 
The Fellowship for Intentional Community is proud to offer two of the best books available on consensus decision making. Written more than 20 years ago by the Center for Conflict Resolution, FIC acquired the rights to these classics and has kept them in print since 1999. In the past 30 years there has been a ground swell of interest in consensus as a decision-making process that brings people together. Today there is a full menu of books offering a formula for cooking up consensus or presenting a smorgasbord of facilitation techniques for inspiring group participation, yet there is no better introduction to the heart of secular consensus than Building United Judgment or to the soul of dynamic facilitation than A Manual for Group Facilitators. Countless intentional communities, worker collectives, housing co-ops, alternative schools, and other social change groups have benefited from the simple wisdom in these two books, which introduce readers to the magic of working with the whole person (instead of only with our best thinking) and of inviting constructive disagreement (instead of battling for the most votes). Your journey to learning effective and up-tempo consensus starts here.
A Manual for Group Facilitators is an essential tool for anyone facilitating consensus meetings. The manual is valuable not just as an introduction for those new to facilitation but can be a great refresher for the experienced facilitator. Laird Schaub, nationally recognized group process consultant, says "High quality meeting facilitation is neither a parlor trick, nor the result of mastering techniques. It comes instead from adopting a cooperative and agreement-hungry mind set, where you are open to surprises and ever eager for the creative possibilities of new information. It comes from trusting the process, without knowing ahead where it will lead. It comes from working with energy as well as with content. A Manual for Group Facilitators is the best introduction available for creating the kind of meeting culture where these attitudes can flourish."
Building United Judgment: A Handbook for Consensus Decision Making is an amazingly effective introduction to consensus decision making. More than just a "how-to" it's a "handbook on how to be the kind of group, and the kind of group member, that can use decision making well." Rob Sandelin, an experienced consensus teacher from Sharingwood Cohousing, says, "This is THE consensus process manual. If you have only one consensus book in your library, this is the one to have."
These books cost just $16 each plus shipping charges. We also offer wholesale discounts on multiple copies, a great option for those teaching consensus or if you want everyone in your group to have access to these wonderful books. Other books on consensus are also available in the Communication Tools section of Community Bookshelf.
The Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) was a non-profit collective in Madison, Wisconsin, which taught other groups skill in group process, conflict resolution and problem solving. CCR did this by sponsoring workshops, by providing consultation and crisis intervention, and by offering written materials through a resource center. CCR worked with diverse groups including food and housing cooperatives, various collectives, the public school system, city government, university groups, and many others. Although many of these organizations did not use consensus decision making, CCR remained committed to this process as a way of increasing group cohesion and, member involvement, and meeting effectiveness. The Center for Conflict Resolution was originally founded in 1970 and became a collective in 1971, replacing official leaders with facilitators and implementing a consensus decision making process. CCR has since folded but their legacy of energizing, inclusive group process endures.
|
