#29 · During the Assembly
How to nurture trust and a sense of community among the assembly members? Which relationships are being strengthened or re-imagined? How can a transparent process be created?
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Trust develops when people spend time together in a peer-to-peer setting, without institutional “translation filters”, and when everyone involved is aware of and willing to address existing power differences. Alongside getting things done, CCAs require clear communication (about goals, procedures, decisions), integrity, consistency, reliability, and traceability (e.g., of decision processes). Clear ground rules (shared norms and values) embedded in appreciation and mutual respect, known as facework, along with openness, honesty, and embracing the complexities of diverse people and roles, mindfulness, active listening, and empathy-building exercises, help to build strong relationships and communities.
Problems arise when commitments, goals, and intentions are unclear, especially with regard to limitations (e.g., whether recommendations are binding), or when the groups have conflicting interests or hard-to-read social cues (especially in online meetings).
Legitimacy is built, not assumed. Trust increases when there is confidence in process integrity and a credible government. Clear mandates, transparent governance, accountability, and visible follow-through are central to this. Trust emerges conditionally and cumulatively, not automatically. Continuous trust requires supportive institutional and funding frameworks to flourish.
Ensure transparency and build trust by linking all stages of the CCA to clear access to information (ATI) OECD. Create transparent shared beginnings and endings: openly communicate goals, roles, timelines, and decision pathways; end with collective reflection and clear feedback loops to participants and the wider public.
Create a Safer Space where participants feel heard, valued, and respected by establishing ground rules Active Listening and integrating empathy and trust-building exercises. Model trust through facilitation by demonstrating openness, consistency, fairness, and non-hierarchical collaboration and rotate roles to share power and strengthen ownership Guide to Citizen Assemblies for Citizen Assemblies (p.16-19)
Embed relational trust by enabling informal peer exchange, co-working moments, and collective tasks that build solidarity. Centre care and accessibility, and actively prioritise diverse perspectivesTrust Building
Strengthen legitimacy by using independent participant selection (e.g. sortition agencies) and by setting clear expectations and roles. Sortition Foundation
Ensure accountability by linking involving policymakers early and require public responses that justify outcomes OECD
Acknowledge, recognise and celebrate deliberative achievements, as trust grows when participants see their input taken seriously and visibly linked to outcomes. Trust Building
Trust develops when people spend time together in a peer-to-peer setting, without institutional “translation filters”, and when everyone involved is aware of and willing to address existing power differences. Alongside getting things done, CCAs require clear communication (about goals, procedures, decisions), integrity, consistency, reliability, and traceability (e.g., of decision processes). Clear ground rules (shared norms and values) embedded in appreciation and mutual respect, known as facework, along with openness, honesty, and embracing the complexities of diverse people and roles, mindfulness, active listening, and empathy-building exercises, help to build strong relationships and communities.
Problems arise when commitments, goals, and intentions are unclear, especially with regard to limitations (e.g., whether recommendations are binding), or when the groups have conflicting interests or hard-to-read social cues (especially in online meetings).
Legitimacy is built, not assumed. Trust increases when there is confidence in process integrity and a credible government. Clear mandates, transparent governance, accountability, and visible follow-through are central to this. Trust emerges conditionally and cumulatively, not automatically. Continuous trust requires supportive institutional and funding frameworks to flourish.
Ensure transparency and build trust by linking all stages of the CCA to clear access to information (ATI) OECD. Create transparent shared beginnings and endings: openly communicate goals, roles, timelines, and decision pathways; end with collective reflection and clear feedback loops to participants and the wider public.
Create a Safer Space where participants feel heard, valued, and respected by establishing ground rules Active Listening and integrating empathy and trust-building exercises. Model trust through facilitation by demonstrating openness, consistency, fairness, and non-hierarchical collaboration and rotate roles to share power and strengthen ownership Guide to Citizen Assemblies for Citizen Assemblies (p.16-19)
Embed relational trust by enabling informal peer exchange, co-working moments, and collective tasks that build solidarity. Centre care and accessibility, and actively prioritise diverse perspectivesTrust Building
Strengthen legitimacy by using independent participant selection (e.g. sortition agencies) and by setting clear expectations and roles. Sortition Foundation
Ensure accountability by linking involving policymakers early and require public responses that justify outcomes OECD
Acknowledge, recognise and celebrate deliberative achievements, as trust grows when participants see their input taken seriously and visibly linked to outcomes. Trust Building
Mendy, Laila, Tatiana Sokolova, Fanny Möckel (2025). Being everything for everybody all at once: Facework for trustworthiness of a citizens’ assembly for the climate, Environmental Science & Policy, Volume 170, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104104.
Smith, C., Bain-Kerr, F., & van der Horst, D. (2024). Participatory climate action: Reflections on community diversity and the role of external experts. Transformative Local Governments: Addressing Social Urban Challenges by Bringing People and Politics Together, 9. [Open Access].
Peter’s Note: “Neues Pattern (Peter): 2. Transparent SHARED Beginnings Endings AND TRASLUCENT ProcessesFrage: Wie kann ein Treffen so eröffnet und abgeschlossen werden, dass Vertrauen und Klarheit entstehen? Kernidee: Am Anfang: klare Offenlegung der Ziele, Rollen, Zeitplan. Am Ende: gemeinsame Reflexion, Rückgabe der Ergebnisse ins Plenum oder ins Kollektiv. Keywords: #Transparenz #Vertrauen #Zyklus Verwandt: Nurturing Transparency, Trust and Mutuality, Take Time – Make Time.”
Peter’s Note: Neues Pattern (Peter): Acting as a Collective Wie können Delegierte nicht nur als Einzelpersonen agieren, sondern als Teil eines Kollektivs mit transparenter Rückkopplung?
Beschreibung Oft werden Menschen in Stakeholder-Foren oder Bürger:innenräten in eine Rolle gedrängt, in der sie „für sich selbst“ sprechen. Das kann zu Vereinzelung, Misstrauen und einer Trennung zwischen „repräsentierten Gruppen“ und „individuellen Stimmen“ führen. Dieses Muster betont das Handeln als Kollektiv: Delegierte verstehen sich nicht als Einzelsprecher:innen, sondern als Teil einer gemeinsamen Stimme. Zu Beginn wird klar offengelegt, aus welchem Kollektiv sie sprechen (z. B. Verein, Initiative, Community). Am Ende geben sie die Ergebnisse zurück ins Kollektiv – Transparenz über Anfang und Ende.
Der Austausch erfolgt Peer-to-Peer, unmittelbar, ohne institutionelle „Übersetzungsfilter“, sodass Vertrauen bleibt und kein Eindruck entsteht, dass Ergebnisse verfälscht werden.
Keywords #KollektivesHandeln #Delegation #PeerToPeer #Transparenz
Phasen Input – Durchlauf – Output
