Together We Decide

Does your group need help making good decisions? Whether your organization is large or small, public or private, simple or complex, all groups of people must make decisions to move their agendas forward. And to ensure the ongoing health of your group, those decisions need to be optimal. With tips, underlying principles, and case studies in his definitive book, Craig Freshley shares the essentials that groups of all sizes need to make sure their decisions will last and provide benefits for all members. This friendly, practical, and authoritative guide from an experienced and successful facilitator/trainer is a must-have for groups or individuals who want to work on consensus and their collaborative decision-making skills. Leaders, board members, and senior staff in the nonprofit sector-where there's often a higher expectation of collaboration-and corporate leaders who have a collaborative, inclusive mindset or culture will find this hook especially valuable. Topics include: * Collaboration is underrated and competition is overrated. * Making collaborative decisions (good group decisions) is as much or more about attitude as it is mechanics. * When you separate process from substance (putting process in the hands of a facilitator and substance in the hands of everyone else), the process is better, and the end decision (the substance) will be better. * There are proven techniques and best practices that improve meetings and the decision-making processes. Anyone can learn how to turn processes and meetings from bad to good. * Humility is important. Every one of us is part of a group, and not one of us knows what's best for all of us. * Making peace is harder than making war. It's easier to be mad at your neighbor than to talk to your neighbor. We shouldn't expect peacemaking (or productive meetings) to be easy. These things are not easy. And yet they are totally worth it when done right. * Collaboration isn't just the right thing to do in a moral sort of way; it's intensely practical for achieving true innovation, creativity, and breakthrough results. * Critical for group decision-making efficiency is how to apply the right method at the right scale to fit the magnitude of the decision at hand. Freshley's message is especially pertinent to today's world: When good decisions are implemented properly, their effects will be long lasting-for people, for groups, and for the world.

Craig Freshley is a professional meeting facilitator, speaker, trainer, and author with an inspiring attitude and a well-earned reputation for helping groups be efficient, harmonious, and productive. He has professionally facilitated over 3,000 meetings where he helped groups produce indispensable good decisions. Craig works with a wide range of clients including businesses, governments, and non-profits of all sizes and in all sectors. Craig has bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Maine, and a master's degree in Public Policy and Management from the Muskie School for Public Service. He also worked for the Maine State Planning Office and for the Maine Development Foundation. In 2019 Craig won the American Civic Collaboration Award for creating and facilitating Make Shift Coffee Houses: face-to-face places where conservatives, liberals, and all kinds of people meet to talk and understand each other's political views.