Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy & Service

The Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service has partnered with the Kettering Foundation, a national foundation located in Dayton, Ohio, to offer training and facilitation in public deliberation on issues of importance to Wisconsin communities. Kettering promotes a nation-wide model for public deliberation in partnership with the National Issues Forum Institute (http://www.nifi.org/). According to Kettering, “Public deliberation is one name for the way we weigh together various approaches to solving problems and find courses of action consistent with what is valuable to the whole community.” (Kettering Foundation Website) Deliberation is the process of weighing the drawbacks and benefits of a variety of possible actions on an issue of importance by interested citizens. By discovering shared values in deliberation, it may be possible to come to common ground.

DEBATE

• Focused exploration of two different positions
• Search for weaknesses in the other’s position
• Defend your position
• The solution to the problem is more important than the relationship between the debaters
• Invest wholeheartly in your beliefs
• Listen closely to find flaws and counter arguments
• Seek to persuade others to accept your point of view
• Present what you have concluded is your best thinking
• Focus on the decision that needs to be made
• The goal is to have a clear winner and loser

  DELIBERATION

• Work together toward a common understanding of an issue or problem
• Search for the value in the views of others Seek understanding, not persuasion
• Enlarge - and possibly change – your understanding of the issue under consideration
• Acknowledge that many people may have pieces of the answer and that together participants can develop a workable solution
• Suspend your beliefs as you seek to understand the position of others
• Listen to understand the priorities and values of others
• Reevaluate your own assumptions as well as the assumptions of others
• Share your best thinking on the issue, but recognize the dialogue will improve it
• Focus on weighing the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches
• The goal is to find common ground for action

Deliberation - the process of weighing the drawbacks and benefits of a variety of possible approaches on an issue of importance by interested citizens.

Frameable Issue – an issue that does not have a “yes” or “no” answer. It is complex and can be looked at from many viewpoints and may have multiple solutions.

Approach – a way of coming closer to solving an issue or problem. A specific viewpoint or perspective on an issue, topic or problem.

Benefit – something contributing to the improvement in condition; an advantage; a reward or positive motivator.

Drawback – anything that prevents or lessens full satisfaction; shortcoming; detriment; disadvantage.

Tension – a conflict between different values, needs, and approaches in a given issue.

Value – the underlying core principles that inform people’s decisions, and motivate their actions

Trade-Off – something that we are, or are not, willing to give up for choosing a specific approach or various elements of a variety of approaches.

Common Ground – points or areas that the group can agree upon, giving a sense of direction that can help the group carry out an action plan.

SUGGESTED TIME LINE	STAGES OF A PUBLIC FORUM
20 minutes	Welcome – acknowledge forum sponsors Guidelines – agreement on how the forum will be conducted Personal Stake – ask audience to think of a personal story or example brought up by the approaches Video/Reading of Approaches Personal Stake – ask for personal stories to help connect the issue to people’s lives and concerns
30 minutes	Approach One
30 minutes	Approach Two
30 minutes	Approach Three
2 minutes	Break
30 minutes	Ending the Forum – reflect on what has been accomplished
5 minutes	Post-Forum Questionnaire
Total 150 minutes

• Listen respectfully to different viewpoints, thoughts, and feelings.
• Right to pass.
• Value evidence variety
  o Learning styles
  o Sources of facts
  o Cultural attitudes and differences
• Seek understanding, not persuasion.
• We are doing choice work, where we will be making decisions about tradeoffs- what we are willing to give up if we make a certain choice. Not to choose one of the approaches, but to consider ideas from all approaches, and create new ideas and approaches.

• What do you like about this approach? (valuable, benefits)
• What don’t you like about this approach? (drawbacks/costs)
• Definition of tradeoffs- A tradeoff is something that you would personally be willing to give up to adopt this approach.
  o What would you personally be willing to give up to adopt this approach? (local, state, national)
  o Use probe questions of your choice to facilitate the groups choice-making.
• Is there any sense of shared direction or common ground that the group is moving towards?
• (After an idea for common ground is shared,) ask: Is there anyone who can’t live with this statement? (Ask for modifications, as needed.)
• What next step or steps would you be willing to take, individually or as part of a group, as a result of this deliberation? (local, state, national)

• Make a social contract with the group at the beginning of the meeting by introducing self and defining role in the meeting; demonstrate neutrality
• Be sure to capture: benefits, tradeoffs, tensions and common ground in a succinct, synthesized manner
• Concentrate, listen closely, do your best to write down the key words and phrases from each person, and try to capture basic ideas and the essence of what the speaker is saying
• Highlight key ideas, statements, and decisions
• Don’t be afraid to misspell or to abbreviate words in shorthand that makes sense to you
• Discipline your self to tune out other phenomena. Facing your writing and not facing your group during discussion will help you listen better. People will also feel less intimidated than if you watch them.
• Try to use the words of the speaker rather than editing or paraphrasing. Do not record names
• Do not try to capture everything, if note taker falls behind, ask the group to slow down until caught up
• Don’t try to help the group out (if they are stuck) by putting words into their mouths. Be quiet; talk as little as possible. If nothing is being said, just wait quietly facing the flip chart until the silence is broken.
• Partner with moderator – can tactfully help with time-keeping and indicating participants who wish their voices to be heard
• Allow group to challenge your record, and be acceptant of modifications and corrections
• May chose to post flip chart notes as forum progresses for participants to review
• Be responsible for flip charts(s), masking tape, and magic markers
• Write up the flip chart notes and report them back to the group, or find someone who will do this task

Individual Reflections

• How has your thinking about the issue changed?
• How has your thinking about other’s people’s views changed?

Group Reflections

• What tensions or conflicts can we identify? (regarding content/process)
• What didn’t we work through?
• How could those tensions or conflicts be resolved?
• Can we detect any shared sense of direction or common ground for action?
• What trade-offs are we, or are we not, willing to make to move in a shared direction?

Next-Step Reflections

• What do we still need to talk about?
• What would be next steps?
• Do we want to meet again? When?

Post-Forum Questionnaire

• Often, we discover aspects of each approach that we hold valuable
• Yet, the things we care deeply about are often in conflict
• The post-forum questionnaire gives us a way to gain a full sense of a PUBLIC VOICE after the forum is over

Impressions regarding the Forum

• What happened? Benefits - Drawbacks How is this valuable?
• So what?
• Now what?

Naming and Framing

• Create an “Issue Framing Task Force”
• Issue Research (review historical data, create new data, etc.)
• Identify People’s Concerns – Statement List
• Framing Questions Survey
• Grouping Like Concerns according to Underlying Values
• Reduce Values to Three Overriding Umbrella Approaches
• Frameable Issue…or Action Planning?
• Create Action Statements for Each Approach
• Benefits – Drawbacks – Tensions- Action Steps - Trade-Offs
• Test the Framework

Deliberation

• Introductions – Guidelines
• Starter Video/Reading Approaches
• Personal Stories
• Approach I – Approach II – Approach III
• Benefits – Drawbacks – Action Steps – Tensions – Trade-Offs Common Ground – Summary
• Next Steps for Action

Action Plan

• Revisit Common Ground
• Review Needs Data
• Hypotheses Testing regarding Strengthens and Weaknesses
• Brainstorming
• Goals - Objectives – Strategies
• Timelines – Human/Monetary Resources – Budget
• Evaluation
• Systematic Reflection on Organization’s Needs
• Framing – Deliberation – Action Planning

• In small groups, assign a Reporter and a Recorder
  - Ask group members to write down ideas
  - Going around the table, ask each person to give an idea
  - Keep going around the table, stating as many ideas as possible
  - Do not judge any of the ideas
  - Be creative – try to think of unusual ideas
  - Recorder writes ideas on paper or flip chart that are germane to the community being discussed
• Refine all the ideas on your list
  (keep, modify, delete, parking lot)
• Prioritize the ideas list
  - Have each person give an opinion on the various ideas
  - Come to verbal consensus on prioritized list
  - Or… have each person put 1-5 magic marker dots next to those ideas they like best
  - Write down the group’s prioritized list
• Choose the top 2-3 action plan goals with your colleagues and write them down.
• Choose the top action plan goal and complete the Action Plan worksheet on page 7.
• Identify action steps from your ideas list and from creative brainstorming.

KEEP	MODIFY
DELETE	PARKING LOT

ACTION PLAN
Plan Coordinator	Team Members	Date Created
Goal: What is it you want to achieve?

 

Action Steps:	Who:	Target Date:	Resources:	Evaluation Method:
What steps are relevant to achieving the desired goal and who will be involved in each step? List steps in order to be implemented.	Person responsible for implementing the step?	When is this step to be completed?	What resources are needed to complete this step?	How will we know if the step has 1) been completed, 2) worked?
Sample Action Step: Schedule follow-up meetings to check action plan progress	Plan Coordinator	By ______ (date)	Availability of team members over next 3 months; e-mailed to Plan Coordinator	E-mail to action plan team confirming dates, times, and locations

 

S	Specific Detailed steps to include what, who, when, resources needed, and how progress will be measured
M	Measurable Can easily determine if the step has been completed
A	Accountable Each step is assigned to a specific person, not “All” or “Team” and the task must be achievable for the individual assigned
R	Relevant Each step is a logical progression to the achievement of the desired goal, not a laundry list of unrelated tasks or goals
T	Target Date Commitment to achieving the plan by a specific date and each step by a specific date; day-to-day realities mean that dates must sometimes be moved. However, target dates can only be moved three times; after that, you must re-evaluate the action plan

• Strategic Goals – overarching principles that guide decision-making. Strategic goals are broad statements of what you hope to achieve in a given time line, e.g., 3-5 years. Strategic goals focus on major outcomes and are qualitative in nature.
  - Example: Ensure that all our programming fosters the highest quality of civic engagement through the application of Deliberation, Service learning and Public Scholarship practices.
  - Example: Improve the health and well-being of Marathon County residents.
• Short-Term or Annual Goals – more specific statements of major qualitative outcomes or results you hope to achieve in a given time line, e.g., 6 months, one year.
  - Example: To strengthen a positive, caring school climate PK-12.
  - Example: To improve parent involvement in their student’s education.
• Objectives – specific, measurable steps that can be taken to meet the goal. Objectives are narrow, precise, and measurable. When writing objectives, keep “SMART” in mind in order to evaluate progress.
  S Specific
  M Measurable
  A Attainable
  R Relevant
  T Time-bound
• - Quantitative Example: To increase the knowledge of the negative consequences of alcohol and drug abuse in 7th and 9th grade students by 5% as measured by a Developmental Asset survey administered 9/10 and 6/10.
  - Quantitative Example: To decrease the number of bullying incidents and student discipline referrals for bullying in 7th and 9th grade students by 5% as measured by the comparison of school records from the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years.
• Strategy or Action Step – activities that are required in order to meet the objectives.
  - Example: The WIPPS staff will hold a staff meeting every Monday during the months of January and February, 2010 to discuss, create and submit a Learn and Serve grant.
  - Example: Hold two parent orientation programs (for incoming 6th and 9th grade students) during the 6th grade Jump Start and 9th grade Soar summer programs.
• Timelines – When is a particular action step to be completed?
• Resources Needed – What resources are needed to complete this step? Are the resources staff, funding, materials, building availability, leadership capacity, etc.
• Evaluation – How will we know if the step has (1) been completed, and (2) worked?

 

WISCONSIN INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND SERVICE
PUBLIC DELIBERATION AND ACTION PLANNING
WORKSHOP

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

1. What did you hope to gain from this workshop?

2. To what extent did the workshop meet your expectations?

1----------------------2------------------------3-------------------------4---------------------------5
1. Not at all
2. Somewhat met
3. Reasonably Met
4. Exceeded
5. Wow!

3. What is the most valuable thing you learned from this workshop?

4. What did you like best about the seminar? Why?

5. What did you like least? Why?

6. How would you improve this seminar?

7. What remaining questions about Deliberative Dialogue and Action Planning would you like to have addressed?