Excerpted from
by Tom Atlee.
Consensus conference organizers usually follow the following steps. (This description is informed largely by Grundahl, Johs. "The Danish Consensus Conference Model," in Simon Joss and John Durant (eds), Public Participation in Science: The Role of Consensus Conferences in Europe (Science Museum, UK, 1995):
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A CONSENSUS CONFERENCE
1. Pick a salient topic, not too broad, not too narrow, that
involves some real conflict and expertise. The topic chosen is
one of current concern for the legislature, who may be considering
formal legislation on the subject in the next six months or so.
2. Choose a steering committee of known partisan authorities who
represent different and opposing perspectives; who are familiar
with the full scope of the topic; and who are willing to support
an unbiased effort. This steering committee will oversee the organization
of the consensus conference and the fairness of its informational
materials.
3. Advertise in newspapers for volunteer lay participants, requesting
a one-page letter describing the volunteer's background and reasons
for wanting to participate.
4. From the 100-200 replies, choose about fifteen who roughly
represent the demographic breadth of the country's population
and who lack prior knowledge of or partisan interest in the topic.
[see also note]
5. Commission a background paper that maps the political terrain
surrounding the issue. Have it screened and approved by the steering
committee.
PREPARATORY WORK WITH THE LAY PANEL
1. Organize an initial preparatory weekend meeting at which
you discuss the background paper with the lay group and work with
them to formulate questions for experts. During this time, provide
opportunities for the lay panelists to get to know one another
and develop their ability to reason together.
2. Assemble an expert panel that covers the technical and scientific
dimensions of the problem, as well as its ethical and societal
implications. Include significant stakeholder representatives.
3. Organize a second preparatory weekend meeting in which the
lay panel discusses background readings provided by the steering
committee, refines their questions and revises the expert panel
list to suit their needs.
4. Request that the experts prepare succinct oral and written
responses to the group's questions, using language understandable
by ordinary people.
HOSTING THE CONSENSUS CONFERENCE
1. Announce an open public forum-a consensus conference-in
which the lay and expert panels will meet together, attracting
media, legislators and interested citizens in a large public building.
2. On Day One of the actual consensus conference, have each expert
speak for 15-30 minutes, then answer follow-up questions from
the lay panel and, as time allows, from the audience.
3. After the public session, have the lay panel retire to discuss
what it has heard.
4. On Day Two have the lay panel publicly cross-examine the expert
panel, who are then politely dismissed, along with the public
audience.
5. For the remainder of Day Two through Day Three, let the lay
group deliberate, with facilitation available to use as they wish,
and prepare a report that summarizes their points of consensus
and disagreement. The lay panel fully controls the report's content,
but may be assisted by secretaries and editors.
6. On Day Four give the expert panelists a chance to correct outright
factual misstatements in the report, but not to otherwise comment
on it.
PUBLICIZING THE RESULTS OF THE CONSENSUS CONFERENCE
1. Arrange for the group to present its report at a national
press conference. Most reports are 15-30 pages long, clearly reasoned
and nuanced in judgment.
2. Publicize the report and engage the public with it, using local
dialogues, leaflets and videos.
_______________
* Note re 3 and 4 in "Laying the
Groundwork": Some Danish panels have been picked by inviting
participants from an age/gender balanced random selection of 1200
Danes from the central registry of the population. From the respondents,
twelve to sixteen competent citizens are selected who together
provide demographic diversity (gender, age, education, occupation,
and geography) for the panel. (From correspondence between Lars
Torres of AmericaSpeaks and Lars Kluver of the Danish Board of
Technology, relayed to Tom Atlee by Torres 10/8/2002.)