Differences and the limits of agreement
Find Common Ground on a Contested Topic
Make exceptions, partial agreement and conditions for meeting competing needs visible for low-risk operational issues.
- People
- 6–30
- Session time
- 180 minutes
- Format
- In person
English session plan
Original program status: draft. Source safety category: Medium; this is not a guarantee of safety.
Preparation: High preparation. Facilitation team: Four roles, including an experienced facilitator.
What this session can decide
Organise low-risk options for everyday work or community activities. Do not handle legal disputes, mediation, harassment or employment disputes.
Outside its scope
- Do not decide winners, losers or a majority position.
- Do not handle reports of harm or legal disputes.
- Do not force apologies, reconciliation or personal disclosure.
Primary caution: Do not decide winners, losers or a majority position.
Before starting
- Question and scope
- Make exceptions, partial agreement and conditions for meeting competing needs visible for low-risk operational issues. Before the session starts, state the subject and period to be covered in one sentence.
- What is decided here
- Organise low-risk options for everyday work or community activities. Do not handle legal disputes, mediation, harassment or employment disputes.
- Output recipient
- At the end, the Recorder retains “Options linking benefits and burdens”. Turn partial agreement into operational options that can be tested.
- Participation and information boundaries
- Explain that people may pass, rest or leave, and keep personal information, confidential information and judgements about attributes off the recording surface. Assign Participant support separately.
- Operating team
- Assign the Lead facilitator, Recorder, Timekeeper and Participant support before starting, and confirm who announces transitions and stops.
- Next check
- Decide the review date for “Options linking benefits and burdens”, who may view it and who is responsible for the next decision.
Who takes responsibility
- Lead facilitator
Keep “Find Common Ground on a Contested Topic” within its purpose and stated exclusions, and announce the start and end of each stage.
From before the start until the session ends.
- Recorder
Record “List of successful exceptions and their conditions”, “List of agreement, conditional agreement, pending judgement and disagreement”, “Options linking benefits and burdens” at each stage and hand the records to their recipients at the end.
From preparation of recording surfaces before the start through storage after the session.
- Timekeeper
Notify the Lead facilitator 3 minutes before each stage ends and when switching to breaks or buffer time.
At the start of every stage and 3 minutes before its end.
- Participant support
Receive requests to pass, rest, leave or check individually, and decide with the Lead facilitator whether resumption is possible.
From before the start until the session ends.
Session flow
Minutes are measured from the session start. Method time, transition time, breaks and buffer are shown separately; they are not additional overlapping activities.
0–63 minutes
Find exceptions and practical adaptations
Method: Discovery and Action Dialogue · 0–60 minutes. Transition: 60–63 minutes (3 minutes).
Ask about specific occasions when the difficulty was reduced and what people did differently then. Separate assumptions from facts and record only conditions that seem reproducible.
Responsible: Lead facilitator; Recorder; Participant support
Output: List of successful exceptions and their conditions
Handoff: Pass the list of conditions to the stage that identifies possible areas of partial agreement.
This stage may be shortened only in accordance with the stated conditions.
63–101 minutes
Separate the areas where agreement is possible
Method: Partial Agreement Grid · 63–98 minutes. Transition: 98–101 minutes (3 minutes).
Sort each condition into “agreement”, “agreement if conditions are met”, “pending judgement” or “disagreement”. For items where agreement is possible if conditions are met, record the information needed and a reconsideration date.
Responsible: Lead facilitator; Recorder; Participant support
Output: List of agreement, conditional agreement, pending judgement and disagreement
Handoff: Pass items to test for compatibility and conditions still on hold to the stage that develops options balancing benefits and burdens.
This stage is not marked as shortenable.
111–154 minutes
Develop options with conditions for meeting competing needs
Method: Trade-off Bridge · 111–151 minutes. Transition: 151–154 minutes (3 minutes).
Place the values to protect on one side and burdens that are difficult to accept on the other. Develop conditional options that allow progress even if they do not fully satisfy both sides.
Responsible: Lead facilitator; Recorder; Participant support
Output: Options linking benefits and burdens
Handoff: Pass the options, unresolved conditions and reconsideration date to the person responsible.
This stage is not marked as shortenable.
What is retained and who receives it
List of successful exceptions and their conditions
Owner: Recorder
Bring abstract claims back to observable examples.
List of agreement, conditional agreement, pending judgement and disagreement
Owner: Recorder
Show where the group can move forward without requiring complete agreement.
Options linking benefits and burdens
Owner: Recorder
Turn partial agreement into operational options that can be tested.
Materials and setup
Material names, quantities, groups and handling instructions retain the fixed draft's original helper-derived guidance. Where a format is marked “Source material specification”, the entire bound English source material entry takes precedence over the old helper-derived format guidance. This format-only correction does not resolve other instruction or safety concerns. English names are not substituted into a Japanese-keyed lookup.
Everyday tools
- Broad-tip writing tools
Quantity: 2 per table
Format: Dark broad-tip pens or whiteboard markers
Check that the ink flows and place the pens where participants can reach them. Avoid pale-coloured pens.
- Issue sticky notes
Quantity: 3 per person
Format: Sticky notes around 75 × 75 mm, or A4 copy paper cut into four pieces.
Prepare them blank before starting. In use, write one issue to decide now or action to begin after a decision per note, in broad lettering.
- Pens
Quantity: 1 per person
Format: Dark broad-tip pens or whiteboard markers
Check that the ink flows and place the pens where participants can reach them. Avoid pale-coloured pens.
- Dark writing tools
Quantity: 1 per person
Format: Dark broad-tip pens or whiteboard markers
Check that the ink flows and place the pens where participants can reach them. Avoid pale-coloured pens.
- Floor tape
Quantity: 1 roll per small group
Format: Low-tack masking tape
Check that it can be removed from an inconspicuous place on the floor or wall. Keep the edges flat and do not block walkways.
Sheets to prepare by hand
- List of seven questions
Quantity: 1 per table
Format: Source material specification: One A3 list of the 7 questions per table
Source-bound format display correction; the other fixed helper-derived guidance is unchanged.
State the content, preparation date and person who checked it. If distributing it, also provide a large-print version or digital viewing data with the same content.
- Record sheet for next practices from the seven questions
Quantity: 1 per table
Format: Source material specification: One A3 recording sheet per table
Source-bound format display correction; the other fixed helper-derived guidance is unchanged.
Divide the work surface into 4 fields: “Actions actually being taken”, “Obstacles to action”, “Small next step to try, owner and timing” and “Role to invite to the next dialogue”. Do not rely on colour alone; write each field heading in words.
- Role notes for the table facilitator and Recorder
Quantity: 1 of each per table
Format: Sticky notes around 75 × 75 mm, or A4 copy paper cut into four pieces.
Write “Table facilitator—check the question and time” on one card and “Recorder—record decisions and holds” on the other. Add people’s names only after assigning the roles.
- Table separating agreement, agreement when conditions are met, and non-agreement
Quantity: 1 sheet per group plus 1 for whole-group consolidation
Format: Source material specification: One A3 grid per group with agreement, conditional agreement, and disagreement columns, plus one for whole-group integration
Source-bound format display correction; the other fixed helper-derived guidance is unchanged.
Create 3 columns from left to right: Agreement, Agreement when conditions are met, and No agreement. In the conditional-agreement column, leave space for checks needed, owner, and deadline.
- Checking-owner cards
Quantity: 1 per conditional-agreement item
Format: Sticky notes around 75 × 75 mm, or A4 copy paper cut into four pieces.
Write 3 fields from top to bottom: checking owner, person or information source to check, and reply deadline. Place it beside the item that can be agreed when conditions are met.
- Position cards
Quantity: 2 per small group, 1 for each conflicting value
Format: A4 copy paper
Write each of the two conflicting values or positions in large letters on its own A4 sheet. Use thick lettering readable from a distance and keep the two sheets as a pair.
- Check with the person concerned cards
Quantity: 2 per small group, 1 for each position
Format: Sticky notes around 75 × 75 mm, or A4 copy paper cut into four pieces.
Use Check with the person concerned as the heading, with Position to check, Person responsible for checking, and Deadline below it. Use these cards to avoid filling in an absent person's position by assumption.
- Loss cards
Quantity: 2 per person
Format: Source material specification: 2 loss cards per person, approximately A6 size
Source-bound format display correction; the other fixed helper-derived guidance is unchanged.
Write What I lose if we choose the other option at the top and leave the lower half blank for responses. Write one loss on each card in the person's own words.
- Trade-off condition cards
Quantity: 6 per small group
Format: Sticky notes around 75 × 75 mm, or A4 copy paper cut into four pieces.
Write 3 fields from top to bottom: Loss to avoid, Trade-off condition, and How to check. Put only one condition on each card.
Setup for each method
Discovery and Action Dialogue
- One table per group, seating 2–7 people, near the place where the problem occurs
- Place the question list and recording sheet where everyone at each table can read them
- Explain at the start that the group will not decide other people's actions while those people are absent
Partial Agreement Grid
- One three-column work surface per group with the disagreement column the widest
- Two display surfaces at least 1 m apart for keeping the scope of action and disagreement separate
- One island table per group where no more than 6 people can gather around the grid
Trade-off Bridge
- Small groups of 4–8; 1–5 groups
- Two positions at least 3 m apart per group, displaying the competing values
- Give needs-confirmation cards to groups that cannot include at least one participant who actually chose each position
- One floor area per group between the positions, at least 1 m wide, with room for 6 exchange-condition cards
When to switch or stop
Fallbacks
- At the 40-minute point, there are more than 10 examples.
Select no more than 3 examples that participants themselves can reproduce.
Method guide: Discovery and Action Dialogue
Stop conditions
- Litigation, mediation, harassment, discrimination, employment disputes or reports of harm are involved.
- Stop facilitation and move the matter to the designated specialist service or protection procedure.
- Intimidation, concerns about retaliation or refusal to speak are observed.
- End the dialogue and prioritise checking safety and ensuring a way to leave.
Sources, rights and limits
This site has composed this programme’s purpose, method sequence, delivery instructions, roles, outputs and switching conditions. See each individual method page for that method’s sources and licences.
Original source records and their required notices are retained below. Their presence does not mean a new legal or cultural-safety clearance. Original citation titles are kept in their source language.
Sources and required notices for the 3 methods used
Discovery and Action Dialogue
- Liberating Structures Fieldbook (2026) — Henri Lipmanowicz; Keith McCandless; Nancy White — CC BY-SA 4.0 adaptation; changes made
- Creative Commons License — Liberating Structures — CC-BY-SA-4.0 notice
- CC BY-SA 4.0 — Licence text
- Source: Liberating Structures Fieldbook (2026) — Henri Lipmanowicz; Keith McCandless; Nancy White | https://www.liberatingstructures.com/discovery-and-action-dialogue | CC BY-SA 4.0 adaptation; changes made
- Source: Creative Commons License — Liberating Structures | https://www.liberatingstructures.com/cc-license | CC-BY-SA-4.0 notice
- Source: CC BY-SA 4.0 | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ | Licence text
- Attribution: Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless; Keith McCandless and Nancy White | Author/contributor credit from the original material
- Attribution: Taiwa no Fumen Editorial Team | Japanese adaptation and this site’s original illustrations
- Changes and adaptation: Adapted with changes as Japanese facilitation scores
- ShareAlike: Provided under CC-BY-SA-4.0
- Cultural caution: open-method screening complete: Closed, ritual or sacred cultural practices are not used as sources; opting out, sensitive information and power differences are addressed in each method’s limits and branches.
- Limits of this record: Adapted with changes into Japanese facilitation scores under CC BY-SA 4.0 and provided under the same licence. Only the current pages are covered; materials dating from June 2026 or earlier, official icons and third-party material were excluded.
Partial Agreement Grid
- 対話の譜面編集部: 部分合意の格子 — Original description and diagrams
- Source: Taiwa no Fumen Editorial Team: Partial Agreement Grid | Original description and diagrams
- Attribution: Taiwa no Fumen Editorial Team | This site’s text and illustrations
- Cultural caution: open-method screening complete: Closed, ritual or sacred cultural practices are not used as sources; opting out, sensitive information and power differences are addressed in each method’s limits and branches.
- Limits of this record: The editorial team independently created the text, procedures and diagrams. It claims no exclusive rights over general dialogue operations or ideas themselves.
Trade-off Bridge
- 対話の譜面編集部: トレードオフの橋 — Original description and diagrams
- Source: Taiwa no Fumen Editorial Team: Trade-off Bridge | Original description and diagrams
- Attribution: Taiwa no Fumen Editorial Team | This site’s text and illustrations
- Cultural caution: open-method screening complete: Closed, ritual or sacred cultural practices are not used as sources; opting out, sensitive information and power differences are addressed in each method’s limits and branches.
- Limits of this record: The editorial team independently created the text, procedures and diagrams. It claims no exclusive rights over general dialogue operations or ideas themselves.
Historical fixed-draft notes
The original fixed draft notes are retained without deletion as historical records of those fixed source versions. Current material format corrections are separately identified above; these notes do not imply that other concerns have been resolved.
- The fixed sourceRaw for preparedMaterials.10 specifies approximately A6, while its helper-produced format offers approximately 75×75 mm sticky notes or quartered A4 paper. The coordinator is separately investigating the A6-size helper issue. Both fixed source representations are retained without correction or a claim that these sizes are equivalent.
Japanese resources and historical source records
Original Japanese plan and its print view · Japanese operation pack or starter materials
An English print edition is not provided here. The linked plans, print views and operation materials are Japanese resources.
Historical recorded publication holds
The following original hold statements are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. They are not a statement of current acceptance, nor does this historical label resolve a source-specific restriction.
- English translation and rendered-page independent acceptance pending
- Method dependency source/text SHA binding and current source-specific rights verification pending
- Publication not cleared
Historical fixed-source and English-draft provenance
Japanese program SHA-256: 582287d38ec90f32a511a3eea33f9e011dfbc4cc8935c3049dbe2bd203cd6c15
Fixed source context SHA-256: 1726e8b010c08d62dcd1230ce644cae7f7b705ec3b118401818d299064d8e3aa
English draft SHA-256: 3d8dc53bb4a9df855403e833d333944b926f4c3436d1b889da874db590a9307b
- discovery-and-action-dialogue: source
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These hashes identify the checked inputs; they do not grant independent acceptance or publication clearance.