Who will be involved, where will you meet, and what would you like to deliberate? These are the first steps to answer in creating a deliberative forum. You may be facing a challenge in your workplace, community, school, or government where gathering people to deliberate can help create a shared vision and a unified course of action.

Where would you like to meet to deliberate? It could be in a physical location, an online forum, or on a virtual call. For example, it you are planning to deliberate among classmates regarding an issue on campus, meeting in person could be helpful. If your group is spread out across the area in which you live, or across the nation or world, an online forum or virtual call might be a better option. NIFI also has many helpful resources to help promote your event.

What will you be deliberating? A good framework for your discussions can keep the conversation moving in a positive direction, encouraging open communication, and provide the freedom for people to collect their thoughts and voice their own opinions. To help you start the conversation, NIFI has created a wide range of Issue Guides, covering a wide range of topics, with each have its own framework to help direct and guide your discussions. You may also choose to create your own framework material.

The next step is to choose a Moderator to oversee and help direct the conversation. A Moderator’s role is very important to the deliberation process. This person helps the group stay focused and grounded within the framework so that people can work peacefully and efficiently in an effort to achieve a common goal. NIFI has developed many helpful resources to help Moderators conduct a deliberative event such as: Starter Videos, Moderator Guides, Educator Guides, and Post-Forum Questionnaires.

After your deliberative event, the moderator will usually prepare a report to summarize the deliberative process, outcome, and providing attendee feedback. The Post-Forum Questionnaire can be very helpful in gathering input.