It can be difficult to take each person's ideas into consideration when trying to make a decision. However, respecting different points of view is essential to coming to a consensus. The U.S. government governs by consensus, meaning that it takes into consideration all the relationships between each branch of the federal government as well as the federal government's relationship to each state government. On a smaller scale, students will understand how reaching a consensus can help reach a decision by making each person involved in a decision feel as though their point of view has value.