id: consensus-with-facilitator
title: Consensus Decision with Facilitator
description: >-
  A facilitated consensus process in which a group works toward agreement
  that everyone can support or at least not block. Common in cooperative and
  activist organising, drawing on Quaker and collective practice.
source: Seeds for Change, "Consensus Decision Making"
source_url: https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/consensus
tags: [consensus, decision-making, facilitation]
forked_from: null
image: null
steps:
  - headline: Present the proposal
    description: >-
      A proposer summarises the proposal and the need it addresses, then
      yields to questions of clarification only — not opinions.
  - headline: Gather concerns
    description: >-
      The facilitator invites concerns and reservations, listed visibly
      without debate. Each concern is a chance to improve the proposal.
  - headline: Amend and discuss
    description: >-
      The group discusses amendments that address concerns, with the
      facilitator tracking proposals and checking for agreement on each
      change.
  - headline: Test for consensus
    description: >-
      The facilitator asks whether anyone cannot live with the revised
      proposal. A block must come with a reasoned explanation and an offer to
      help find a solution.
  - headline: Confirm and record
    description: >-
      The decision is restated, written down with any reservations noted, and
      the action steps and responsible parties are confirmed.
outcome: >-
  A decision that all participants can support, with dissent engaged rather
  than overridden.
practice: >-
  Distinguish a block from a stand-aside. A block is rare and serious — when
  blocks recur, revisit the proposal's assumptions or the group's shared aims.