You are all here because technology has the potential to transform social decision-making.   Some technologies are better than others. Very few, of any, are derived from evidence-based practice.

This topic is a rapidly changing space, and there are a few things that we could discuss together.

1. building technology to support decision-making

2. using existing technology to support decision-making

3. designing processes to support group decision-making

Note that technology does not always mean digital technology. Facilitation techniques are a technology, and I can teach you my facilitation practice.

Ultimately, facilitation is the core practical skill that I associate with group decision-making.   Facilitation is the practice of getting groups to make good decisions.

My facilitation practice is a set of very specific micro-skills embedded within a process design strategy adapted from a well defined mediation practice taught by Community Mediation Maryland.

In the process of making a decision, a group must do the following things:

1. identify the problem (set an agenda)

2. identify possible solutions (generate ideas)

3. evaluate possible solutions (reach accurate beliefs)

4. choose a solution (reach agreement)

Any facilitation practice should include a very specific process to support each of these steps. Well, people usually skip step 3. I would be happy to teach you my facilitation practice.

Additionally, groups may sometimes pursue these goals in isolation outside of a broader decision process. For example, sometimes a group's job will simply be to generate an estimate or forecast. Sometimes, a group's job is simply to generate new ideas.

Therefore in addition to considering group decision-making as an entire process, it's important to consider each of these different components in isolation — each distinct task requires distinct design principles.

In reality, the world is not so clear cut. We can't really dissect group decision-making into neat sub-components that can be modularly repackaged into a whole, and have it work the same way every time.

What I can do is teach you how to think about group decision-making by offering you some examples of existing processes and some of the evidence base relating to specific behaviors such as belief formation.

Then, you will take these insights and creatively apply them to the problems that you encounter in your own work.