participation, concertation

with or without foresight

Facilitating a group reflection or 'concertation' (more operational) requires three principal qualities:

• pedagogy: all must be able to understand and express themselves; the clarity of the facilitator’s comments and documents (information base) is essential;

• rigor: when managing, it is essential to respect the deadlines and objectives to be reached; it is also necessary to respect the facilitator (expert or amateur) and the rules of participation (which are determined in advance).

• ethics: it is important to follow some simple rules to ensure the best participation: to fairly share the ‘time’ cake; to respect the thoughts of others; to support and encourage participants who may be shy or resserved with their comments, avoid directing the debate; and avoid hiding or omiting anything when reporting on the meeting.

Known for our competency in participatory reunions, we are sometimes asked to organize these consultations or to manage working groups.

Yet foresight perspective is seldom absent in such reflections, especially in the case of mediation between groups of opposing interests. Moving the object of conflict into the future considerably helps the resolution of the crisis.