Building Consensus
• Consensus is a point of maximum agreement so
action can follow. It is a win-win situation in
which everyone feels that he or she has one
solution that does not compromise any strong
convictions or needs. To reach consensus, group
members share ideas, discuss, evaluate,
organize, and prioritize ideas, and struggle to
reach the best conclusions together.
• A good test for consensus is to ask the question
"can you support this decision?" If everyone can
support it, the group has achieved 100%
consensus.
• Consensus is not always the best strategy. In
some cases, reaching consensus does not result
in a better decision or outcome. For example,
group members are capable of unanimously
agreeing on a completely incorrect solution to a
problem. But generally, reaching consensus
remains a highly desirable goal.