<Ul> <Li> Multiple concerns and information are shared until the sense of the group is clear . </Li> <Li> Discussion involves active listening and sharing information . </Li> <Li> Norms limit number of times one asks to speak to ensure that each speaker is fully heard . </Li> <Li> Ideas and solutions belong to the group; no names are recorded . </Li> <Li> Ideally, differences are resolved by discussion . The facilitator ("clerk" or "convenor" in the Quaker model) identifies areas of agreement and names disagreements to push discussion deeper . </Li> <Li> The facilitator articulates the sense of the discussion, asks if there are other concerns, and proposes a "minute" of the decision . </Li> <Li> The group as a whole is responsible for the decision and the decision belongs to the group . </Li> <Li> The facilitator can discern if one who is not uniting with the decision is acting without concern for the group or in selfish interest . </Li> <Li> Ideally, all dissenters' perspectives are synthesized into the final outcome for a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts . </Li> <Li> Should some dissenter's perspective not harmonize with the others, that dissenter may "stand aside" to allow the group to proceed, or may opt to "block". "Standing aside" implies a certain form of silent consent . Some groups allow "blocking" by even a single individual to halt or postpone the entire process . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Multiple concerns and information are shared until the sense of the group is clear . </Li> <Li> Discussion involves active listening and sharing information . </Li> <Li> Norms limit number of times one asks to speak to ensure that each speaker is fully heard . </Li>

When reaching a decision during the group decision-making process