Issue Framing Workshop
There comes a time when a community needs to talk to itself. The community needs to discuss the best way to approach an issue that is important to the entire community. However, such dialogue is often disjointed or becomes one in which the loudest voice receives the most attention or the issue reaches public attention after sides have been chosen and positions are set in concrete. The Kettering Foundation fostered the idea of having dialogue that is deliberative in nature and is led by trained moderators.
In order to have a format for such a conversation, the issue must be framed into a format that allows participants in the forum to consider three or four distinct approaches to dealing with the issue. Each approach is discussed separately and explores strengths, drawbacks, actions, and consequences. This process allows citizens to use their imagination as they consider directions for their community. Imagination is an invaluable element in problem solving. As John Dewey said,"An act overtly tried out is irrevocable, its consequences cannot be blotted out. An act tried out in imagination is not final or fatal. It is retrievable."
The purpose of an issue framing workshop is to frame an issue in language that people readily understand. Following the framing, citizens interact in one or more forums to prepare for action.
When a good frame with three or four approaches to the issue is complete, forums can be scheduled to involve community citizens. Forums generally are from two and one-half to three hours in length and allow time for an introduction to the issue and for deliberation on each of the approaches.
Deliberation is NOT A DEBATE. When the community deliberates there is a lot of listening. Participants seek to understand different perspectives. Participants are able to confront the conflicts among different options, consider the trade-offs within each option, and search for common values and common ground. In a deliberative forum format, citizens deeply explore the approaches considering costs, benefits, and impact. Thoughtful deliberation itself engages citizens in connecting the issues with their own lives in a vital way.
After the different approaches have been considered, citizens identify areas of common ground and areas of disagreement that may require additional work. The entire forum is recorded and a final report may be written for publication.
While working through the difficult choices, citizens discover underlying values which become their common ground to set the stage for public action. If there is a strong sense of common ground and common purpose, participants and other members of the community may join together to take direct action on the issue or may choose to inform and involve decision making bodies about the community consensus.
