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Group decision making is not for the faint of heart. Participation can degenerate quickly into irrelevant tangents, power coalitions and false consensus. As a result, groups often give up on collaborative approaches and fall back on majority voting or deferring to authority. Learn the facilitation skills needed to avoid the pitfalls of group decision making.
Program Agenda
• The pros and cons of participatory decision making.
• The phenomena of group discussion; when people start talking and stop listening.
• What is consensus and six alternatives to consensus as a decision making approach.
• Using dialogue and avoiding debate as precursors to discussion.
• Facilitation skills for large and small group decision making.
• Review of listening skills needed for effective discussion.
• Recognizing "false consensus" and what to do when consensus fails to develop.
• How to get through the "Groan Zone" when progress bogs down.
• Specific skills for when emotions run high.
• Analysis tools for complex decisions.
• Special considerations for strategic planning.
• Variations on the classic problem solving steps.
• Video case study analysis.
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Benefits and Learning Outcomes ▼
- Decide when and when not to use participatory approaches to decision making
- Plan a meeting agenda that fosters efficient use of time
- Facilitate difficult discussions while avoiding false consensus
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