Deliberation is the “tough love” method of engaging the public. Too often, citizens are asked to state what they want without ever being asked to consider other viewpoints or the tradeoffs that must be made. It is easy, then, for the public to get mired in wishful thinking and denial and for engagement to produce little in the way of results leaders can actually use.

Deliberation, on the other hand, is hard work. It asks citizens to consider at least three approaches to a problem, their pros and cons, and the tradeoffs and consequences they are willing to accept. It asks that citizens learn about the issue and consider perspectives different from their own. Deliberation provides a clear sense of what people will and won’t support, and how they would deal with the hard choices inherent in public policy.

According to the Kettering Foundation, a national leader in deliberation, an issue is right for deliberation when it has some of these characteristics:

• Choices must be made but there are no clear answers.
• There is a moral struggle about what is best for all citizens, and values are in conflict.
• The public conversation is not moving forward. People are stuck in hard-and-fast positions.
• Citizens have not considered the implications of different courses of action, either for a segment of the population or the long-term consequences.
• A range of people and groups must act in order for the problem to be solved.
• Institutional decision making need to be informed by public knowledge.

Consensus has extensive experience with deliberation, including civic and client-funded projects:

• Libraries Together in Scott County, Iowa. This ten-month study included a deliberative survey and forums, as well as extensive research. It is considered a model for how Iowa could restructure how it provides library services. The study has been featured in the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) quarterly newsletter and is slated for an upcoming issue of American Libraries.
  

• Complete Libraries Together final report.
• IAP2 Participation Quarterly article on Libraries Together.
• American Libraries article about Libraries Together.
  

• By the People. This day of deliberation is sponsored nationally by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions and convened in metro Kansas City by Consensus and KCPT Public Television. Through By the People, randomly selected citizens receive balanced background information in advance, spend a day working in small groups to consider an issue, and then have the chance to ask questions of an expert panel. The “day of deliberation” model – randomly selected citizens working together over the course of a day – has been successfully used to get thoughtful citizen feedback on a range of issues.

• For more information on By the People.

• KC Forums. A project of Consensus, KC Forums engages citizens in local and global issues. KC Forums was moved to Consensus from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2003. Since then, KC Forums has conducted a shared learning agreement with the Kettering Foundation and conducted forums on issues from the citistates report and in conjunction with groups like the Kansas City Press Club and the national Partners of the Americas organization.

• For more information on KC Forums.

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