Why now?

People’s response to the partisan divide:  rising citizen capacity

  • We’re no longer as deferential to expertise and authority as we once were.
  • Voters are opting out of adversarial-style party style politics
  • We’re networked through the internet to almost infinite number of connections and sources of information. 
  • We still want the protection of laws and the ability to choose representatives, but those powers are no longer enough to make government legitimate in the eyes of some people. 
  • Enlightened policy makers are learning to tap into this citizen capacity early in the decision-making process through democratic dialogue and deliberation to tackle the most complex problems facing communities.
  • This move toward deliberation rejects the expert model of technical expertise and specialization towards a more democratic framework of citizen accessibility and empowerment.
  • A bigger, broader view seems to be that our problems are of our own creation, and are to be solved only by ourselves.
 
Deliberations are an approach
  •  Who:  Ordinary people, not just experts or politicians, are deeply involved in public decision making and problem solving, having a voice on critical issues by weighing different approaches and considering costs, consequences, and tradeoffs.
  • How:  Impartial moderators are trained to create safe spaces where participants are guided and encouraged to listen to and understand the experiences and views of others, striving to seek common ground for addressing difficult problems.
  • Why:  The purpose of public deliberation is to increase the likelihood of making sound, well-supported decisions about public issues by exploring and testing our ideas as we struggle with hard choices, considering the pros and cons of each action.
 
Critical factors
  • Influence:   The process should influence policy and decision-making, though initially the scope may be information sharing for understanding.
  • Inclusion: The process should be inclusive and representative of the population’s diverse viewpoints and values, with an equal opportunity for all to participate.
  • Deliberation: The process should provide open dialogue, access to information, respect, space to understand and reframe issues, and movement toward consensus.
 
Be Intentional!

In Advance:
  • Information is gathered in a way that captures a diverse sampling of voices of the people (from community members and those actively engaged) about an issue
  • Research is done to find what facts apply
  • A framework is developed about the underlying concerns people have about an issue and what might be done about it. 
  • Some workable solutions are sketched out to begin the conversations
 

Bringing People Together
  • People are usually seated in small groups of 6-10 so each person can speak
  • Ground rules are agreed upon.
  • People are asked to listen for understanding and curiosity, deliberate, work as citizens, and talk authentically about the motivations behind their ideas. 
  • The forum begins with an overview, followed by deliberations.
    • A few minutes are spent with people giving their personal stake in the issue
    • The issue’s framework of possible approaches is covered
  • The group reflects on the approaches and searches for common ground; facilitators make sure all voices are heard, and help people come to some conclusion for action, recognizing the need to make choices
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Reflection and Moving Toward Action
  • The group works toward some consensus.
  • Or facilitators may encourage participants to join for action and offer guidance on civic engagement possibilities to bring about change.
Be Curious and Open to Learning
Listen to and be open to hearing all points of view. Maintain an attitude of exploration and learning. Conversation is as much about listening as it is about talking.

Show Respect and Suspend Judgment
Human beings tend to judge one another, do your best not to. Setting judgments aside will better enable you to learn from others and allow them to feel respected and appreciated.

Look for Common Ground
In this conversation, we look for what we agree on and simply appreciate that we will disagree on some beliefs and opinions.

Be Authentic and Welcome that from Others
Share what’s important to you. Speak authentically from your personal and heartfelt experience. Be considerate to others who are doing the same.

Be Purposeful and to the Point
Notice if what you are conveying is or is not “on purpose” to the question at hand. Notice if you are making the same point more than once.

Take responsibility for the quality of your participation and the quality of the conversation by noticing what’s happening and actively support getting yourself and others back “on purpose” when needed.

Other Resources


The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation is a primary umbrella group organization that has information on hundreds of deliberative organizations and techniques. Their "resources" link on the top menu leads you to an informative search screen.

The National Issues Forum is one of the oldest and most respected deliberative organizations. They produce 3-4 national issues each year, and host numerous trainings. Local NIF "Public Policy Institutes" also produce local issue books that may be useful. A few of the national books are available online as PDFs (others can be ordered), while most of the local books are free online.    The direct link to the list of local issue books is located at: https://www.nifi.org/en/nifi-materials
 
The Kettering Foundation is an operating foundation rooted in the American tradition of inventive research. The central question behind the foundation's research is: What does it take to make democracy work as it should? Rather than look for ways to improve on politics as usual, Kettering researchers and others involved in their higher learning exchanges seek ways to make fundamental changes in how democratic politics are practiced. The foundation published several journals, reports, and books on deliberative democracy, many available online for free downloads.
 
Everyday Democracy 
Like NIF, Everyday Democracy is a well respected national organization known for its high quality issue books and tested deliberative methods. Their books are also available free online (topics such as racism, diversity, poverty, and public education).