writing, starting with “I propose we…”
The bigger the proposal, the more time you should spend seeking input from all it will affect.
Summarise the proposal in a sentence. The facilitator should repeat it out loud. This is v.1.
Clarifying Questions: the group ask the proposer questions, taking turns (in rounds). The goal is to understand the proposal, not to shape it. All questions are for the proposer, who can either:
Stop asking questions once you understand the proposal - no reactions (these come next!).
Reactions: again talking in rounds, the group offer reactions to help the proposer make edits. This could be as simple as “I love/hate it” or it might be a suggested improvement, or an explanation as to why it won’t work.
All voices and perspectives need to be heard, and reactions must be about the proposal, not the proposer.
The proposer should not defend their idea, and should simply listen very carefully, taking notes to help reshape the proposal
Edit: The proposer edits the proposal based on what they’ve heard, and they may take 5 minutes alone or with others to do this.
Their job is to make a good proposal on behalf of the whole team. So avoid being swayed by personal preferences, forceful critique or the highest paid person in the room.
The revised proposal should be written down, then read aloud to the group.
Objections: Everyone, ask yourself: Is it safe to try? Would this cause real, irreversible harm?
A valid objection is that the decision might be a harmful, risky, or backward step for the organisation. A personal concern is not a valid objection.
If you object you need to propose an adaption to the proposal that makes it safe, and then the objection round is repeated with the adapted proposal.
Visual confirmation: Everyone visually confirms whether they can live with the decision. If you can’t live with it, now is definitely the time to raise an objection. Is it good enough for now and safe to try? Or is it harmful?
👍 - I support this proposal.
👊 - I don’t feel strongly, and support it.
👎 - I don’t love it, and support it as it’s safe to try.
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✋ - I block it, as it’s not safe to try.
Consent Decision Making - make a copy