Reflections on Depolarizing Conflict, Grounding Principles and a Connecting Card Game

By Nicole Armos

I read a reflection yesterday about February 1^st (marked by the Gaelic tradition called Imbolc) falling right between winter solstice and spring equinox, and inviting us to think about the areas of our life in which we are still in winter’s hibernation and where we are starting to prepare for the coming spring.

I feel that liminal space in my own work—tying up loose ends from 2023, but also planting seeds for work that is to come. Here’s a snapshot of my working world lately…

In the community…

My highlight of January was taking part in the two-day facilitation training “Foundations for Conflict Engagement: Below the Surface” that introduces the theory and basic practices of the Lewis Method of Deep Democracy. This approach proposes that all voices have wisdom that the group needs, and that often there are important ideas, emotions or perspectives just beneath the “waterline” of the group’s awareness. Through simple but powerful facilitated exercises, Deep Democracy helps to surface unheard ideas, build empathy and understanding against points of difference and move groups to meaningful consensus.

As the field of deliberative democracy gains traction, and increasingly tackles highly polarizing or emotional topics, I think it’s important for facilitators to build their toolkit with a deeper understanding of group dynamics and equitable approaches to decision-making and bridge-building. Take a peek at Deep Democracy in action, with the Centre’s Executive Director Aftab Erfan, and if you’re Vancouver-based you could check out Waterline Co-op for training opportunities.

In the lab…

Principles, principles, principles! I am working to develop evaluation frameworks for the Burnaby and Gibsons Community Assemblies, as well as to update some of our core public participation resources. This has required a lot of reflection on the similarities and differences between different articulations of values and principles in the field, such as IAP2’s Core Values, NCDD’s Core Principles, the OECD’s Good Practice Principles for Deliberative Processes, and the Centre for Dialogue’s principles for collaborative and equitable public engagement.

While each version brings unique insights for different aspects of the work, it has been reassuring to find significant consensus around five core practices: including diverse voice, demonstrating transparency on the process and accountability for outcomes, providing evidence-based information, and thoughtful process design.

Stay tuned for more resources that we are developing to help institutions assess their current public participation approaches across these core ideas.

100 cups of tea…

Near the end of the month, I was fortunate to connect with folks from MASS LBP, a leader in deliberative mini-publics in Canada, and L’Office de participation publique de Longueuil, an organization that serves as a neutral third-party convenor for municipal engagement in a unique model of institutionalized public participation. I am heartened to find echoes of our own questions around how to advance the field of public participation in peer organizations across Canada, and look forward to some initiatives we are planning that aim to foster knowledge exchange and amplify our shared visions.

Where’s my bookmark…

Today, I share a bookmark and a game…

First, the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and and Global Governance’s latest publication Can Deliberative Democracy be Decolonized? A Debate. Contributions range from Genevieve Fuji Johnson challenging the rhetorical use of “decolonization” when there is no material impact on land or racism, to Nicole Curato questioning which “statues” of colonial theory and practice must be toppled for deliberative democracy to be truly emancipatory. The collection of readings is accessible, but the thoughts it provoked in me will linger long…

Meanwhile, I finally decided to order Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin: A Game of Stories. Each card carries a story prompt that aims to connect people around the power of storytelling, have new and deeper conversations, and get to know each other better. While many prompts are more personal, I’ve selected a portion of the deck to include in my facilitator toolbox for team-building with colleagues or fostering connections in engagement spaces!