Consensus Five
The group must agree on a ranked list — and everyone must genuinely agree.
Teaches the hard skill of genuine consensus — listening, persuading, and compromising.
Instructions
Give the group a list of 8-10 items to rank by some criterion — survival items, historical priorities, values. The group must agree on the top five through genuine consensus — not voting, not the loudest person winning. Everyone must be able to live with the final list. Set a 10-minute limit. Debrief: how did you reach agreement? Who compromised?
Classroom timer
15:00
Best used when
During units on decision-making, ethics, history, or any topic with no single right answer.
Variation
One group member is secretly given a hidden priority they must advocate for without revealing it.
Time
15 min
Noise
Medium
Prep
Light
How did it go?
Quick evaluation — helps you find what works again.