If I told you that I have become a huge fan of dialogue and deliberation, would you understand what I was saying?
I called it public participation in my last post, because I thought that term would be more understandable.
I certainly feel these terms, while important in certain situations, don't really mean much to most people. But, I also feel certain that the skills involved in dialogue and deliberation are absolutely essential in today's world. I don't feel certain about much, but I feel pretty clear about that.
Here's why, I think:
As society's problems become more complex and more difficult, our ability to work together in an atmosphere of trust has decreased. A lot of elected people are scared to bring up tough issues, which may involve trade-offs and sacrifices.
I've been to lots of public meetings in my life, and most times, people leave feeling dissatisfied or don't have any follow up from the meeting. And, then, a while down the road, we seem to hold the same meeting and talk about the same issues.
The field of dialogue and deliberation offers techniques and methodologies to create safe places where a great variety of people can meet, learn listen and talk respectfully, and perhaps try to come up with some common positions. It helps people broach difficult issues, and does this within a process, typically not consisting of just a single meeting. In these types of processes, people who passionately disagree still try to truly understand and respect each other's viewpoints.
Its the exact opposite of the rampant partisanship in much of today's politics, that I feel helps destroys our sense of common purpose.
If we could build 80 to 90% public support behind a strategy to deal with climate change in Kamloops, or an economic prosperity strategy, or pick an issue - to me, that would be a wonderful thing.
I am not saying this stuff is easy, but I was actually quite surprised to see how much dialogue and deliberation goes on. I was in San Diego last week learning with an incredible group of people as part of the Fielding Graduate Certificate in Dialogue, Deliberation, and Public Engagement - now, in its 6th year.
In this program, we've discussed many successful efforts. Among them,
Closer to home, my good friend Joanna Ashworth, who sits on the board of the Canadian Community for Dialogue and Deliberation with me, runs the Simon Fraser Dialogue Programs. Also very highly regarded!
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