CONTEXT
comes out of complexity of many viewpoints
when many constituencies come together

where do interests and needs overlap

at the heart of any negotiation
how can we get a sense so that people are
values, perspectives, dreams, needs, cultural

what’s possible here and who cares
what’s the overall goal or aim
emotional transition point when everyone in the room sees their commonality
move forward from that basis
naming common ground then leads to drilling down or more specifics
creates movement to somewhere else
solidarity, political awakening, a possible bridging
based on felt sense of core rather than every detail
   

bypass sticky details, wording, some implementation

in decision-making, consensus has a higher threshold of agreement than majority voting which only needs 51% common ground to move forward

INSTRUCTIONS

VARIATIONS

CAUTIONS & CAVEATS
If run over too many details or differences, could come back and cause trouble later.  Is this a core issue or not?  Know when to work on the differences.

Common ground, seeking consensus or agreement too early or too easily may lead to the danger of GroupThink