Category Archives: Tools & Handouts

The Deliberative Mapping Approach

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This 4-page publication (2004) describes the “Deliberative Mapping” approach and how it could be used to foster more productive discussions between specialists and members of the public about complex policy issues where there is no obvious way forward.

Though it only appears to have been tried once, Deliberative Mapping was a methodology that could be applied to a problem to judge how well different courses of action perform according to a set of economic, social, ethical and scientific criteria. The aim was to use the approach as the basis for more robust, democratic and accountable decision making which better reflects public values.

The methodology combined assessment by individual specialists and members of the public (or citizens). Participants:

  • appraise a complex problem for which there is no single obvious way forward
  • systematically weigh up the pros and cons of each of the potential ‘options’ under consideration, and
  • integrate their individual assessments to help identify a possible future course of action.

Deliberative Mapping integrated two independent but complementary approaches to informing decision making:

  • Stakeholder decision analysis (SDA) which is a qualitative group based process
  • Multi-Criteria Mapping (MCM) which is a quantitative, computer-assisted interview process

This briefing was authored by Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Sussex and the Environment and Society Research Unit (ESRU) University College.

Resource Link: http://ncdd.org/rc/wp-content/uploads/DeliberativeMapping.pdf (download)

Six Tools for More Effective Nonprofit Board Meetings

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In this paper, Dr. Rick Lent of Brownfield & Lent provides directions for six tools that he finds particularly useful in improving the effectiveness of board meetings in nonprofit organizations.

All meetings have structures that influence which participants speak, how they sit, how time is managed, how thoughts are shared, and how decisions are made. People act as they do in a given structure because that’s what makes sense to them to do—without even thinking about it. Most structures go unnoticed even as they influence the way the meeting works. Nonprofit board meetings are no exception and may face additional challenges due to their large size (more than 10), mission focus, role of volunteers and so on. Fortunately, you can easily implement more effective structures—a more effective structure naturally builds productive discussions and helps the board stay on track and on time.

Resource Link: www.4good.org/rick-lent/five-tools-for-more-effective-non-profit-board-meetings

This resource was submitted by Rick Lent from Meetings for Results via the Add-a-Resource form.

Mental Illness in America: How Can We Address a Growing Problem? (NIF Issue Advisory)

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In October 2013, National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) released an Issue Advisory that contains materials that can be used in deliberating over the issue of the impact of mental illness in America. This “issue advisory” is not a full NIF issue guide, but a basic outline of the options, entitled Mental Illness in America: How Do We Address a Growing Problem? It can be downloaded here.

From the introduction…cover_mental_illness_advisory350

Many Americans share a sense that something is wrong with how we address mental health and mental illness. More and more of us are taking medications for depression, hyperactivity, and other disorders. Meanwhile, however, dangerous mental illnesses are going undetected and untreated.

According to some, recent violent incidents reflect the need to increase security and increase our ability to detect mental illness. Others point to increasing numbers of veterans returning from overseas with post-traumatic stress disorders as a major concern. One in five Americans will have mental health problems in any given year. Unaddressed mental illness hurts individuals and their families and results in lost productivity. In rare cases, it can result in violence.

This Issue Advisory presents a framework that asks: How can we reduce the impact of mental
illness in America?

This issue advisory presents three options for deliberation, along with their drawbacks:

  • Option One: Put Safety First – more preventive action is necessary to deal with mentally ill individuals who are potentially dangerous to themselves or others.
  • Option Two: Ensure Mental Health Services are Available to All Who Need them – people
    should be encouraged to take control over their own mental health and be provided the tools to do so.
  • Option Three: Let People Plot their Own Course – we should not rely on so many medical approaches and allow people the freedom to plot their own course to healthy lives.

Resource Link: http://nifi.org/stream_document.aspx?rID=25092&catID=6&itemID=25088&typeID=8 (pdf)

Training and Facilitation Tools from The Communications Center

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The Communications Center, Inc., based in Columbia, Missouri, is a consultancy led by Sarah Read and Dave Overfelt that helps individuals, organizations, and communities improve communication and thinking skills so they can work better together.

In addition to a workbook, The Communications Center has developed a number of products that support training and facilitation services. The following products are offered:

Dialogue Cards and Techniques
This set of cards helps individuals understand and practice dialogue skills. The cards can be used in training by small groups for a matching exercise, used in a mediation to help people better understand and evaluate communication patterns, and provided to individuals to help them on an ongoing basis to think about what is working and not working in their communications. We have successfully used these cards with a wide range of audiences — everyone from corporate teams to teens at a juvenile justice center.

Each purchase of the dialogue cards comes with a summary of dialogue techniques and a written procedure for using the cards.

Cognitive Error Worksheet
This worksheet can be used in training facilitators or to engage and educate participants before or during difficult dialogues.

Cognitive Error Worksheet for Schools and Teens
The examples in this worksheet have been adapted for use in trainings for teachers or teens.

“Conflict Resolution in a Box”
Originally designed for trainings, this bookmark has become one of our most useful tools. We use it for anything from quick introductions to the basic principles of conflict resolution to coaching in mediation or facilitation sessions. Once participants understand the graphics, it becomes an easy diagnostic tool that can be used by facilitators and participants to identify “the sticking places” in a difficult dialogue, and “unpack” the conversation so that it can move forward.

Set of Bookmarks
Our trainings frequently include “food for thought” slides that set forth a quote which highlights a particular point. We then include these quotes on “bookmarks” that clients take at the end of a session. Our clients have told us that these are easy to keep on hand and that they help with ongoing learning. These bookmarks, sold in individual or mixed packs of 10, can be customized with your name and address on the back for an additional cost of $10. Please contact us for this option.

These products can be purchased for individual use by other trainers and facilitators. We can also license these for use and provide electronic files to organizations for more regular usage. If you are interested in learning more about licensing arrangements, please contact us at info@buildingdialogue.com.

Resource Link: http://buildingdialogue.wordpress.com/products/