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Myth #1: Everyone Knows What Consensus Is and What It Means
Much of what we know (or think we know) about consensus comes from common, often imprecise usage of the word. Consensus for some is a goal: what results after getting everyone to agree on one solution. Some people use the word consensus interchangeably with the word majority. Interestingly, most of the disparate meanings we hear aren't found in dictionaries-- from being synonymous with majority view to a "view held by everyone," to "everyone minus one" (or two or...), to an unanimous vote.
For those experienced in using something called "consensus" in meetings, it's likely we've attached our own meanings to the word. Often misunderstood, poorly practiced and poorly facilitated, consensus has been defined as a cumbersome process-taking too much time and resulting in weak, compromise decisions. Consensus conjures up different images in people's minds, including everything from hours of dreary discussions leading nowhere, to enthusiastic agreements arrived at through thoughtful deliberations.
Consensus means all kinds of things to all kinds of people. It would be challenging at best to come to an agreement about what consensus means and what it is.
So what is myth and what is the reality behind some of the commonly held perceptions of consensus?
Myth #2: Consensus Is a Unanimous Voting Process in Disguise
Most of us have many experiences of voting, from deciding on what game to play during recess in 5th grade, to electing leaders for our country. Voting provides us with an either/or choice. To "win" the vote, we take sides and prepare for a battle in which each "side" tries to convince the other that its position is the best. With all this training, it's not surprising that we tend to approach consensus as if the goal were to reach a unanimous vote.
Consensus process is not a voting process and it is not about unanimity. It is a creative practice weaving together an agreement in unity out of all the different perspectives, concerns, and understandings present in the meeting. There is no voting, but rather a group process which results in an agreement that everyone can support and live with. Whereas voting encourages a win/lose mentality, consensus process encourages a sense of all of...