For the recent class deliberations, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about my group’s topic to present as well as participating in other groups’ deliberations. Prior to this class I have never participated in a specific deliberation activity so it was exciting to gain a new experience.

 

In this blog post, I will be assessing my deliberation experiences from the past week in terms of Gastil’s chapter on deliberation. I have chosen six key points to highlight and speak on through my experiences.

 

For the first three points I will focus on my group’s deliberation: the topic of Genetic Engineering in Humans.

 

Of course I am biased since it was my group, but overall I was quite pleased with my group’s deliberation presentation. Everyone in the class was very engaged and contributed adequately to the discussion.

 

The main three for my group’s deliberation are the following:

 

1. Adequately distribute speaking abilities: My group made sure that each group member had a relatively equal amount of material to delve into and provide opportunities for everyone to speak to the group. Additionally, after the designated group member wrapped up their section, we opened the floor up for members of the class to chime in organically whenever they wanted to speak. This made it a naturally flowing conversation and everyone was able to talk: both our team members and class participants.
2. Prioritize the key values at stake: My group did this by sectioning off which topics would be the three approaches based on the overarching discussion about morality values versus practicality values, etc. It became based on the value aspects that impact the most people and which needed to be prioritized.
3. Create a solid information base: My team made sure to complete copious amounts of research prior to our deliberation presentation to make sure we had a strong base of credential knowledge about genetic engineering in humans. My group divided up the research amounts based on everyone’s different approach assignments, which made the research less daunting and definitely more fair for every team worker. We knew enough in order to present the material and respond to a fair amount of questions, in addition of course to creating the group’s issue guide to familiarize the participants with our topic in advance of our deliberation presentation.

 

 

Three applicable criteria for another group’s deliberation are based on the Mental Health Deliberation the following:

1. Consider other ideas and experiences: This final group was successful in inviting people’s different ideas, whether they are of personal experience or if someone had a friend who struggled with mental health. It formed a safe space environment and I found it very interesting to see how many people feel similar to each other despite not showing it. This allowed all participants to see everyone’s ideas and perspectives on the issue.
2. Ensure mutual comprehension: I thoroughly enjoyed the way that the group made sure all participants in the discussion knew what was being said/rephrasing the questions. I recall that there was one challenging instance in which nobody chimed in to answer the question, but then one of their team members stepped up to explain her approach and what was meant by the question. By thinking quickly on her feet, having  a solid base knowledge of their topic, and noticing that the participants group was initially unsure, the presenting group made sure they reached mutual understanding with the audience members so we could continue the discussion adequately.
3. Respect other participants: Last but certainly not least comes the overall respect that the group gave to each of its members as well as respecting class participants. With the topic of mental health which already (unfortunately) has a stigma surrounding it, it is essential to make sure everyone feels respected and comfortable sharing their experiences with the group. The leading group made sure to set the stage by being very respectful and regulating conversation well, and the participants watching and sharing their thoughts followed suit with the respect toward all.

 

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed learning about my group’s topic as well as other groups, and the deliberation set up was an exciting new way to discuss a topic without the pressures and stress of a formal debate. I look forward to doing a similar-format experience in the future.