Consensus and Concurrence
TIPS FOR
DISCUSSION LEADERS
Excerpts from Local League Program Guide, 1981
What About Consensus?
Consensus in the League has two meanings. It is
the process by which members, after study, reach agreement
through group discussion of an issue. It is also the agreement
reached, representing the "sense of the meeting" as expressed through
the exchange of ideas and opinions. It is more than a simple
majority, although it is not necessarily unanimity.
The Consensus Meeting
Begin the consensus meeting with a brief history
and background information. If you have only planned one meeting,
provide the background material in 20-30 minutes and allow the
discussion to bring out other facts. Make clear that the members will
be asked to voice their opinions as citizens, not as experts. Only
League members may participate in the discussion.
Ideally you would have a resource person,
discussion leader and recorder.
- The role of the resource person is to provide
needed facts or to clarify misunderstandings. As she is a League
member, during discussion she may express her opinion so that it
may be considered in the consensus, but must not dominate the
meeting.
- The role of the discussion leader is to help
others express their views, see that the meeting moves to clear
conclusions and with the help of the recorder express these
conclusions as the sense of the meeting. The discussion leader is
the key person.
- The role of the recorder is to keep track of
the majority thinking in each area, the minority points of view,
and indicate the strengths of the various points of view (Guide
for Effective Meetings, 1991)
Time must be scheduled for the statement of
consensus of the group. It is not a tally of votes or a show of
hands. It may be summarized at the end of the meeting or
point-by-point as each point is considered. The members present
should agree that the statement is indeed the consensus of their
meeting. The consensus may be agreement for, agreement against, or
agreement with reservations on a given point. Members may also agree
only that they are divided and do not have a stand.
Reporting Consensus
When consensus relates to a regional, state or
national item, the local League board must report the full
implications of the local agreement to the appropriate board. Local
Leagues should not report their local consensus in their
bulletins prior to the release of the statement of position by the
higher board.
Tips for Discussion
Leaders
Excerpts from Guide for Effective Meetings
and Discussion Leader Training (Nikki Harris)
Opening the Discussion
- Set climate—establish relationship of
objectivity and caring about what everyone thinks and has to
say.
- Set clear goals for the meeting. Make sure
everyone is aware of the focus and scope of the
discussion.
- Start discussion with a provocative, prepared
question which calls for opinions not facts. It should stem
directly from the introduction and lead to the first area to be
discussed.
Keeping the Discussion Moving
- Use the questions prepared in the discussion
(consensus) outline to help the group move from point to point.
Remember to ask, not answer the questions.
- Be sensitive to the group. Know your outline,
but be flexible. If the group digresses, point it out. Usually
this will bring the group back to the subject
- If members start repeating themselves, stop
and recap in order to focus the discussion.
- When agreement is reached in any area, or the
reasons for conflicting opinions emerge, stop to summarize. This
will give the group a feeling of accomplishment.
- If the group gets bogged down on any point,
ask the resource leader to provide additional information. If
points of view cannot be reconciled, summarize both and move
on.
Working Toward a Conclusion
The discussion leader can help the group move
toward a conclusion by:
- Use of interim summary
- Judicious use of questions
- Ask for more resource information, if
available
- Summarize several comments to relate them to a
goal
- Look for areas of agreement and test them with
the group
- Voting—over a procedural choice, when a
decision has to be made at a certain time on a yes or no matter,
when assessing major areas of concern, when time has run
out.
Some Problem Situations
Plan in advance, on how to deal with these common
situations:
- Late-comers
- Newcomers to the group
- When discussion is slow, do you call on
someone by name?
- When the group gets bogged down with
definitions
- Missing facts
- People who drift out early
- The silent ones (It is not mandatory for each
person to speak at every meeting, but the discussion leader can
help if it is lack of knowledge, confusion or
shyness.)
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