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More Than 50 Ways to Build Team Consensus

Second Edition
By: R. Bruce Williams

Foster committed, participative teamwork in any environment!

In this valuable resource, Williams provides the latest insights and research on how collaborative teams can work together to reach consensus and accomplish their goals. With more than 50 practical, step-by-step activities and strategies for immediate implementation, this handy guide sets the stage for effective collaborative teamwork for both novice and experienced groups. Organized in a user-friendly format with helpful hints and real-life examples, the activities are built around the four essential components of full consensus:

Creating a purposeful vision
Effecting participative processes
Fostering individual commitment
Building strong collaborative teams

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781412937115
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2006
Page Count: 296
Publication date: August 03, 2006

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Author(s) Table of Contents Reviews

Description

"As a single source of ideas for facilitators and school leaders, this book is excellent. The author very thoroughly covers the material, and the procedures are easy to follow."
-Stephen H. Laub, Principal
Rolla Junior High School, MO

Foster committed, participative teamwork in any environment!

Today's workplace is increasingly shifting from top-down, authoritative leadership to engendering participation from all the stakeholders in a team. In response to this ever-growing trend, R. Bruce Williams provides group facilitators with insights and research about teams working together to reach consensus and accomplish their goals. This revised edition presents current brain research and its implications for team leaders and members, and explores the growing importance of participative processes in collaborative working environments.

In a user-friendly format, Williams offers more than 50 practical, step-by-step activities and strategies for immediate implementation, with real-life examples to assist in the consensus-building process. The activities address the four main components of full consensus:

Creating a purposeful vision
Effecting participative processes
Fostering individual commitment
Building strong collaborative teams

Use this valuable "road map" to set the stage for establishing consensus and effecting successful collaborative teamwork!

Key features

Features

Offers an easy-to-use format that invites skimming and choosing from 70 different strategies

Section for each strategy includes background information, step-by-step directions, implementation tips, and a real-life example

Identifies which strategies are most useful for newer teams and which strategies are beneficial for teams that have been working together for some time

Benefits

Provides tools and strategies that will help organizations facilitate team processes and team decision making

Helps team leaders create a purposeful vision, encourage participative processes, enhance team members' individual commitment, and build a collaborative team

Author(s)

R. Bruce Williams

Bruce Williams has more than thirty five years of international consulting experience,and is noted for his expertise in group facilitation and in planning and team building methodologies. Williams' specialty is facilitating participative, interactive group workshops whether they are focused on strategic planning and consensus building or instructional methodologies for the classroom. He has conducted successful workshops on brain compatible learning and school change facilitation, and he frequently presents in the areas of cooperative learning, higher order thinking skills, and authentic assessment. With seven years' experience in teaching English as a second language in Japan and Korea, Williams is highly experienced in working with diverse populations. Thirty-six years' experience in adult training also make him a valuable resource in facilitating school change. In addition to conference workshops in 2002 in Australia and New Zealand, he has been invited three times to present workshops for teachers in Singapore. In April of 2004, Williams was the keynote speaker for 400 principals and teachers in Beijing.

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction to Building Team Consensus

I. Purposeful Vision

1. Visualizing the Common Direction: Simple Things to Do

Hopes and Desires Conversation

Snapshots

Brainstorming Closure

TV Personality in Three Years

Common Direction Written Summary

Past, Present, and Future Images

2. Creating Visible Documentation: Things That Take Effort

Cardstorming

Meeting Products Documentation

Artifacts

Report

Wall Decor of Meeting Products

Article

3. Illuminating the Total Framework: For the Committed

Journey Wall

Global Events Conversation

Newsletter

Organization Principles Workshop

Purposeful Vision Chart

All the Stakeholders

II. Participative Processes

4. Generating Total Participation: Simple Things to Do

Creating the Real Question

Eventful Happenings

Sticker Dots

Language

TV News Spot

Questions Not Dictums

Carousel Solutions

5. Organizing the Meeting Focus: Things That Take Effort

One Concrete Product

Time Flow Picture

Meeting Space

Materials

Meeting Plan Forms

6. Tapping the Group Agreement: For the Committed

Guidelines for a Consensus Outcome

Workshop Flow

Three-to-One Scenarios

Cooperative Writing Workshop

Mapping the Road to Agreement

Agreement: State and Restate

Testing for Consensus

III. Individual Commitment

7. Eliciting Detailed Assignments: Simple Things to Do

Task Volunteers

What/Who/When Cards

Timelines

Attendance

Assignment Chart

8. Expanding Personal Recognition: Things That Take Effort

Specific Praise

Individual Celebrations

Training, Coaching, or Project Feedback

Use of People’s Names

Personalized Job Tools

9. Occasioning Individual Accountability and Absolution: For the Committed

Short Weekly Meetings

“I Am Nervous About” Conversations

Implementation Lesson Conversation

A Victory Party Before the Victory

Symbol of Commitment

IV. Collaborative Teams

10. Intensifying Team Identity: Simple Things to Do

Team Member List

Team Name

Team Flag or Symbol

Team Motto

Team Song

Team Rituals or Rites

11. Increasing Supportive Connection: Things That Take Effort

Winning Team Story

Leadership Rotation

Icebreaker Opening Conversation

Dyad or Triad Brainstorming

Making the Differences Visible

Team Victory Celebration

12. Enhancing Group Reflection: For the Committed

Processing Partners

Content Processing

Meeting Processing

Teamwork Processing

Logs or Journals

Career Motivation Conversation

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Reviews

"The book is handy, easy to use, and chock full of practical ideas that can be immediately implemented. It does not bog readers down in theoretical explanations, though it gives just enough background or rationale for each activity to ground them in the 'big picture.'"

Marta Gardner, Literacy Coach
Esperanza Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA

"As a single source of ideas for facilitators and building leaders, this book is excellent. The author very thoroughly covers the material and the procedures are easy to follow."

Stephen H. Laub, Principal
Rolla Junior High School, MO

"Packed with practical ideas to help facilitators aid groups in collaborating to achieve their goals."

Tools for Schools, Vol. 10, No. 2
National Staff Development Council

"Easy-to-follow activities that promote teamwork are outlined in this handbook. Although the intended audience is facilitators, educators can also use these tools to improve class community."

Curriculum Connections, Spring 2007
School Library Journal

Other Titles in: Conflict Resolution for Adults | Leadership | Collaboration & Team Building

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