Andy Paice: Citizens Assemblies & Dynamic Facilitation
Date: September 2, 2025 Speaker: Andy Paice (7+ years in deliberative democracy) Duration: ~70 minutes
Overview
Andy Paice shared insights from designing and facilitating citizen assemblies, covering the full process from sortition to recommendations.
Citizen Assembly Structure
Scale & Duration
- Typically 50-100 randomly selected participants
- 30-40 hours of engagement
- Structured across multiple sessions
Three Stages
- Learning - Participants receive balanced information
- Deliberation - Small group discussions with trained facilitators
- Recommendation - Developing and voting on proposals
Inclusive Facilitation Principles
Key elements for inclusive facilitation:
- Psychological safety - Creating space where all feel comfortable contributing
- Plain language - Avoiding jargon and technical terms
- Tools for confusion - Giving participants ways to express when they don’t understand
- Fostering empathy - Building connections across different perspectives
Core Facilitation Skills
Essential competencies highlighted:
- Active listening - Full attention and genuine curiosity
- Effective questioning - Open questions that deepen thinking
- Adapting to group dynamics - Reading the room and adjusting
Dynamic Facilitation
Paice discussed Dynamic Facilitation techniques using four charts:
| Chart | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Data | Facts and information shared |
| Problems | Issues and concerns raised |
| Solutions | Ideas and proposals offered |
| Action Steps | Concrete next moves |
This approach promotes collective solutions by capturing all contributions visually.
AI Applications Discussed
Potential AI roles explored:
- Addressing facilitator bias
- Enhancing participant reflection
- The concept of an “AI facilitator for each participant”
- Supporting synthesis across small groups
Collaboration Opportunities
Discussed during the session:
- Partnership on the Commoning Standard project
- Formation of Open Facilitation Library cooperative
- Connecting with Rosa Zubizarreta on dynamic facilitation
Resources
- Group Works card deck for facilitation building blocks
- Rosa Zubizarreta’s dynamic facilitation resources
- Open Facilitation Library cooperative membership
Key Takeaway
“The most important facilitation happens before and between the sessions, not just during them.”