The group has fully explored the issues, brainstormed and assessed a range of options, then narrowed and combined the options into packages that satisfy a broad range of participants’ interests. All that remains to be done is to develop and sign off on a final agreement…  Although much of the substantive work may be done, this final step is often difficult. There may be hesitance to commit, issues or interests that were left unresolved may resurface, and participants are often tired after a long process.

This section reviews strategies that facilitators can use to ease and encourage commitment-making:

• Capturing Points of Agreement: In the heat of the moment, participants may fail to recognize points on which they agree. Facilitators can recognize, clarify, and capture these areas of concurrence.
• Seeking Consensus: Although not all processes require consensus to reach an agreement, broadly-supported agreements are generally more durable and result in stronger post-process relationships. Use these strategies to build consensus among as many participants as possible.