Cohousing-L Mailing List: re: consensus workshops

[ruddick (ruddick]

        Oberservation: seems to be a problem with professional jargon.
        Noting that several on the list have reported that they hired someone
for a workshop on consensus building and were surprised that what they got was
not about doing productive meetings and getting to a quality solution--
        If you hire someone to do training in "consensus building" then they're
going to focus on defining group values and building teams and cohesiveness.
        If you want to learn how to do meetings that are more efficient and
focused, and to reach higher-quality decisions, then you want to hire someone
to do training in "group problem-solving" or "decision-making" procedures.
        The two types of training are different--and you should probably 
expect highly-paid professionals to respond to the title you give to the
session rather than the goals you might describe for it.
        I speak as a Ph.D. and college professor in communication--I've done
teaching/training in group problem solving, and I've seen how professional
trainers respond to our professional jargon.
        An offer--I'd be willing to do some really cheap workshops in group
problem-solving for coho groups.  It would be a way for me to have closer
contact with the movement (something Dayton, OH currently doesn't offer me).

TR