In our fast-paced world, it's critical to foster engagement and an agreed direction within our teams. Just telling people what to do rarely sparks true commitment.
🔑 The key: Involving people in the decision-making process.
The main concern usually here is this takes more time or might lead to poor decisions... On the contrary, when people apply the right process and skills to collaborate they:
a) make outstanding choices
b) 'own these decisions’.
Ready to implement outcomes in a far more rapid and effective way.
7 Principles: Collaborative culture
In our quest for solutions, we often bypass a crucial step – envisioning the future we desire. Engaging your team to think beyond the limitations of today's challenges, opens up far more possibilities, creativity and shared motivation.
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🔑 The key: Innovation lies in our preferred future scenario, not the constraints of the present.
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Einstein is attributed as wisely stating, "The thinking that got you here will not get you out of here." So why generate options and actions from a place you don't want to be?
Guide groups to envision an agreed preferred future, with the options and actions towards achieving it.
When a group comes together to solve a problem, it's vital to recognise that the most articulate or brightest minds don't hold all the answers.
Did you know that a group, if left to its own devices, often taps into less than 50% of the collective knowledge within the room?
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The reality is the most dominant voices tend to steer conversations, while quieter yet equally valuable contributors and insights often remain unheard. This frequently leads to post-meeting discussions on why decisions won't work.
🔑 The key: Unlock the potential of your team's collective intelligence.
By addressing the same question simultaneously in separate groups, you can amplify your information processing and decision-making.
A facilitator plays a crucial role in achieving open dialogue and productive group discussions. They act as an impartial channel, listening to diverse inputs without taking sides.
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Why is this neutrality so valuable? When individuals from various backgrounds - production, sales, marketing, administration, and more -come together, a comprehensive understanding emerges from this blend of viewpoints.
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🔑 The key: Facilitation involves being neutral and open to diverse perspectives.
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The RapidConsensus process thrives on ensuring every voice is heard, providing the group with the best information and knowledge for consensus and progress.
This skill is highly effective for agreement, especially in diverse stakeholder groups.
The countless combinations of diverse group opinions may appear overwhelming, but there's a captivating rule at work we want to share—the '7 plus or minus 2 Rule.'
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Why '7 plus or minus 2'? Research reveals that our brains naturally organise subjects into a relatively small set to enhance memory, processing, and the use of information. Remarkably, this ability isn't limited to individuals; it's a collective strength within groups.
🔑 The key: Unlock your group's potential by simplifying complex issues into just 5 to 9 topics.
By using the the power of this rule, you learn to decode complexity and empower your teams with insightful decision-making.
Did you know that people have varying speeds of thinking and interacting? Surprisingly, we all possess a rapid cognition capability that thrives under time pressure.
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What’s the insight? In most cases, that initial intuitive response often outshines a lengthy analytical process. As the room becomes a safe space for idea exploration, the group's ability to process complex information and make decisions takes a significant leap.
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Speed isn't just about efficiency—it also sparks lateral leaps in thinking, nurturing the growth of creative ideas.
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🔑 The Key: Speed improves the quality of group decisions
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We find groups consistently amaze themselves with how swiftly they collectively process information and make decisions.
In various contexts, we all carry inequalities, whether it's based on position, age, experience, or knowledge. The most productive dialogues occur when people shed their roles and converse on a level playing field.
🔑 The Key: To create this level playing field people need to be physically close to one another.
Without physical proximity, effective human dialogue falters. RapidConsensus overcomes this challenge by dividing larger groups into small clusters, this allows people to connect on a human level, fostering meaningful interaction and better solutions.
Facilitation at its core is about empowering unequal human beings to be equally human.
Quick background
RapidConsensus was originally designed by Waterfield in 1997 to help teams work together to optimally reach consensus on decision making to move forward.
Today it is successfully used across various meeting methods, evolving to virtual and hybrid group environments.
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Thousands of organisations, government institutions, communities and individuals using RapidConsensus have seen first hand how engaging groups through a collaborative framework results in a visible uplift in performance.