Unleash the transformative power of face to face groups

The third edition of this ground-breaking book continues to advance its mission to support groups to do their best thinking. It demonstrates that meetings can be much more than merely an occasion for solving a problem or creating a plan. Every well-facilitated meeting is also an opportunity to stretch and develop the perspectives of the individual members, thereby building the strength and capacity of the group as a whole.

This fully updated edition of The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making guides readers through the struggle and the satisfaction of putting participatory values into practice, helping them to fulfill the promise of effective group decision-making. With previous editions already embraced by business and community leaders and consulting professionals around the world, this new book is even more insightful and easy to use.

New for this edition:

Sam Kaner, Ph.D.?is the founder of the consulting firm Community At Work, and he has been its Executive Director since 1986.?He ?is regarded as one of the nation's leading experts on?facilitation. Over the past 20 years he has repeatedly been?a?featured speaker at the annual conferences of several professional associations, including the National Organization Development Network and the International Association of Facilitators. His corporate clients have included?Hewlett-Packard, Price Waterhouse, Visa International, Charles Schwab and Company, and many other Fortune 500 companies. His public sector clients have included the California Supreme Court, the March of Dimes, Special Olympics, Annie E Casey Foundation and many schools, community-based organizations and government agencies.

Lenny Lind?is president of CoVision, Inc. He is the co-developer of Council, a groupware system designed for facilitators.

Catherine Toldi,?M.A. is a freelance collaboration specialist.

Sarah Fisk, PhD is a clinical psychologist, a seasoned facilitator, and a designer of participatory processes. She has been a featured speaker of the annual conferences of the National Organization Development Network and the International Association of Facilitators as well as an adjunct professor at California Institute of Integral Studies. Sarah's corporate clients have included Hewlett-Packard, Agilent, Visa International, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Inc. and many other Fortune 500 businesses. Her public sector clients have included the March of Dimes, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, EarthIsland Institute, City of Edmonton, Alberta, and numerous educational and government agencies and community based organizations. Sarah has been a senior consultant with Community At Work since 1996.

Duane Berger, M.A. is co-founder of the Resource Center for Consensus Decision-Making.

Foreword byMichael Doylexv

 Introduction to the First Edition xxi

 Introduction to the Third Edition xxv

Part I: Grounding Principles

1 The Dynamics of Group Decision-Making 3

2 Participatory Values 23

3 Introduction to the Role of Facilitator 31

Part II: Facilitator Fundamentals

4 Facilitative Listening Skills 41

5 ChartWriting Technique 65

6 Brainstorming 79

7 Tools for Managing Long Lists 87

8 Facilitating Open Discussion 99

9 Alternatives to Open Discussion 113

10 Effective Agendas: Design Principles 145

11 Effective Agendas: Desired Outcomes 161

12 Effective Agendas: Process Design 177

13 Dealing with Difficult Dynamics 197

14 Classic Facilitator Challenges 215

Part III: Sustainable Agreements

15 Principles for Building Sustainable Agreements 229

16 Inclusive Solutions in Real Life 239

17 Creative Reframing 253

Part IV: Facilitating Sustainable Agreements

Introduction to Part Four 262

18 Facilitating in the Divergent Zone 265

19 Facilitating in the Groan Zone 279

20 Facilitating in the Convergent Zone 295

21 Teaching a Group About Group Dynamics 309

Part V: Reaching Closure

22 The Significance of Clear Decision Rules 323

23 Striving for Unanimity 333

24 Reaching Closure Step By Step 347

25 Facilitating Sustainable Agreements 363

Photocopying Policy 373

Bibliography 375

Acknowledgments 381

The Authors 387

Index 389

Covision 399

Community At Work 400

Training from Community At Work 401