Introduce rules for good dialogue

Introduce rules for good dialogue to the young participants

It is vital that the young people feel respected and are comfortable with engaging in the deliberations face-to-face as well as online. In some cases, your project might be their first experience in taking part in a democratic exercise. Therefore, it is even more important that they have a good experience, so they will actually take part the next time they are invited to express their opinion. One way of ensuring that is to agree on a set of rules that should guide the deliberations. Below you will find a list of rules that has successfully been used in many face-to-face citizen participation events over the years. We hope it will inspire you to develop your own!

Before the deliberation starts you should go through your Rules for good dialogue* with the young people – in a non-lecturing way! Having a group moderator is the most efficient way to ensure that they follow these rules during the deliberations. 

*For online specific rules and tips also have a look at Prepare online community management and Keep the young continuously activated and motivated online.