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Deliberating Together

Three short lessons on deciding a values question as a group: tell a fact question from a values question, put the trade-offs on the table, and own your reasoning when you still disagree.

Spark & Whetstone · sparkwhetstone.org/learn/deliberating-together · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Answers are at the end, so you can try each question first.

Lesson 1. Fact or values?

Some questions have an answer you can look up or measure: how much does the new park cost? Others are about what matters most: should the town spend that money on a park or a library?

Settle the fact questions first, by checking good sources. Then the real disagreement, about values, is clearer and fairer.

Question. Which is a values question?

  1. How many people use the library each week?
  2. Should the town build a park or extend the library?
  3. How much will the park cost?

Say it back. In your own words: why settle the fact questions first?

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Lesson 2. Trade-offs on the table

In a values question, every option costs something. The park gives children a place to play but means a smaller library. The library serves readers but leaves no green space.

Write the cost of each option next to its benefit. A group that can see every cost argues less about whether there are costs and more about which ones it can live with.

Question. What makes a deliberation fairer?

  1. Hiding the costs of your favourite option.
  2. Writing down the cost of every option, including yours.
  3. Voting first and discussing later.

Say it back. Say it back: why list the cost of every option?

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Lesson 3. Own your reasoning

Not every values question ends in agreement. That is not failure. The goal is that everyone can say what they chose and why, and can say the other side's reason too.

Try finishing with one sentence each: "I would choose ___, because ___, even though it costs ___."

Question. The group still disagrees at the end. What is a good finish?

  1. Keep arguing until someone gives in.
  2. Each person says what they would choose, why, and what it costs.
  3. Let the loudest person decide.

Say it back. In your own words: what does it mean to own your reasoning?

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At the table: A kitchen-table town meeting

Players: three to six people, 10 or older. You'll need: a real local question (a new road, a school rule, a family decision), paper and a pen.

  1. Write the question. Underline any fact questions inside it and check them first.
  2. List two or three options, each with its benefit and its cost.
  3. Go round once: each person says which costs they could live with.
  4. Finish with one sentence each: I would choose ___, because ___, even though it costs ___.

Answers

  1. Should the town build a park or extend the library? — Choosing between a park and a library depends on what people value; the other two can be looked up.
  2. Writing down the cost of every option, including yours. — Listing every option's cost, including the one you favour, keeps the discussion honest.
  3. Each person says what they would choose, why, and what it costs. — Ending with each person's choice, reason and cost means everyone owns their reasoning, even in disagreement.