The Social Motto:
The healthy social life is found,
When in the mirror of each human soul,
The whole community finds its reflection.
And when in the community,
The virtue of each one is living.
- Rudolf Steiner
Working with Consensus Decision-Making as a Spiritual Deed
When you are part of a group that is using consensus as a decision-making model, it is important to understand that every member brings a piece of the truth to the discussion. As Waldorf elder Nancy Poer wrote in her article on What Consensus Means in a Waldorf School,
“Working with consensus is similar to a group of people standing around a mountain, each describing what they see from their vantage point. Though each one has a different view, each view has validity. Together, all of the individuals can create the fullest picture possible of the reality of the situation at that moment in time.”
This way of working together is a concrete example of the saying, “The sum of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
But, doesn’t working by consensus take up too much time?
A decision is only rhetoric unless implemented. When we look at how long it takes to make a decision, that is only the first step. We then have to add in how long it takes to communicate and implement the decision and whether or not the implementation is effective and long lasting.
An agreement/decision that everyone in the group has helped to create, and in which each member feels ownership, makes the implementation of the decision efficient, smooth and long lasting.
Our Consensus Training Content
Our Consensus Training programs are always tailored to the unique group we are working with and span the amount of time needed to accomplish each group’s identified goals. We offer two and three-day workshops to help you get started. After this initial training, we check in on a periodic (2-3 months) basis to help fine- tune your progress until your group feels they have a healthy rhythm and are ready to proceed on their own.
Training Topics:
- Introduction to Consensus: The Challenges and Rewards
- The Individual’s Rights and Responsibilities
- Planning Successful Agendas: The Roadmap to Successful Meetings
- The Importance of Documentation and How to Do It
- The Art of Writing Effective Proposals
- The Role of the Facilitator and the Art of Facilitation
- Committee Work, the Key to Avoiding Burn-Out
- Working with Mandates
- The Anatomy of Minutes, Reports, and the Policy Journal
- Fostering Healthy Communication in and outside of the Meeting
- Observation of a Group Meeting with Follow-up Observations and Recommendations
For more information about our Consensus Training Workshops (live and online), please contact us at:
