Below are some of the many ways troop leaders and others can get girls involved in planning and making decisions.

1. MULTIPLE VOTING WITH STICKY DOTS
   List all the choices on separate pieces of paper. Give each girl 3-5 sticky dots or small post-it notes. Each girl may vote with all her dots, justifying them as she wishes. She can use all her dots for one idea, or spread them out over several ideas. The winner is the idea which collects the most dots after everyone has voted. If there are ties, do the same process again with more dots.

2. BRAINSTORMING
   Write down sudden bursts of inspiration. The rules:
   • No judging during "brainstorming". No killer phrases please!
   • Don’t think about money, cost, time, or space.
   • Aim for quantity - lots and lots!
   • Build upon each other’s ideas. Combine, add to …
   • List every idea. Repetition is okay. Spelling doesn’t matter.
    
   When brainstorming is complete, ask the girls to make sure they understand what is meant by everything on the list. Then have them discuss the pros and cons of each item. Have them eliminate items that they ALL don't want to pursue. Code each item as follows:
   1. Those immediately usable.
   2. Those maybe usable.
   3. Those not usable. (Not "good or bad”, but "usable or not!”)

   Choose from the "immediately usable” list the one idea the group wants to try. Make plans - who does what? When? Where? Save the other ideas for later or for a starter for the next "brainstorming session.”

3. MAKE A STAND
   If you’re having trouble getting girls to participate in group discussions, or coming to a decision, "Make a Stand” can help. Everyone has to make up their minds and physically get involved by moving to a station - this tends to make people more chatty and alive. You simply move the girls around. They work to convince each other to move to a station. It is a way to get the girls involved.
   • The "stations" can be places in the meeting place; or a chart with circles to stand in or put buttons or chips on; or straight line stands.
   • As a discussion aid, label stations by ideas or topics.
   • As a voting aid, label stations by "yes, no, undecided, or agree, disagree".

   Consensus means agrees, or at least is able to live with, rather than taking a majority vote with some people not getting their way. To reach consensus, you keep talking until everyone is happy and standing in the same station. With consensus:

   • Everyone wins – even if the agreement is that "everyone is unique, so we agree to disagree.”
   • There are no winners or losers because new alternatives are raised that include everyone.

4. OTHER WAYS OF VOTING
   Making choices helps girls grow!
   • "All in favor go to this side of the room." "All against go to the other side.” (Good to use if the girls don’t like to sit still.)
   • "All in favor, raise your hand." "All against raise your hand.” This can be done with eyes open or closed. Scout vote.
   • "All in favor drop a blue square in the box". "All against drop a red square.” (Gray and brown pebbles, green and yellow leaves, etc.)
   • "Use pencil and paper. Write the choice you want and drop it in the box.”

5. OTHER WAYS OF DECIDING FAIRLY
   • It Bag: Put the names of the girls in a bag. When you need someone for a game, etc. pick a name from the "It Bag.” When the game is over, put that name in the "Other Bag.”
   • Dream Box: A place to put ideas that don’t get chosen so you can use them again.

6. CIRCULAR RESPONSE
   A way to let everyone participate and keep the discussion focused on a specific subject.

   Method: The group sits in a circle. Each one picks a goal (that has special appeal to them). Going clockwise around the circle, each person comments on the goal she chose, even if it is the same as someone else’s choice. You may have to set one minute time limits. If someone doesn’t want to talk, their comment is "I pass”. Go around the circle as long as interest and time permits.

   This is similar to the Brownie Ring but any group can use it. The younger the group, the smaller the topic. (Brownies won’t know what goals mean, but they can think about why they do things.)

7. SEALED ORDERS
   When the troop has a big decision to make, get the facts they will need. Do it by giving small groups (or the ones that come earliest) sealed orders – directions sealed in envelopes. Fun directions/orders can be:
   • To find some specific facts or resources that will be needed in the decision: i.e. "How much money will we have?”
   • To prepare and present a short skit describing an invitation the troop received. The purpose of the skit is to present the facts of the project or invitation, so the troop can decide whether they want to accept the invitation.
   • To list all the ways they can think of to do something (on a blackboard or newsprint).
   • To make suggestions for the agenda of the decision-making discussion; i.e., what should be decided first?

8. CLOTHESLINE
   Ask the group to write ideas for WHAT they want to do and hang them on the line with a clothes-pin. Next, write all the PLACES they can do these things (meeting room, outdoors, country, city, etc.). Hang this list. Make one more list naming WITH WHOM they can do these things. Hang this list. Let them walk around and talk about how to combine them until something really sounds good. Or take scissors and cut them out and move them up or down until the combination of the list works.

   If you have a large group, split the girls into small groups. After the girls have decided WHAT to do, make lists of PLACES and WITH WHOM. Tack them on the board or tape them on the wall or tree. Ask each small group to pick a different idea from each list and combine them with the WHAT they’ve already voted on. This gives interest groups a chance to do the same thing, but with a different emphasis or flavor.