1. CAN’T MAKE THE MEETING? NO PROBLEM!
Technological Assets in Participatory Democracy
Larry Schooler
Joseph Thormley
Nicole Cabral

2. Where’s Larry??

3. How often have you used technology to participate in a civic conversation?

4. DIRECT ENGAGEMENT
• Conventional Engagement: Top down, relatively transparent
• Thick Engagement: Informed, deliberative, emotional, full of choices for groups to make
• Thin Engagement: Fast, easy, full of choices for individuals to make
Direct Engagement
Thick
Engagement
Thin
Engagement
Conventional
Engagement

5. Conventional engagement: The parent-child dynamic

6. Thick Engagement: Small-group processes
• No more than 12 people per group
• Facilitator who is impartial (doesn’t give opinions)
• Start with people describing their experiences
• Lay out options
• Help people plan for action

7. Thick Engagement: Framing an issue
• Give people the information they need, in ways they can use it
• Lays out several options or views (including ones you don’t agree with!)
• Trust them to make good decisions

8. Thin Participation Processes
• Gathering Data
• Generating Ideas
• Coordinating work by citizens
• Facilitating conversations

9. Text, Talk, Act • Created in 2013
• Part of President Obama’s National Dialogue on Mental Health
• More than 200 conversations mainly comprised of young adults
• Use deliberative democracy principles
• Eliminate misconceptions behind mental health problems and identify priorities for community action •

10. Text, Talk, Engage
Adapted from the Text, Talk, Act Initiative for community college faculty to incorporate faculty voices in important reforms
• Gather 3-4 people
• Text “League” to 89800
• Talk with your group using text-enable questions
• Be apart of the change by connecting with a national conversation •

11. The National Issues Forums
• The National Issues Forums (NIF) is a nonpartisan, nationwide network of locally sponsored public forums for consideration on public policy issues.
• Hundreds of forums are organized around the country each year in community centers, college campuses, and churches

12. Common Ground for Action
• Online forums
• Utilize deliberative democracy principles
• Visually view participants reaching common ground

13. Common Ground for Action

14. Expanding Opportunity for All
• Augmenting the ongoing face-to-face forums across the country with online forums
• Anonymity
• Collect data on faculty perspectives

15. Questions?

16. Six steps to enable increased online participation
Joseph Thornley
@thornley

17. Why Technology?
Most Americans are already online at home and elsewhere – libraries, smart phones, etc. – or have easy access to a phone
An online/text message/telephone-based engagement opportunity gives an outlet to those who:
Have limited time
Feel uncomfortable speaking publicly
Lack the means or resources to meet-in-person

18. 70% of Americans have high-speed home internet → 3% have dial-up
Varies significantly among ethnicity, age, education, income
>25% have no internet access at home
90% of American adults have a cell phone
58% of American adults have a smartphone
29% of cell phone owners say a cell is “something they can’t live without”
Facilitating Civic Dialogue and Consensus

19. Reaching a Greater Audience: TV, Telephone, and Text
Overview videos shown at community forum, social media, TV
Televised community conversations, with SMS, social media, and telephone technology

20. Crisis Communication

32. Senior Fellow, National Civic League
Larry Schooler,
Senior Fellow, National Civic League
@AStraussInst