Choice-creating is a quality of thinking ... where people face urgent seemingly impossible issues creatively and collaboratively. From this kind of thinking emerges a new level of clarity, empowerment, and readiness for action. And often breakthrough progress. ... When people work together in the spirit of choice-creating, they achieve unity since progress happens through shifts and breakthroughs more than through compromise and agreement. When choice-creating happens over time for a large system of people, then a new entity emerges, "We the People", and a new level of democracy, "Wise Democracy". 

Choice-creating often arises naturally in a crisis, when it's clear that normal thinking isn't going to help. Then people put aside their ego-centric positions, open up their minds and listen to one another deeply in a quest for some new answer. They seek to understand their own feelings and the feelings of others. They are far more inclusive of diversity, perspective and people, because this diversity helps spark breakthrough progress. The unity that arises from choice-creating is different from "negotiation" or "consensus". (See Forms of Democratic decision-making)

Choice-creating can also occur naturally in a "time out" moment, when people step back to think, address the really important issues and seek breakthrough progress. Progress via breakthroughs is different than via  "decision-making." (See Decision-making vs. Choice-creating)

In both choice-creating and decision-making people determine collective answers. But the thinking process of these two is opposite because judgment and creativity are opposites. i.e. You can't be creative when judgment is present. ... Yet, we live in a system where judgment is primary. Decision-making is about judgment, like in voting where individual judgments are added to determine the collective judgment. But with choice-creating, it's an opposite operating principle ... creativity. The answers are co-determined by diverse people. And it's an exciting, uniting process, unlike our current politics.

 Both decision-making and choice-creating are necessary in a democracy. And maybe 97% of the time we operate through decision-making. But choice-creating needs to be there. And it needs to be primary because it facilitates "We the People" to provide responsible leadership. Decision-making on the other hand, is a limited kind of thinking, almost exclusively oriented toward policy and without any shared vision of what We are trying to achieve.

Dynamic Facilitation can reliably evoke choice-creating in small groups. The Wisdom Council Process and can evoke the spirit of choice-creating in large systems of people.

Aspects of choice-creating include ...

• Facing a vital issue … rather than one we can solve that’s clearly defined
• Individuals can speak up for your answer ... this is not about being reticent
• Reconnect with your feelings … it's not about speaking with detachment
• Shifts and breakthroughs are frequent ... This is not a step by step process
• It's “Creating the choice" ... rather than creating choices (i.e. options)
• Authenticity ... no one is a representative or acting from a role
• Everyone is held safe from judgment …There is no agreeing or disagreeing
• Following energy … rather than an agenda 
• Diversity is an asset … people find themselves valuing different people and views
• Reflection ... people are helped to think about what they are saying 

Outcomes of choice-creating include ...

• The group reaches unity …“co-sensus” more than “consensus”
• The result is a "choice" … more than a "decision"
• Participants are empowered … people feel energy to take their solution forward
• New meaning …  people create a story of who we are & what we are accomplishing
• Spirit of “we” … people come together as “We the People”
• Enhanced individuality ... people become more knowledgable, capable, and unique

More Resources on Choice-creating ...Charts of comparison

• Decision-making vs. choice-creating
• Dialogue, deliberation, and choice-creating
• Collective decision-making ... comparing three approaches
•  "Wise Democracy" (based on choice-creating) vs. "Deliberative Democracy" (based on deliberation)
•  Dynamic Facilitation (choice-creating) vs. Traditional Facilitation (decision-making)​

• Also ... an article by Tom Atlee describing a natural example of choice-creating in a large system of people" How to Make a Decision without really Making a Decision 
• Also ... See an older video interview (2006) on Choice-creating from the Jim Rough Show archive with guest host Paul Everett below:

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