Tag Archives: discussion process
Citizen Discussion as a Developmental Tool for IF Reports
One of the ideas that has been recently been under discussion within IF is the possibility that citizen or public discussions of the approaches developed within IF sanctuary projects (that are ultimately published as reports) could be used to further refine or “test” those approaches. This gives our reports a “living” and evolutionary character and Read more »
Not So Benign a Conflict
As our nation celebrates Independence Day, I am reminded that much of American history is based in conflict. The crucible within which we forged our independence was a war fought mightily against a more powerful enemy, anchored in the energy of a righteous indignation that painted that enemy as a monstrous oppressor. Throughout much of Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged civic engagement, conversations, generosity Leave a comment
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Creating New Lenses, Asking Different Questions
In 2004 the inventor Saul Griffith, then young grad student at MIT, won the prestigious Lemelson-MIT prize, based in part on his invention of desktop device to manufacture inexpensive eyeglass lenses on demand. Griffith was motivated by a concern for underserved communities around the world. He was wondering how it might be possible to bypass Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged contrasting possibilities, developing questions Leave a comment
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In Praise of Partisanship? Exploring Divergences
Praising partisanship might seem like a strange thing to do—at least for a non-partisan organization like the Interactivity Foundation. In the discussions we facilitate, whether in our “Discussion Projects” or our ensuing “Public Discussions,” we don’t seek to stoke the fires of partisanship. We don’t agitate for our discussion participants to adopt one partisan point Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged contrasting possibilities, democracy, partisanship, Project Discussions Leave a comment
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What Is A Non-Participating Yet ‘Strong’ Facilitator?
One of the core aspects of IF is that our sanctuary projects have non-participating yet ‘strong’ facilitators for their discussions. But what, exactly, is a non-participating yet ‘strong’ facilitator? The non-participating part is relatively easy. IF facilitators facilitate their panelists’ discussions by asking questions, by managing the flow of the discussion, and by seeing that Read more »
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 generally “hopeful”. That does not mean that every participant agrees with each possibility (those possibilities Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged attitude, challenges, citizen discussions, facilitation, Public Discussions Leave a comment
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The Long Arc of Conversation
In our lives most of us have had the pleasure of relationships that seem to involve a long and constantly growing conversation. Maybe it’s with a good friend. Maybe it’s with a family member or a mentor. It’s not that you’re talking with each other all the time, though even when you’re not actually talking Read more »
The Long Arc of Conversation
In our lives most of us have had the pleasure of relationships that seem to involve a long and constantly growing conversation. Maybe it’s with a good friend. Maybe it’s with a family member or a mentor. It’s not that you’re talking with each other all the time, though even when you’re not actually talking Read more »
If An Idea Does Not Sound Absurd, Then There’s No Hope For It
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