Justifiable Pressure

Similar to Baptiste (2000) we believe there is such a thing as ethical coercion: using your authority to force someone to do something he or she doesn't want to do because you judge it's in their best interests. In the case of discussion, we know that unless those unused to speaking participate early on in a series of meetings, the chances that they will say anything falls precipitously as time goes by, so sometimes we have to pressure people to speak up so they know their voices will be heard.

Purposes

• To get usually silent participants used to contributing to a discussion
• To provide a range of safe ways to get people over the anxiety of speaking for the first time

How It Works

To make justifiable pressure work, it's important not to spring it on people. At the start of a discussion facilitators announce they'll be using a range of techniques to get everybody to participate, such as the following:

• Pass and return. If people decline to speak, let them know you'll return to them in a few minutes for a response to the same question.
• Extend wait time. Allow people time to respond, up to maybe thirty seconds. The first few times this happens there will be a tension or embarrassment but after a while people become more comfortable with this dynamic.
• Online posting. Allow the option of not speaking when called but require that a response be posted online by the end of the day. Then check, and if it's not there remind the person (publicly) that their comment is expected.
• Social media Quick Write. Tell discussants to post on Today's Meet (technique 5) and then check the feed for their comment every ten to fifteen minutes.
• Alternate week arrangement. One week you will call on people; the next you won't.
• Justifying the request. When asking someone to speak, you explain why you'd like to hear from that person (they have relevant experience, they posted something interesting online, something they said outside the session caught your attention, etc.).
• Reasons for reluctance. Ask speakers why they find it difficult to respond. Sometimes you find your question is unclear or that you've misunderstood the group's previous knowledge.
• Asking silent participants. Tell the group, “Now I'd like to hear responses to this question only from people who haven't had a chance to speak yet.”

Where and When It's Worked Well

1. When people trust the facilitator. If people judge you're doing this to encourage participation rather than to embarrass them they're more likely to respond so introduce these only after you've worked with a group for some time.
2. When there is team facilitation. This works best if a team has modeled using these approaches with each other in front of a workshop, class, or meeting.

What Users Appreciate

1. Being heard. Although initially discomfiting, people tell us that in the long run they are glad finally to have their contribution acknowledged.
2. Time allowed. People appreciate being able to return back to them, which deliberately allows time to think before contributing.
3. Negotiation. People appreciate a give-and-take between leader and participants such as alternating which week you call on them.

What to Watch Out For

1. Hectoring. If you're not careful you can seem to be blaming or hectoring.
2. Embarrassing participants. If thirty seconds of wait time goes by without a response, this can embarrass participants as everyone sits in awkward silence.
3. Justifiable resistance. Just as there is justifiable pressure there is also justifiable resistance to speaking. Be open to the possibility that you're exerting pressure in an irresponsible way.
4. Mistiming. If you haven't earned the right to ask people to respond or if they're suspicious of you or the setting, then your pressure will likely backfire.
5. Difficulty of modeling. If you are running a discussion alone it's unwieldy to try to model these approaches by asking yourself a question and then allowing wait time for you to answer, saying why you can't respond, and so on.

Questions That Fit These Protocols

The specific questions you invite previously silent participants to respond to will arise naturally from the discussion.