AEC8713Spring 2013

Outline Examine dialogue and deliberation (D & D)

How D & D is used

Importance of diversity of people involved

The public deliberation process: Key elements

What public deliberation produces

Your role as moderator

Dialogue and Deliberation: What are They?

Dialogue:A process that allows people, usually in small

groups, to share their perspectives and experiences with one another about difficult issues we tend to debate about or avoid entirely

It’s not about winning an argument or coming to an agreement, but about understanding and learning.

Dispels stereotypes, builds trust and enables people to be open to perspectives that are very different from their own.

Dialogue and Deliberation:What are They?

Deliberation:Closely related process with a different emphasis. Emphasizes the use of logic and reasoning to make

better decisionsDialogue lays the groundwork for deliberation. The

trust, mutual understanding and relationships that are built during dialogue enable participants to deliberate more effectively, and to make better decisions.

How the NIF Defines Deliberation

Public deliberation is a means by which citizens make tough choices about basic purposes and directions for their communities and their country. It is a way of reasoning and talking together.

How is D&D Used?For a variety of reasons:

to resolve conflicts and bridge divides; to build understanding about complex issues; to foster innovative solutions to problems and

launch action; to reach agreement on or recommendations

about policy decisions; used as a means to strengthen democracy in

communities.

Diversity of Participation is Encouraged

Why?

BECAUSE . . . no one person or small group of people has all the experience and insight needed to decide what is best. That is why it is essential for an inclusive group of citizens to combine their perspectives.

General Guidelines about PDThe moderator guides the deliberation yet remains

impartial. Citizens engage one another not the moderator.

Everyone is encouraged to participate. No one or two individuals dominate.

Everyone understands that this is not a debate.

The talk is deliberative rather than argumentative.

General GuidelinesThe deliberation focuses on the options.

The major choices or options are considered and the trade-offs are examined.

Listening is as important as talking.

Everyone works toward making a decision about how he or she will act on a problem or what policy they think best for the community

Steps in the Deliberative ProcessPrep work

Get to know the issue, the stakeholders that are affected most, and your participants.

IntroductionsIntroduce yourself before proceeding.Make participants feel welcomed and appreciatedHelp prepare them for what’s ahead

Steps in the Deliberative Process(continued)

Establish/present ground rulesGround rules are an important part of deliberative

forumsYou may choose to either present a set of ground rules

to participants and ask for their changes, additions, and approval, or you may ask participants to come to some agreement of rules that will make them feel safe and productive.

Ground Rules: Some Possibilities“listen carefully and with respect”

“one person speaks at a time”

“please speak for yourself, not for a group”

“seek to understand rather than persuade”

“please turn off cell phones (or place on silent)”

Steps in the Deliberative Process (continued)

Sharing personal perspectivesHearing from everyone at the table is a key principle in both

dialogue and deliberationExploring a range of views

it is important to make sure the group explores a balanced range of views

Analysis and reasoned argumentDeliberation is characterized by critical listening, reasoned

argumentation, and thoughtful decision-makingDeciding on action steps or recommendations

It is vital that participants understand how the process they just participated in will make an impact—or are supported and guided in making an impact on the issue themselves

Ending a Forum• Before ending a forum, it is usually a good idea to

take a few minutes to reflect both individually and as a group on what has been accomplished.

• These types of questions have been useful: How has your thinking changed about the issue? How has your thinking changed about other people’s

views? What didn’t we work through? What do we still need to talk about? How can we use what we learned in this forum?

SummaryAll these steps help ensure that participants are able

to create the collective wisdom that is essential for the development of sound, achievable decisions and policies, as well as the common ground and buy-in that is essential for effective, sustainable action to take place.

FINAL ITEM: Have participants complete post-forum questionnaire

Your Role as ModeratorDraw out different perspectives to ensure a complete and balanced

discussion.

Help them weigh the “pros” (positive consequences) and “cons” (negative consequences) of different options . As such, it is important to be sure that both are fully aired.

Intervene with questions that move the deliberations toward a choice but always stop short of pressing for a consensus or agreement on a particular solution.

Help summarize key points as needed to help keep the group moving towards the articulation of specific actions, programs or policies they feel may be needed to address the issue.

What Experienced Moderators Say is Important

Move the conversation beyond sharing the stories to looking at costs and consequences of the options.

Examine the positive aspects of all options and make sure these are considered and understood as well.

Stay with deliberation until participants have identified the conflicts among the approaches and have identified the option they feel is best.

Recognize that forums seldom end in total agreement or total disagreement. Forums frequently end in a discovery of a shared sense of purpose or recognition of how interests are interconnected.

Tips on ModeratingThe moderator should not constantly intervene

The essence of good moderating is to encourage people to engage one another.

The responsibility for doing the work of deliberation is the group’s responsibility and the moderator should make that clear from the beginning.

Above all, the moderator must remain impartial so that the group can do its job.

Key Outcomes of Public Deliberation

• Changes in People• People who are better able to get a handle on issues; that is, they are

able to put particular issues in a larger context and make connections between different issues — all of which helps them understand what the issues really mean.

• Involvement• They report becoming more involved in civic activities.• These changes are possible because deliberation seems to have the

power to get people to take the first step to civic Involvement• Americans use deliberative dialogue not only to understand issues but to

decide whether they should act publicly.

What Public Deliberation Produces• Civic responsibility

• Making choices together in deliberation also promotes civic responsibility.

• Human beings take more responsibility for what they have participated in choosing than for what someone has chosen for them.

• New Knowledge• Deliberation produces public knowledge by synthesizing many different

experiences and perspectives into a shared framework of meaning.

Note that deliberation does more than tolerate differences; it uses them them !

National Issues Forum & Every Day Democracy: Check Them Out

http://www.nifi.org/index.aspx

http://www.everyday-democracy.org/en/index.aspx