6 Group Decision-Making Techniques To Use In Meetings

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been part of a meeting that drags on, doesn’t end in concrete decisions or next steps, and requires a follow-up meeting to continue the conversation. That’s to be expected: It’s very difficult to reach decisions in groups, so there are a few things to consider when trying to master group decision-making in meetings too.

“In my view and experience, people don’t listen to each other in meetings, and it is usually more about asserting their point than understanding others,” says Marjan Najafi, CEO and co-founder of Qyro.io, an award-winning Swiss company offering mental wellbeing solutions to business leaders. ”This makes it incredibly difficult to come to a consensus and wastes a lot of time for everyone. It causes lots of tension in the team dynamics as well.”

According to her, since the way we manage and lead is evolving to be more inclusive and less top-down, it’s more important than ever to work on decision-making skills and tactics. “This is absolutely key given that the definition of leadership is changing from being top-down/hierarchical to more inclusive.”

Effective decision-making is thus good for both teams and organizations, and it’s also something you can intentionally cultivate. Thankfully, you don’t have to hope for consensus to reach decisions in group meetings. Try the six group decision-making techniques below with your team.

1. A minute to arrive

How about using the first minute of a meeting to get grounded instead of getting straight to business?

“This may sound counterintuitive, but studies have shown this to be extremely effective. It is called ‘a minute to arrive.’ It is a mindfulness technique that I offer my clients as an executive coach,” shares Najafi.

As people come into the meeting room, invite meeting participants to take a minute to focus their attention on their breath, allowing the body and mind to settle and focus on the activity that is about to begin. “Even though it takes only one minute, it goes a long way. People end up listening better to each other and becoming much more aware of their surroundings. Decisions can be made much more effectively too.”

2. Impact, not intention

Najafi also recommends another mindfulness technique she refers to as “impact, not intention.” It’s particularly useful when tensions are rising around a decision.

“When you notice feeling irritated or frustrated with someone, pause and bring to mind the phrase ‘impact is not intention.’ Use [this mantra] as a reminder that there is probably more to the story and to become curious about what’s behind what you are feeling. In addition, check-in with the content, feelings, and identity lenses that may be driving the conversation.”

In other words, separate your perception of a situation from the situation itself. Notice the personal experiences and emotions that may be projected onto the conversation from all sides. And always assume the positive intent of your teammates.

This conscious approach can help you stay focused on what matters the most: having a productive discussion that leads to a decision.

3. Consent decision-making

Sociocracy is a system of governance based on creating psychologically safe environments and productive organizations, and it’s big on consent over consensus, which may inspire your decision-making approach in meetings.

“What’s the difference? It’s a tiny tweak with big implications! Here’s how it works. Let’s imagine there’s a proposal on the table and the team is talking about it. Now instead of asking ‘Does everyone agree that we should do this?’, ask ‘Are there any objections to doing this?’, or ‘Is there any reason not to do this?’” explains Ted Rau, Op leader of Sociocracy For All.

“The difference is that those who might prefer another idea might still say yes to the proposal because, if they’re honest with themselves, it might work just as well. That way, we don’t dwell on people-pleasing, which takes a lot of time and drains teams.”

Rau suggests getting a response from everyone. Instead of just asking the group and waiting for feedback, go around the room and make eye or verbal contact with each team member. Ask them if they have objections and invite them to challenge the proposal.

“If no one has any objections and everyone has been asked, it’s much less likely that people will undermine the plan of action later,” he says. “But this only works if you’ve created a psychologically safe environment where people’s input is truly welcome. Otherwise, it’s just window-dressing, and everyone knows that.”

4. Uninterrupted brainstorming

Another sociocracy-inspired group decision-making technique to try is doing a brainstorming session, asking each person to go one by one and avoiding interruptions at all costs.

“No interruptions are allowed, and each person gets a turn. With a bit of order, you can weed out the noise and get to the substantial ideas,” says Lau. “The typical back and forth between team members often just wastes time and discourages people from bringing their ideas to the table.”

Then, do a second round and either ask a person to write up a proposal from the ideas discussed and bring it back for feedback the next time around or make a proposal on the spot. Finally, ask if there are objections, using the consent method above. “One can get to a decision within 10 minutes, with every contribution being exactly to the point while being inclusive of all ideas,” according to Lau.

5. Pros and cons

From mindfulness techniques to progressive organizational systems, the methods above are less common. But good-old pros and cons list can also work wonders when trying to make a decision in a group meeting.

“ I find this very effective for getting a clear overview of the advantages and disadvantages of a decision that needs to be made. It also does a great job in making it clear to the rest of the group to see why, or why not, you would go with a certain decision,” says Taylor Ryan, a public speaker, serial entrepreneur, and the CEO of marketing agency Klint.

6. Multi-voting

Ryan likes to combine pros and cons with a multi-voting approach where there are several rounds of voting until the less favored decision options are weeded out. “I use this when there are many different options that need to be considered. This is a great way to fairly eliminate a whole slew of options before having only a few left,” he says.