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Deliberative Dialogue

A process dating back to the ancient Greeks, =93deliberative = dialogue=94 forums=20 bring a diverse group of citizens together to explore a problem from = several=20 vantage points. The point isn=92t necessarily to solve the problem, but = rather to=20 give citizens a better sense of the problem itself=97not to mention a = deeper=20 perspective on potential solutions. In the age-old words of Aristotle, = =93We=20 deliberate not about ends, but about the means to attain ends.=94

After 20 years of conducting participatory research, Barbara Brown = has become=20 an expert on deliberative dialogue and its central role in community = building.=20 As the South Carolina CYFAR project director and co-director of the = Laboratory=20 for Deliberative Dialogue at Clemson University, Brown has organized and = moderated discussions on youth violence, drug abuse, terrorism and many = other=20 complex issues. Using the methods promoted by the Kettering Foundation = and the=20 National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI), she=92s helped the highest-need = communities in South Carolina to find common ground and to take action = in a=20 democratic way.

CYFERnet recently caught up with Brown to get the inside scoop. Brown = not=20 only offered a great overview of the topic, but also shared some tips = and=20 success stories for other CYFAR professionals who want to use = deliberative=20 dialogue in their own programs.

=
Deliberative=20 dialogue forums work best when citizens of all
ages and backgrounds = get=20 involved.

What does =93deliberative dialogue=94 mean to you? = First of all,=20 you have a wicked=20 problem, which is often a difficult problem that cannot be solved = without=20 community collaboration and a major changing of behaviors or opinions. = The idea=20 is to get an intergenerational group of citizens together to discuss = that=20 problem. When you discuss it using the NIFI model, you will always have, = at=20 minimum, three potential approaches to the problem. =

Why three? Because it adds to the likelihood of=20 deliberation. So, as a group, you would not only discuss, but you would = try to=20 get to the bottom of what you like or dislike about the different = choices. What=20 are the pros and cons in the community if I choose this approach? Quite = often,=20 when the group is deliberating, they will like pieces of each of the = choices and=20 will build a fourth choice by blending the others together.=20

Does a group ever lean toward just one choice? Yes,=20 depending on the issue. You don=92t always know what the variables are = that cause=20 one group of citizens to go one way and another group to go another way. = It=20 could be a cultural perspective. Or maybe someone in the group has a lot = of=20 knowledge to share, and that helps people make a decision. But the goal = is for=20 citizens to find some common ground. What can or can=92t we live with? =

Do the participants ever vote on the issues? No, but = ideally, they do dig deep into what they value about a particular choice = for=20 action. If deliberative dialogue really works well, you not only have a = sense of=20 what the citizens thought about the issue, but also a group who = practices=20 democracy by deliberating, making a decision, and then taking=20 action.

What are some of the =93wicked problems=94 you=92ve used = deliberative=20 dialogue to address in South Carolina CYFAR programs? We do = about 10=20 forums a year and we=92ve integrated most of those into our youth and = families=20 at-risk programs. We=92ve used many of the NIFI discussion guides, like = =93Violent=20 Kids,=94 =93Terrorism,=94 =93Democracy=92s Challenge=94 and =93Contested = Values: [Tug-of-War=20 in the School Yard].=94 We=92ve also used the guides on immigration, = alcohol abuse=20 and illegal drugs.

The =93Democracy=92s Challenge=94 forum was a large-scale = effort, right?=20 Yes. Last fall, we conducted a Public Policy Institute training = session=20 on the topic and several communities got involved, including one of the = new=20 CYFAR community sites and some youth that CYFAR sponsored statewide. We = held one=20 of the democracy forums with the Fort Jackson army youth. With that = forum, the=20 different choices we looked at were rebuilding democratic values, = reinventing=20 citizenship, and bringing the public back into politics. =

What did the participants learn from those forums? = The third=20 choice was especially interesting for CYFAR communities. We recognized = that the=20 real problem is that citizens need to communicate better with elected = officials=20 and vice versa. The youth talked about how they couldn=92t relate to = communicating=20 with elected officials, but they could relate to having to report to = certain=20 people like teachers and youth leaders. In every single forum we held, = they said=20 they did not feel that adults really listen to them. The Fort Jackson = youth=20 compared it to the different civil rights movements in America. And they = were=20 moved to action. They started talking about how they could make a = difference in=20 promoting youth rights. I remember one 16-year-old girl said, =93Adults = don=92t=20 think that we=92re capable of as much as we are. What we need to do is = decide what=20 we can do to make our communities better, do those things in a = coordinated way,=20 and then people will see the value of youth.=94

What makes deliberative dialogue more effective than other = forms of=20 public discourse, such as brainstorming or debate? The process = allows=20 people to tell personal stories that apply to the issue and the choices = they=92re=20 talking about. With a lot of forms of discussion, there=92s not the = opportunity=20 for people to tell real stories. But in deliberative dialogue, people = can get to=20 the root of why they believe the things they do.

Can you provide any specific examples? One community = in=20 South Sumter used the NIFI forum to discuss violent kids. At first, the = group=20 said one of the biggest problems is the young people who loiter on the = curbs,=20 and that we need to work with law enforcement to remove them.=20

I was facilitating that forum and decided to share a story with them = about a=20 recent incident: I had gone to one of the recreation facilities at one = of the=20 CYFAR sites and there were 10 big burly guys standing around in a circle = on the=20 front curb. It looked odd, so I asked them what they were doing. And = there was=20 this dog on the street at their feet. They said the dog had just been = hit by a=20 car and they were waiting for it to die and they were going to take it = away and=20 bury it. They had a truck there and a little box or kennel. And they = were saying=20 a few words over the dog.

So I told this story to the adults and teens in the forum and they = said,=20 =93Wait a minute. They were concerned about this dog? Well, they must = have some=20 compassion in their hearts if they=92re concerned about an animal. And = you said=20 they were praying? Their mom had to teach them to pray.=94 And the next = thing out=20 of their mouths was, =93Maybe there=92s some way we can reach them. And = if we can=20 just reach them, maybe we could direct their lives in the right = way.=94

=
CYFAR/4-H=20 and military youth offer their points of view during
a democracy = forum at an=20 Operation Military Kids camp.

Clearly, deliberative dialogue is a powerful way to change=20 perspectives about community issues. What about more tangible benefits?=20 Well, in the case of those Sumter citizens, from the moment = their=20 perspective changed about violent kids, they got involved in doing = outreach to=20 help people with really high needs. They got a drug-free community grant = [from=20 the Office of National Drug Control Policy]. They got commitments from=20 businesses to interview the high-needs people. They helped put people in = public=20 housing, to get them out of violent situations, and to get them accepted = into=20 rehab problems. It wasn=92t just the deliberative dialogue forums, but = the forums=20 definitely helped the citizens to decide on their focus, articulate = their=20 vision, and come up with ideas of what they as a community could do to=20 help.

What=92s the ideal number of people for a forum? = I=92ve held=20 forums with six people around the kitchen table, and then I=92ve had = forums with=20 about 140 people. Ideally, you want anywhere from 10 to 30 people. = Beyond that,=20 you really can=92t have a good deliberation.

For CYFAR professionals who want to use the dialogue in their = own=20 programs, what are the first steps? Go to the NIFI Web site = [see link=20 below]. You can request a free issue book and can download materials = that will=20 explain what deliberation is. Even if you order the issue books, they = aren=92t=20 that expensive. Search under the different issue discussion categories = like=20 =93Children and Family,=94 =93Civil Rights,=94 and =93Economic = Issues.=94 In most cases, you=20 can download the Moderator=92s Guide and that will give you the = breakdown of the=20 three different choices. Under =93Calendar,=94 there=92s a list of = workshops, special=20 events and forums, so you can see if there=92s one near you. And under = =93Network=20 Contacts,=94 there will be contacts listed for many states. So you can = usually=20 contact that person and they can help you, too.

What are the best ways to get the community involved? = You=20 can pass out flyers or work with the paper or send out letters, but in = most=20 cases, the best way is word of mouth. Sometimes it=92s hard to get young = people=20 involved, but we always try to have young people there. So you might = need more=20 of a targeted effort when it comes to youth. But it=92s so important to = focus on=20 inclusiveness. You want to have representatives from the entire = community. Not=20 only youth and adults, but also different ethnic populations. And, = depending on=20 the issue, there are certain people you definitely want to have at the = forum.=20 That 140-person forum was on contested values, so I worked hard to = market the=20 issue with every faith base in the community. For the immigration forum, = we had=20 a commitment from some of the Hispanic people we had already worked=20 with.

Are there any other key lessons you=92ve learned over the = years?=20 The most successful deliberative dialogue forums I=92ve done = have been=20 collaborative from the start. To plan the forum, the people in the = community=20 should work together, so it=92s not just the county extension agent = working with=20 one person. It=92s done with a partnership-type approach. =

What have you learned about the forum moderator=92s role?=20 Individual moderators get results in their own style. As a = moderator, I=20 become very engaged in listening to the participants as they talk. I = often tie=20 comments from one person back to another person and ask the participants = to=20 think deeper about the subject. I recognize that a person may feel = strongly=20 about something and I encourage them to explain why. The group may not = come to a=20 consensus, but when people begin to consider other points of view, = you=92re making=20 real progress.

LINKS
NIFI home page: http://www.nifi.org/

The Kettering Foundation: http://www.kettering.org/

Clemson Laboratory for Deliberative Dialogue: http://www= .clemson.edu/sandhill/page.htm?pageId=3D945=20

Select the 2006 New Communities Project Overview for South Carolina = at:
http://www.cyfernet.org/databases/cyfarreporting/Publi= c/narratives/statesearch.asp=20

NIFI issue books Barbara Brown has contributed to:

=93Examining Health Care: What=92s the Public=92s Prescription?=94 =
http://www.nifi.org/discussion_guides/detail.aspx?catID=3D= 12&itemID=3D1739=20

=93Making Ends Meet: Is There a Way to Help Working Americans?=94 = http://www.nifi.org/discussion_guides/detail.aspx?catID=3D9= &itemID=3D4229=20

Back to=20 CYFERnet Home Page

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