We’re excited to share that our book, Facilitating Deliberation: A Practical Guide, is now free to download.
Thanks to generous support from Aviv Ovadya and the AI & Democracy Foundation, our digital edition is now openly available to everyone.
We’ve made the call to make this resource freely accessible because we believe in sharing generously and strengthening deliberative engagement practice across the globe.
Why make it free?
Across the world, trust in democracy and democratic insitutions is falling, and citizens are demanding to have their voices represented in the decisions that impact their lives.
We are living through a time of continual uncertainty and change. Deliberative democracy offers a different way forward that enables us to strengthen public trust in decisions, navigate complexity and tackle the big issues.
Deliberative engagement is a specialised field, and until now there has been limited resources available that specifically speak to how to facilitate these processes. Making the book freely available removes one more barrier for those seeking to build their understanding and capability in this practice.
Hear from the authors
Watch the video featuring our three co-founders and co-authors Nicole Hunter, Kimbra White and Keith Greaves. Here they share why they wrote the book, the sections they love the most and the impact they hope to have through this release.
we work to strengthen deliberative democracy as a practice and encourage more organisations to embed citizens in decision-making.
What you’ll find inside
The book brings together decades of learning, experimentation and on-ground practice. It’s designed to be useful to anyone with an interest in this field, whether you’re stepping into deliberation for the first time or refining your craft. It is for facilitators, engagement professionals, leaders, changemakers and more and it includes:
clear, step-by-step guidance for designing deliberative processes
practical tools, templates and prompts you can apply immediately
examples from real-world processes across Australia and beyond
tips for navigating tricky dynamics and enabling better conversations
insights drawn lessons learned through the delivery of many deliberative processes.
We designed the book to help people build skills and confidence, providing directly actionable advice and insights that can be applied in a range of roles and settings.
Download it. Share it. Use it.
Whether you’re a facilitator, engagement professional, policy advisor, elected official or simply someone curious about how better decisions could be made, we hope this resource supports you in your work.
🔄 Share it with colleagues or networks
🎯 Use it in training, reflective practice or project planning