I'm becoming more interested in what to do when an issue is identified, as opposed to when a proposal is made (a proposal is one thing a group can do when there's an issue). So I'm thinking about the stuff that happens before a proposal is brought up. In that phase there's generally a facilitated discussion, or else informal discussion outside of the frame of the meeting. Facilitated discussion can include small-group breakouts, brainstorming, bringing up more or less structured questions, and various other techniques. It often involves keeping a stack of people waiting to speak, in the interest of fairly allocating the right to be heard. Many groups use a progressive stack, in which people whose voices might often be silenced or underacknowledged are given preferential access to the stack. I find myself wondering whether there's anything to be gained by thinking about the different ways a progressive stack could be designed, and what difference it would make. . . .

http://lalashan.mcmaster.ca/theobio/worden/index.php/Consensus_Dynamics_...

[contains no conclusions, only questions and a framing.]