One of the things that the Interactivity Foundation does is to teach people how to think about public policy possibilities. This will sound patronizing only if you misunderstand why, what, and how we do it.
I heard an interview with… Read More »
Tag Archives: challenges
Teaching How to Think About Policy
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged citizen discussion reports, citizen discussions, civic engagement, communication skills, conceptual possibilities, contrasting possibilities, deliberation, discussion process, Discussion Reports, facilitation, IF discussion process Comments closed
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How to Evaluate an IF Policy Possibility—Part 2
Once you have a basic understanding of the policy possibility—what it says and what it doesn’t—the next step is to understand why someone might actually propose it. In order to do this, you will typically need to go beyond the… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged citizen discussions, communication skills, creativity, deliberation, personal development, reasoning skills Comments closed
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How to Evaluate an IF Policy Possibility⎯Part 1
The first step, of course, is to understand the possibility: what it says and what it doesn’t. This almost inevitably means reading the description of the possibility, and the reasoning behind it, and paying attention to the words that describe… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged citizen discussions, communication skills, discussion process, Public Discussions, reasoning skills Comments closed
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Managing Anger in Public Discussion
IF public discussions provide participants with opportunities to discuss contrasting policy possibilities in neutral, non-partisan settings. Because these possibilities are meant to be anticipatory of possible policy approaches that allow participants to “re-imagine” how society handles issues, our discussions are… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged attitude, citizen discussions, discussion process, facilitation, Public Discussions Comments closed
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An Occasional–and Provocative–Paper
To date, I’ve held back in posting any of my own, all too unique “Perspectives” on this site, so today I venture into new and hopefully not entirely dangerous waters.
While it doesn’t slice bread or otherwise provide all the… Read More »
Adaptations of IF Process in Online Discussions
IF’s policy possibility discussion process was developed with face-to-face meetings in mind. From time to time I have been asked whether or not this process might lend itself to use in web-based discussions or video-conferencing of various types.
IF has… Read More »
Recruiting for Public Discussions: Use Groups, Don’t Create Them
It’s time to declare individual recruiting a dead-end approach. The results of upwards of 60 IF public discussions are clear: group-based recruiting is superior. Whether thought of in terms of “’efficiency” or “sustainability,” its advantages over individual recruiting are now… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged conversations, participation, Public Discussions, recruiting Comments closed
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Unexpected Hurdles
This week in my IF-supported course, I struggled with getting my small groups underway. Our class took a day-long trip to Washington, DC last weekend, and we toured the National Gallery of Art, and several other Smithsonian museums. It was… Read More »
Posted in Education Also tagged art, Classroom Discussions, facilitation, student-centered discussion Comments closed
Is Online Relevance Killing Diversity?
Like many people, I am spending increasingly more time working, educating myself, socializing, and shopping online. Search engines like Google and Yahoo, online companies like Amazon and Ebay, and social media networks like Facebook and Twitter are making my online… Read More »
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