Purpose To freely share initial reactions from all group members. Other members reserve all comments during this round as well. To elaborate on perceptions and insights. At this point it is helpful to focus on points of agreement and build on common perceptions. Purpose To seek common understanding.
All members now participate as desired, in dialogue, to work toward consensus.
Get a verbal agreement from each member before making a final decision. Purpose To get verbal agreement from each member and identify consensus. Using a procedure like the one described above may seem awkward and artificial at first, encourage your teams to continue to use it despite the awkward feelings. In time teams will adapt the procedure and become comfortable with it so that it becomes second nature. You may want to have teams practice this procedure using a short exercise.