Consensus-based Decision Making

NOTE: This is a draft. Please do not circulate the link until this note is removed

Consensus is a valued concept in a lot of activist and progressive circles. Oftentimes, it is considered the ideal approach to make decisions. In practice, attitudes range from insisting on strict adherence to considering it impractical in most situations.

This page will explain what consensus means and how to use it as a basis to make group decisions. We will slightly discuss other approaches to explain what consensus means, but the focus is on giving you the tools to enable consensus-based decisions in your groups.

While I do believe I know what I am talking about, this article cannot be more than one view on the topic. The wikipedia article gives another one, and different sources will present more. If you do think there are mistakes to be corrected or necessary adjustments to be made, I’d love to hear from you.

What is consensus and why do we value it?

Consensus means “everyone agrees”. While a lot of statements on this topic are purposefully flexible, this one isn’t. Bending either of these words significantly compromises the whole process. That is not morally wrong or even necessarily a bad move, but you won’t have consensus and you will hurt yourselves if you pretend that you have.

You might say, “that’s easy, I’m agreeing with people all the time”, and you’d be right! Seeking consensus is oftentimes the natural way of making decisions, especially in small groups or on topics where no-one holds a strong opinion. By taking a structured approach, we can reap the benefits even in situations where we are unable to just “talk things out”.

If you do have consensus on a decision, it will enable your group to be unified both on the current topic and long-term. Each person will carry the decisions and be empowered to enact them independently. The process is unchallenged in surfacing issues and finding creative solutions. Beyond that, it also fosters a mutual bond and understanding while ensuring everyone’s interests are considered.

This is pretty different from other common ways of decision making. If decisions are made by majority rule or “loudest person decides”, important perspectives aren’t heard, which causes frustration and might make us overlook better solutions. And the people whose points weren’t heard won’t be very motivated to carry the decision as well.

How to make decisions based on consensus

  • Summary
  • Requirements
  • Konsensfisch
  • Moderators/Enablement
    • Everyone can do it. Kind-of.
    • Separate existing consensus from open topics
    • The loop
      • (Have someone) propose consensus statement
      • Gather thoughts, feelings, concerns
      • Improve statement or switch direction
        • Especially if there are major concerns, go for creative approaches
      • If everyone is ready to commit on the decision, document it, else go to top
    • Emphatically engage people, watch peoples’ reactions and body language. It is crucial that all concerns are brought up. (You can still make that decision, but people need to know)
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