Through examining the relevant academic literature, learning about the work of deliberation practitioners, and discussing the experiences of our community, the DCI has identified the dispositions described below as critical to the success of deliberative enterprises. When participants adopt these dispositions, they are much more likely to feel their deliberations are meaningful, respectful, and productive.
Egalitarianism
Make the robust involvement of each participant possible.
Humility
Appreciate one’s own cognitive and experiential limitations, embrace the possibility one might be wrong, and recognize the intellectual contributions of others.
Curiosity
Listen attentively to understand deliberators’ stories, arguments, and other remarks in their richness and variety with a patient and open-minded spirit.
Courage
Have the courage to engage with viewpoints that are different from your own, sometimes radically so, and to respectfully share your own perspective, even when it may be uncomfortable to do so.
Empathy
Treat remarks made by others with kindness and compassion, imagining where they are coming from, and approach disagreements with generosity and good will.
Charity
Assume the best—and not the worst—about the values, intentions, and meanings of one’s fellow deliberators, and show grace towards them instead of making hasty judgments.
Anticipation
Expect to qualify, amend, or change one’s position in light of good reasons, and anticipate fresh ideas, new beginnings, novel approaches.
Evidential Emphasis
Use evidence (experiential, factual, emotional, descriptive) to support positions and elucidate generalizations.
Communal Orientation
Notice patterns and commonalities among deliberators’ stories, arguments, and other remarks, and identify transcendent perspectives, values, and commitments when possible.
Action Inclination
Recognize opportunities to generate creative resolutions to disagreements and move from intentional deliberation to collective action.
