Page 105 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

Step 1: Remit or ‘The Question’ This is your most important decision. You need to focus people on the task at hand rather than a general “have your say” or comment on the problem. Even at a simple online engagement level, you should still pose specific questions to the community to get feedback on an issue. These questions should match to the type of engagement you’re undertaking. Surveys and online feedback should not ask complex questions about a recommendation that require a lot of background reading to properly answer. These questions should aim to bring out values and priorities without asking simple yes/no or direct questions. The most valuable feedback is why the community wants something, not strictly what they want when given a limited range of options or with little to no information to inform themselves. Having decided an issue requires a deep level of citizen deliberation and involvement in the decision (e.g.Citizens’Assembly or Jury),the next step is deciding on the right way to write the question. When framing this inquiry, question or remit, the chosen words need to be broad in order to be open, but not so broad that participants are side-tracked into irrelevant discussions. If it is too narrow, it will confine the group’s thinking and the group will, understandably, demand explanations—why are we confined to this or that? You should start with a problem definition. 103