These are links to some of our favorite websites - places that we find most useful for the type of work we do.
Meeting Facilitation
A great resource for "just in time" tools to help meeting facilitators. Several great articles and a free subscription to a useful e-zine for facilitators. Highly recommended.
Leadership Strategies - Articles on Facilitation
Leadership strategies provides a very useful website and several articles. Highly recommended.
Free articles and helpful advice on how to successfully use technology (such as virtual meetings) in group decision making.
Leading trade association for professional facilitators. Good Group Decisions is a member.
This website is the homepage for a 900-member moderated discussion among meeting facilitation professionals. There are many useful "resource files" and archives.
An excellent 4-page overview from University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Provided in Portable Document Format (pdf).
Resource List for Practitioners
This is an 11-page list of links for meeting facilitators - assembled by the folks at Community at Work.
Consensus Decision Making
Tree Bressen's Handouts and Articles
This is a terrific compilation of one-page handouts and useful articles written by Tree Bressen. Highly recommended.
Basics of Consensus by Rob Sandelin
A straight-forward, descriptive article by cohousing leader Rob Sandelin defining consensus and ingredients for successful process.
Consensus Decision Making by Laird Schaub
Eight pages of basics by
This is a good resource for all aspects of planning and running meetings. It is geared toward a business environment. Contains several good articles. Well organized.
National Center for Dialogue and Deliberation
This very large website provides extraordinary networking opportunities for those who want to explore the wide world of meeting and facilitation techniques.
This website describes a particular way of gathering and prioritizing input from a few people or from many, many people. A free handbook is available for download. Innovative and practical.
Several free, downloadable resources such as workbooks, books, essays and exercises, including The Seven Challenges: A Workbook and Reader about Communicating More Cooperatively by Dennis Rivers.
Center for Nonviolent Communication
Explanations and resources related to
Search for Group Decision Tools by Criteria
Many group exersises and activities described here. Click on one of the category boxes, then “go.”
This BusinessBalls website is a long list of team building games, each with descriptions and instructions. Could be better organized but there is a lot of rich content here.
Many links to articles about strategic planning, organizational development, communications, fundraising, and lots more.
Associations / Organizations
International Association of Facilitators
International Sustainability Indicators Network
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association