The first workshop of NIFI’s Talk. Decide. Act. virtual workshop series provided participants a practical introduction to moderating for deliberative forums and featured a presentation by NIFI’s Executive Director, Cristin Brawner, and Betty Knighton, former Executive Director of the West Virginia Center for Civic Life and former President of NIFI. After a brief overview of deliberation and the kinds of public problems for which it can be especially useful, Cristin and Betty walked participants through the multiple roles played by the moderator of a deliberative forum including acting in a neutral and welcoming manner, moving the group through the stages of a deliberation, and asking the kinds of questions that support in-depth and balanced consideration of potential solutions and their tradeoffs. 

The discussion also included strategies moderators can use to anticipate and respond to challenging or tense situations that can emerge during deliberations on contentious or polarizing topics. The workshop concluded with breakout room sessions led by NIFI partners and practitioners of deliberation and focused on moderating in community and higher education contexts. A full recording of the workshop is available below. Download the slide deck here.

For more information or to suggest particular resources or topics that you would find helpful to be included in a future deep-dive workshop on moderating for deliberation please contact Cristin Brawner at cbrawner@nifi.org.

Missed this workshop? Join us November 6th at 2pm ET/11am PT for the second workshop in this series, DECIDE: An Introduction to Framing Issues for Deliberation. Register HERE.