Holy Batman I Have
Been Delphi’d
Where Did The Delphi Technique Come
From?
The Rand Corporation in the early 1960’s
developed the Delphi technique for the
purpose of manuevering segments of the
public into accepting predetermined
government policies. In the 1970’s and ‘80’s,
it was used to convince land owners of the
merits of accepting general land use planning
maps. It is now being employed by the city
and local groups working with the city in
order to engineer “citizen consent.”
In order for Delphi to work, it is critical that
the targeted group (you) be kept away from
the knowledgeable people who could lead
them away from the Delphier’s
predertermined outcome.
The Goal
“The goal of the Delphi Technique is to
lead a targeted group of people to a
predetermined outcome, while giving
the illusion of taking public input and
under the pretext of being accountable
to the public
How Do I Know if I am being Delphi’d?
If you are invited to a visioning/consensus session - You WILL be
Delphi’d
If you walk into a room and you are handed a comment card - You
ARE being Delphi’d
If you are asked to draw a table number or told where to sit- You
ARE being Delphi’d
If the room is filled with employees of companies that have a
vested interest in the outcome - You ARE being Delphi’d
If you arrive at a meeting and no one is there - You WERE Delphi’d
If you have been given crayons and paper to play games - You ARE
being Delhpi’d
If audience participation is suppressed - you are asked to write
down your questions for later, Q&A at end of session when many
people and the press have left - You ARE being Delphi’d
If you get a survey at home or if you are asked to fill out a survey
during a meeting - You ARE being Delphi’d
If your community is involved in a growth plan - YOU ARE BEING
DELPHI’D
Psychology of Delphi
The outcome has already been determined.
But you can stop them in their tracks
They do not want your opinion
They are not your friends. They are truly the
enemy.
Before Every Meeting
Always remember this is war and you would never enter into
battle without a strategic plan and plenty of ammo
Be prepared (face to face meeting, no your team mates, create
questions you need to have answered and provide a copy to all
members of the committee
Identify the “Speakers” and the “Supporters” and make sure they
understand their role.
Review your tactics and educate new members that are not
familiar with the Delphi Technique
The team must be committed to this effort or you will be Delphi’d
for sure.
RSVP to the meeting invitation
Create teams of two to sit together if round tables are used,
instruct the team on the diamond formation if theatre seating.
Create a telephone chain list - delegate a person to kick off the
chain
Plan a meeting place to debrief
Be sure you have someone that can tape the event/meeting
Think about this as a necessary evil to save your very life
As You Enter the Meeting
Do not sign in, if you must use a fake name and
nothing else
Do not wear a name tag
Case the joint and kick off the phone chain - let
people know what to expect
Keep an eye out for your partner if they are not
with you
Do not allow them to tell you where to sit
Make sure your partner knows where you are
sitting
During the Meeting
Based on the environment be sure you know which strategy to
kick into gear.
They will do everything to suppress open dialogue. WE must
control the conversation. If the opportunity to speak is not given
you must TAKE the opportunity.
Do not let on that you and your partner know each other
Get to know EVERYONE at your table - Why are you here?
Have you ever been to this type of meeting before? Where do
you live? What is your profession? Do you know what is going
on here? ID the shills and people with a vested interest in the
plan.
You must establish who belongs and who does not, who has a
conflict of interest and before the meeting begins demand these
people be excluded from feedback. This is a position you will
have to fight for. They plant shills in the audience to slant the
results their way.
Never ask questions at the table - questions must always be
asked so the entire room can hear - you want to plant seeds
with the other participants
During The Meeting
They may conduct meetings in breakout rooms. They
might move people around to different tables. Watch and
observe. You will see people that you thought were
participants take a facilitator role at the next table.
When they use terminology ask for clarification. EX: Smart
Growth, what is it, how do you accomplish it, Social
Justice, Green Space, Open Space,
Remain calm at all times. Never get angry or rude. Do not
talk down to the facilitator. They want to get you angry then
they appear as the victim.
Remain focused - use your list of questions
Remain persistent - if they can’t intimidate you they will go
on a long monologue. When they are done direct them
back to your question
During The Meeting
This is when the supporter does their part. When
you bring up a point or ask a question the
supporters should clap and voice agreement.
When shills are trying to get your “speaker” to
“shut up and sit down” you let them know “you”
wish to hear the answer. Lean over to the person
next to you or the others at the table and say
“that’s not right” “they should answer the
questions”, “I would really like to hear the answer
to that question”.
Remember this meeting is just an exercise. They
are not interested in your opinion. The goal of
the facilitator is to make the others like the, and
to alienate anyone who might pose a threat to the
realization of their agenda.
After The Meeting
It is important to meet for a short period
of time after the meeting to debrief.
What went wrong. What went right.
Suggestions for adjusting your plan