Take Time – Make Time

Description

Time scarcity amplifies power asymmetries by minoritising voices, producing emotional pressure, and creating conflict. CCAs typically comprise between two and six sessions. Lengthy processes can drive participation fatigue and drop‑out, but overly tight schedules risk undermining slower, reflective, and relational forms of knowledge. Deliberating under time pressure weakens emotional processing, pushing groups towards superficial consensus predominantly shaped by dominant speakers.

Addressing these issues requires deliberately “making time” for reflection while retaining the capacity to respond to emergent pressures. A clear agenda strongly shapes temporal scope, with narrower, politically driven timelines contrasting with open formats that allow participants to challenge existing practices. Clear, structured steps led by facilitators can help groups to stay focused and ensure quieter voices are heard. “Making time” for reflection, relational exchange, and slower thinking is essential for inclusive and high-quality deliberation. Adopting hybrid or staggered schedules and micro-rituals can restore attention and agency. Practical steps include piloting staggered multi-week formats, convening stakeholder meetings to align expectations, training facilitators in adaptive techniques, and monitoring participation and well-being to iterate formats.

How-To & Examples

Align timing with policy cycles (e.g. budget-setting processes, strategy development, legislative calendars) to ensure impact. Both the KNOCA Guidelines Preparing for a Climate Assembly and the CLIMAS Checklist emphasise convening before key decisions so recommendations can inform decision-making, not legitimize pre-made decision. Are there time constraints to consider, such as emissions reduction targets or legislative timelines?Time and Resource Conditions for Success (p.45).

In the case of the Citizens’ Assembly for Climate of Catalonia civil-society mobilisation (Extinction Rebellion occupying the secretariat of the Catalan Government for environment and sustainability) created a political window of opportunity, illustrating how timing beyond the CCA shapes impact CLIMAS Best Practice Cases

Techniques for time management: “slow-thinking” sessions (e.g., silent reflection), Mindfulness techniques; placing timelines visibly in the room and assigning time-keepers to foster collective accountability; prioritising depth over breadth e.g. using3 Essential Questions; Micro-breaks (2–3 minutes every 45 minutes).

At theCCA in South Tyrol, working groups continue discussions informally between sessions; to reduce pressure build in in structured buffer or synthesis slots.

Literature & Sources

Boswell, J., Dean, R., & Smith, G. (2023). Integrating citizen deliberation into climate governance: Lessons on robust design from six climate assemblies. Public Administration, 101(1), 182-200.

Doherty, B., Sidhu, Y., Heron, T., West, C., Seaton, A., Gulec, J., … & Flores Martinez, P. (2023). Citizen participation in food systems policy making: a case study of a citizens’ assembly. Emerald Open Research, 1(10).

Zhang, W. (2023). Hybrid deliberation: Citizen dialogues in a post-pandemic era. ArXiv, abs/2307.11412.

Actively build/design timing around cognitive diversity by combining slow-thinking sessions (story-sharing, silent reflection periods) with structured deliberation to counter fast, dominant voices. Often 5 minutes of collective stillness saves 30 minutes of misunderstanding later (Weck 1995). Use distributed cognition of timing: place timelines visibly in the room, assign time-keepers from the group, and use shared artifacts (sticky notes, digital boards) to keep collective awareness. Hybrid deliberation further requires flexible timing: digital formats can increase reach, while in-person formats demand more time but better include elderly and less-resourced participants (Zhang et al., 2023).

Working with Limited Time To work under time pressure, prioritize depth over breadth: Use “3 essential questions” method to narrow focus while maintaining inclusivity. Alternate divergent and convergent phases and uses role rotation so limited time does not reinforce inequalities*.;* Introduce micro-breaks (2–3 minutes every 45 minutes) to maintain cognitive resilience. Use scaffolding techniques (Vygotsky 1978): pre-structured worksheets, guided questions, and “thinking scaffolds” help participants progress faster without rushing. Chunk complexity: break large issues into manageable modules (Hutchins 1995). Create buffer zones in the schedule: 10–15% unscheduled time that can absorb overruns or urgent discussions.

Hybrid deliberation further requires flexible timing: digital formats can increase reach, while in-person formats demand more time but better include elderly and less-resourced participants.

Use scaffolding techniques (Vygotsky 1978): pre-structured worksheets, guided questions, and “thinking scaffolds” help participants progress faster without rushing. Chunk complexity: break large issues into manageable modules (Hutchins 1995). Create buffer zones in the schedule: 10–15% unscheduled time that can absorb overruns or urgent discussions.