Session III - Building Consensus
In our third session for Neighborhood U, we talked about different models of collective decision making in a democracy - unanimous consent, consensus, and majority rule - and emphasized the importance of building strong relationships with neighbors when moving towards consensus. Do you see the tools of public narratives and one to one relational meetings being useful in your work to build consensus? If so, how and why?
It depends upon what the “CONO goal” for Neighborhood U is, but personally, I think this should have been the first course we did at Neighborhood U. It would have been extremely valuable to us as a group if we had it during the first Saturday session to help open up communication amongst neighborhood groups, as well as help us to realize that there are other neighborhoods and other needs within COS other than our own.
ReplyDeleteBut, figuring out what drives people and what they are looking for out of a situation is the easiest way to help win people to working together for the common good. In any job, let alone neighborhood organization, realizing that people are people – with their own needs and desires – and treating them with respect and helping them achieve what they are trying to achieve is the best way to create community and a wanting to collaborate for your, and others, agenda. Neighborhood organizations coming together for the common good…basically Neighborhood U in a nutshell, amirite?
Not everyone was able to attend on Saturday. If this presentation had been done during orientation, some folks would've missed a valuable lesson.
DeleteThanks for this feedback and these reflections, Mark!
DeleteJo Lucey
ReplyDeleteI found the discussion on consensus building at least as useful as the tools. I think it's all going to help me a lot going forward. Getting to understand where people are coming from literally and figuratively, about a neighborhood development or some other issue, is important for sure. So having tools to help draw that out in a conversation is good.
Great comments, Jo!
DeleteHave a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Before any meeting/discussions with others think through pros/cons of what you want to achieve. Look at the big picture. Before any meeting; leave your ego at the door.
ReplyDeleteImportance of listening, putting aside preconceived notions.
Consensus is not always possible. Find out what is important to those in the group- their triggers for not agreeing- address those concerns and see how some/all of the concerns can be included in a solution. Realize that the outcome may not be exactly or even close to what you had initially envisioned. However, compromise and taking into account others’ viewpoints and concerns should lead to a better solution. And the “solution” may not be the final solution- it can always be revisited, based on changing circumstances.
When building relationships- get to know the other person- just get to know them. Do not have an agenda when getting to know the person. He other person will see right through any subterfuge, and you will have difficulty in building a meaningful and trusting relationship.
Great reflections Bruni!
DeleteBuilding consensus is a necessary skill in life: at home, at work, and especially in community organization. I found these tools especially useful. The one-on-one tools seem quite intuitive, but it is easy to miss an opportunity to hear someone without being intentional about listening. I also appreciated the document on how to tell our stories and invite others into those stories. I plan to do some thinking about my story behind why I care about these issues.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Hoskins
Mesa Springs
Glad this was helpful to you, Andrew!
DeleteReally liked the focus on building a consensus because so many persons and groups come with an agenda in mind and are more interested in speaking than listening. Whatever side of the isle you are politically, if you approach the other with genuineness and openness that is a great start. It was also helpful to have a "role play" listening to another persons story as well as sharing one's one which reinforced the importance of listening and open mindedness.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found this helpful, Andy!
DeleteI really appreciated the exercise of crafting a personal narrative. In my case, our neighborhood has no board or organization of any kind. I've been nervous to take the first steps toward creating one as I haven't been sure of where to even start. I found through Anthony's presentation that by creating consensus I can help build trust and therefore start to form stronger relationships with and among my neighbors. The importance of LISTENING was a theme throughout and also an important lesson for me to remember as I tend to talk too much in situations where I'm nervous. Practicing our public narrative with a partner was more of a lesson in listening for me than rambling on about myself. By the end of the presentation I feel like I am confident enough in my personal narrative to take the next step towards organizing/hosting a small neighborhood event.
ReplyDeleteAwesome thoughts and reflections, Courtney. So glad you found the listening component of this helpful!
DeleteThank you so much, Anthony, for providing such an excellent class and tools for building consensus. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the public narrative concept, but the one to one relational meetings exercise was very instructive. Clearly I need to work on that skill set. Upon reflection I can see how some of my comments or questions shut down the conversation rather than moving it forward. I look forward to improving and using this new tool and knowledge in getting to know neighbors, building trust, working toward shared values and common goals.
ReplyDeleteCyndi Long
In my neighborhood, there are some strong, different political beliefs. However, we all still live on the same street, breathe the same air, eat similar food, and desire a safe environment to live and raise families. Finding common ground is essential for establishing any relationships, but it's especially important when there's such strong differences in politics. The One-to-One narrative provides a helpful framework for how to create community connection.
ReplyDelete- Red L.
Red, glad this was helpful to you!
DeleteThis class had a lot of information to reflect on and get a better understanding. It is so important to have a shared value of an issue while developing mutual relationship. Majority rule is definitely not the way to make a decision;however, having a concensus would assist the process to flow better. Not everyone will get what they want but building trust is the foundation to making decisions as stated in class. It makes sense to be!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the one on one! Public Narrative is a concept I would like.to master. I learned a lot about my classmate and invited her to keep in touch. We had a lot of similarity as to why we chose our career path and attendance at NU. It is a great way to generate how to process a narrative open and open again until the issue is clear.
Lelia
DeleteLelia, so glad you had a good experience with these tools and that you have developed a relationship with your classmate!
DeleteThe class covered the importance of a developing and advocating for a neighborhood consensus over a majority rule or personal preference of a few. We were provided with education and tools and on how to do this. We discussed the importance of developing my own public mission story to share with others in the community that explains my why, my focus and how to share this public story and passion of mine with others in the community. The one on one dialog sample provided will be instrumental in starting a great conversation with a neighbor and will help to build better communication and establish trust with others in the community.
ReplyDeleteJessica Malacara
Awesome summary and reflection Jessica. Thanks!
DeleteWhen you can tell your story which relates to someone else's story a relationship can formed and trust can be built. Public Narrative is a building block that can help to build consensus with others and it provides information about commonalities.
ReplyDeleteAwesome reflections - thank you Daniel!
ReplyDeleteDianne Bridges
ReplyDeleteKey points:
• Important to build relationships both within the neighborhood and with Public Officials
• With neighborhoods, officials hear all the time from “lone wolfs”; they want to hear from groups
• Building consensus in groups is effective and important, albeit doing so is sometimes hard work (harder than majority rule)
• Consensus, in general, results in coming to a place (a decision) where most folks agree on most of what is being done.
• Key is to arrive at consensus from a shared set of values.
• The benefits of making consensus include building/keeping relationships, establishing trust and ensuring folks feel they are heard
I found the reminder about building consensus very good. As someone mentioned above, I can be a real talker if I am not intentional about listening! The one on one was good and we plan to get together in the future. I whole heartedly agree that building consensus is a great way to come to decisions, but I wonder how to do this in the limited time we do have with groups or even neighbors? I look forward to getting to know some neighbors and finding out their story and what our shared values are.
ReplyDeleteCathy V
Really gained insight of the value of consensus and have a lot to reflect on and deepen my understanding of this process of bringing a group, or collective thoughts to a point of consensus. In the current process I am in with wide open possibilities of what my neighborhood needs, wants and what we can become I saw that the building of relationships and trust and learning about others is where is all begins! I love learning about others and hearing their stories. I am brainstorming how to do this. How, where to have this open, natural forum to listen to each other. No agenda, just to hear each other. More to come!
ReplyDeleteDeby K.
Frequently have used the "Where I'm from" scenario as personal narratives to better know others. Consensus supposes a core of shared values which can also be a reason consensus is sometimes difficult. Commitment to listening and researching issues also important to making progress in resolving issues or moving forward. jrj
ReplyDeleteI really liked the concept of introducing who you are, sharing what tribes you are a part of and providing passion for what drives you. Great presentation Professor!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the breakout session. It is always good coming to a conversation regarding shared values. Board members or homeowners may have the same shared values but differ on how matters get handled or done. Yes, I believe many people understand that we come to conversation with a democratic mindset. It is good to hear everybody out and the majority rules.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this session. It was enlightening because it helped me to reflect on my experiences and to put a narrative to my experiences in a way I had not thought about, perhaps ever! It It was a really good session.
ReplyDelete