The deliberators should be encouraged to explore different perspectives on the issue, including those of other group members, relevant interest groups and possibly some experts. A significant amount of time will be needed for sharing experiences and it’s important that the group does not move on to the next step until everyone understands one another’s perspective.

The relevant fundamental framework for this process is that emotion is explored before hard information or data are considered. People do not hear or take in information while they are holding high levels of emotion. They need to express this emotion before experts are invited to speak. We recommend starting this process by hearing from the least powerful group first until they say they feel heard and then moving on to the other groups or stakeholders. This process allows the participants to frame the polarity and understand the different positions held in the community in relation to the topic. Proceeding to the next step should only happen when the group agrees to do so.