How Does an NIF Forum Work?

We meet to move toward a public decision or CHOICE on a difficult issue through CHOICE WORK.

Through an approximately 2.5 hour deliberative dialogue in which we:

• Understand the PROS and CONS of each approach, its benefits, drawbacks, and trade-offs.
• Know the STRATEGIC FACTS and how they affect the way the group thinks about each option.
• Get beyond the initial positions people hold to their deeper motivations—the things people consider to be most valuable in everyday life.
• Weigh carefully the views of others; appreciate the impact various options would have on what others consider valuable.
• WORK THROUGH the conflicting emotions that arise when various options pull and tug on what people consider valuable.

How Can We Know Whether We are Making Progress?

By constantly testing our group:

• Can our group make the best case for the approach least favored?
• Can our group identify the negative effects of the approach most favored?