Page 186 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

Step 4: Generating Ideas The next phase of a long-form deliberation is idea generation. Coming up with initial solutions to a problem can be a difficult part of the process. Some participants will still want to seek more information, this can be counterintuitive because sometimes more information does not lead to more clarity. At some point, the group will need to stop getting more information and start working on condensing down into generating ideas. We are aiming to make them informed citizens, not subject experts. The primary focus at this stage is clarity of intent. This phrase should motivate all the recommendations that are produced. The aim for the group is not to describe exactly how something should be done but instead, be clear about what they would like to happen and why. Communicating the ‘why’ ensures that the organisation understands the reasoning behind the recommendation and can flexibly apply this same reasoning to other aspects of the issue. Strict recommendations that focus on the how can restrict problem solving by being inflexible when circumstances change. 184 A Project of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF)