{"id":10967,"date":"2020-02-18T12:03:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T17:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/?p=10967"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:07:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:07:33","slug":"build-consensus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/build-consensus\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Behaviors Guaranteed to Build Consensus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meetings capture a huge investment<\/a> of time.<\/h2>\n

Unproductive meetings affect your cash flow, morale, and the potential growth of your biggest asset, your people. As frequent and important as we attend meetings<\/a>, little (if any) structured training has been provided to help us become better meeting participants, and more importantly, meeting leaders. To build consensus<\/a>, you and your teams are dependent on improving three areas of behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. CLEAR THINKING – WHY (Leadership)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Leadership<\/a> training ensures that we begin with the end in mind. WHY<\/strong> do we meet equates with what DONE looks like? Highly effective facilitators<\/a> know what DONE looks like before the meeting begins. They are able to clearly describe the deliverables from the meeting. Effective facilitators and meeting leaders can also explain what is at risk if the meeting fails. They prove value by the amount of money or FTP (i.e., full-time person) wasted if the group fails to deliver. Effective meetings begin with clear deliverables.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Even a lousy facilitator will succeed at building consensus when they draw line of sight from the meeting deliverable to the wallet (quality of life) of their meeting participants.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The best facilitators in the world will fail miserably if they don\u2019t know where they are going. Poor facilitators still succeed when the deliverable is clear and impacts the quality of life of the meeting participants. When meeting output directly impacts participants, the meeting participants (aka<\/em> subject matter experts) help the facilitator become more effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How to Build Consensus:\u00a0Leadership (WHY), Facilitation (WHAT), and Meeting Design (HOW)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Knowing \u2018where\u2019 your group is going provides a keen sense of leadership<\/strong>. It is easy to follow a leader who knows where they are going. Conversely, when the leader is uncertain about what they need, what they are asking, or what they should be doing, it is easy to disengage from the session and disown the results.<\/span><\/p>\n

An effective leader knows what DONE looks like for every step<\/span> in the agenda. They know how each step relates to meeting deliverables and the logic that drives the sequence of steps in the agenda. They can effectively explain the white space, or the space between the lines on a simple agenda<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before your meeting begins, you better know what each step looks like, in advance of asking for subject matter perspectives and content. We call this insight contextual<\/a> control. Are you building a list, a statement, a matrix, a model, or something else? If crafting a policy, determine if the policy statement should be five words, five hundred words, or five pages long. The only wrong answer is when the meeting leader does not know what DONE looks like before the step begins.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. CLEAR REFLECTIONS – WHAT (Facilitation)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Once it has been made clear where we are going, facilitation<\/u> skills<\/a> make it easier to know WHAT<\/strong> to do to make a meeting successful. Effective meeting leaders can become doubly effective when they combine their line of sight\u00a0with facilitative<\/strong> skills<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Active listening<\/a> while providing reflection of BOTH what participants are saying and why they are saying it, along with remaining neutral<\/a> and non-judgmental, are the most critical skills to effective meeting management. Reflection does not always need to be verbal. Facilitators that use easels to write down participant input provide a visual reflection that is both immediate and easy to confirm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Experienced facilitators know that more is better. They capture participant input verbatim<\/a> which will never get them in trouble. You should also embrace the principles of Brainstorming<\/em><\/a> at all times. Quickly gather all substantive input without discussion (diverge) and then go back to clarify, challenge, and modify the original input (analysis). Do NOT combine gathering and discussing at the same time in an unstructured discussion. After the analysis of the raw input, your refined output can be confirmed (converged) as content the group can support (professional test of consensus) and not lose any sleep over it (personal test of consensus).<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, we have developed poor muscle memory over the years. Some behaviors need to be \u2018unlearned\u2019 before new behaviors are embraced. The only way to change such behaviors is through practice and immersion. Talking heads (ie, instructors\u2019 lips are moving) won\u2019t do it.\u00a0 Only active participation and practice will work at instilling effective and facilitative behaviors.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. CLEAR MEETING DESIGN – HOW (Meeting Design)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even a great facilitator who knows where they are going (ie, What DONE looks like) still needs help. They need to know HOW<\/strong> they are going to build consensus and get a group of people from the meeting Introduction<\/em> to the Wrap<\/em>. While the best meeting design<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(or\u00a0methodology or approach, the agenda) has more than one right answer, there is one wrong answer \u2014 if the meeting leader does not know HOW<\/strong> they are going to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even when you know where you are going, having effectively described the deliverable, you will still be challenged with HOW are you going to lead a group from the Introduction<\/em> to the Wrap<\/em>. The sequence of steps, activities, and questions captures the meeting design (or\u00a0method) you may use to lead your group. pathway<\/a> implies more than one right answer but the WRONG answer is if you have no method or do not know how you are going to build your deliverable.<\/span><\/p>\n

During MG RUSH<\/i>\u00a0Professional Facilitative Leadership classes, we provide clear instruction, demonstration, and student practice on six different methods of prioritization<\/a>. Each applies at different points along a decision-making continuum ranging from simple to complicated through complex. Take time to build and document your method before your meeting begins, because once the meeting begins, you need your energy to focus on leading, listening, and overseeing your participants.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider these questions before any meeting or workshop.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Prompted by \u201cThree (Incredibly Simple) Questions The Most Successful People Use To Change The World,\u201d<\/em> Forbes contributor Mike Maddock published an article that could have been cut and paste (figuratively) from the MGRUSH<\/span><\/em> Professional Facilitation Reference Manual<\/em>.<\/a> Indeed, to lead a successful meeting, these three questions (slightly modified) should be considered for every meeting or workshop, that fully align with the preceding discussion on the WHY, the WHAT, and the HOW of incredible meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the Meeting You Must Know — What is the deliverable?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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(Forbes: What\u2019s the outcome I want?)<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For meetings, our focus is clearly on output (ie, a thing) rather than outcome (ie, a new condition) since we are typically unable to generate new outcomes before the meeting ends. We can however create the input required to catalyze new outcomes, and that is the purpose of the meeting.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

You Should Know — <\/strong>What are the problems and challenges I foresee?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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(Forbes: What stands in my way?)<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Excellent facilitation depends on thorough preparation<\/a> and interviewing<\/a> your participants in advance. Especially stress preparatory time when collaboration and\u00a0consensus<\/a> become absolutely necessary. What people, issues, or components of the culture<\/a> are going to get in the way of collaboration and consensus? Your answers yield insight necessary to build optimal agendas and activities for each specific meeting situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

You Could Know — <\/strong>Who has already created this type of deliverable?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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(Forbes: Who has figured it out already?)<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You are not the first session leader in the history of mankind to confront your type of deliverable and situational challenges. Find others that have already done it. The manager of one MG RUSH<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>alumnus calls it, \u201cOnce stolen, half done.\u201d Focus on others within your own organization through formal networks like a Community of Practice (CoP) or Community of Excellence (CoE) and informal relationships and friendships. Learning from the experience of others will jumpstart your chances of success, so please do not be shy about asking for help.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click on image above to view our video tutorial on YouTube<\/span><\/strong><\/center><\/p><\/div>\n

Three Behaviors to Build Consensus<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Remember, there are three clear and critical behaviors required to build consensus: Leadership, Facilitation, and Meeting Design. Embrace all three when you lead a group of people, and do the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Articulate your meeting purpose, scope, and deliverable. Put them in writing. If you can\u2019t effectively describe where you are going, you are not ready to lead. Know what DONE looks like before your meeting begins.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Be more facilitative<\/a> and exhibit less “command and control”. Take what you know and put it in the form of a question. And, STOP using the first person singular, especially the word \u201cI.\u201d If you already have the answer (as in, \u201cI think . . .\u201d or \u201cI believe\u201d), then don\u2019t host a meeting. Meetings are an awful form of persuasion.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Provide an agenda. Even if you deviate, at least have a planned road map that details how you expect to get us from the Introduction<\/em> through the Wrap<\/em> generating the deliverables your participants need\u00a0to build consensus and label your meeting successful<\/em>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you start embracing these three behaviors in every meeting you lead, you will be exponentially more successful. We guarantee it.<\/span><\/p>\n

    ______<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

    Don\u2019t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings<\/a>. Sign up for a workshop<\/a> or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH<\/span><\/a><\/em> workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities daily during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Go to the Facilitation Training Store\u00a0<\/a>to access proven, in-house resources, including fully annotated agendas, break timers, and templates. Finally, take a few seconds to buy us a cup of coffee<\/strong><\/a> and please SHARE with others.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    In conclusion, we<\/em>\u00a0dare you to embrace the will, wisdom, and activities that amplify a facilitative leader. #facilitationtraining #MEETING DESIGN<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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    With Bookmarks no longer a feature in WordPress, we need to append the following for your benefit and reference<\/span><\/p>\n