The Delphi Technique

What is it? A specialized use of this technique was developed for teachers, such as the the “Alinsky Method“

What you need to know about the Delphi technique and how to diffuse it.
Anyone trying to problem-solve with a group needs to know this information.

The Delphi Technique: How To Achieve A Workable Consensus Within Time Limits

- by Lynn Stuter

he Delphi Technique was originally conceived as a way to obtain the opinion of experts without necessarily bringing them together face to face. In Educating for the New World Order by Bev Eakman, the reader finds reference upon reference for the need to preserve the illusion that there is “Lay, or community, participation in the decision­making process), while in fact lay citizens are being squeezed out.”

A specialized use of this technique was developed for teachers, the “Alinsky Method” (ibid., p. 123). The setting or group is, however, immaterial the point is that people in groups tend to share a certain knowledge base and display certain identifiable characteristics (known as group dynamics). This allows for a special application of a basic technique. The “change agent” or “facilitator” goes through the motions of acting as an organizer, getting each person in the target group to elicit expression of their concerns about a program, project, or policy in question. The facilitator listens attentively, forms “task forces,” “urges everyone to make lists,” and so on. While she is doing this, the facilitator learns something about each member of the target group. He/she identifies the “leaders,” the “loud mouths,” as well as those who frequently turn sides during the argument ­ the “weak or non­committal.”

“This technique is a very unethical method of achieving consensus on a controversial topic in group settings. It requires well­trained professionals who deliberately escalate tension among group members, pitting one faction against the other, so as to make one viewpoint appear ridiculous so the other becomes “sensible” whether such is warranted or not. “

Disrupting The Delphi

Note: The Delphi is being used at all levels of government to move meetings to preset conclusions. For the purposes of this dissertation, “facilitator” references anyone who has been trained in use of the Delphi and who is running a meeting.

There are three steps to diffusing the Delphi Technique when facilitators want to seer a group in a specific direction.

1.  Always be charming.

2. Stay focused.

3. Be persistent.

Always be charming, stay focused and be persistent. Never, under any circumstance, become angry. Anger directed at the facilitator will immediately make the facilitator the victim. This defeats the purpose which is to make you the victim. The goal of the facilitator is to make those they are facilitating like them, alienating anyone who might pose a threat to the realization of their agenda. [People with fixed belief systems, who know what they believe and stand on what they believe are obvious threats.] If the participant becomes the victim. the facilitator loses face and favor with the crowd. This is why crowds are broken up into groups of seven or eight, why objections are written on cards, not voiced aloud where they are open to public discussion and public debate. It s called crowd control.

Note: Please refer back to Lynn Stuter’s paper for the full article and her description of how the Delphi Technique can be diffused.

What The Heck Is The Alinsky Method?

Being Used To Destroy Our Freedoms

Albert V. Burns

It is interesting, and EXTREMELY important to Americans, both as parents and as citizens, to clearly understand just HOW the “squeezing out” process takes place. It is a well defined, if not well perceived, process known as the “Alinsky Method” (which was derived from a procedure named as “The Delphi Technique.”) This method of manipulating people is based on the fact that people in groups tend to share a common knowledge base and display certain identifiable characteristics known as “group dynamics.”

In this process, one or more people known as “Change Agents” or “Facilitators” appear to be acting as organizers, “allowing” each person in the group to express their concerns about some program or policy under consideration. While this process is going on, people are urged to make lists or form into task forces. The Facilitator carefully notes which members of the group are leaders, which are “loud mouths” and which may be easily swayed to different viewpoints.

At a certain point, the previously friendly Change Agent begins to act as “devil’s advocate,” becoming an agitator. The process involves playing one part of the group against another, the “divide and conquer” technique. Anyone who is not clearly in accord with the Facilitator’s agenda is made to appear ridiculous, inarticulate, ignorant or dogmatic. The idea is to make these members of the group angry thus escalating tensions. The end object being to shut opposition voices out of the group.

“With the increasing demand for education reform, increasing agitation among the public and more and more grassroots research exposing the defects in our current government indoctrination centers, also known as public schools, more and more people are being exposed to this Alinsky method of maneuvering public meetings toward preset goals. Somehow, people walk out of public meetings wondering just what happened – how were their ideas and objections so neatly derailed. This consistent pattern of manipulation of public meetings is causing concern about the corruption of the very process of government established by our Founding Fathers.”

Note: Please refer back to Albert V. Burns ‘s paper for the full article.

Using the Delphi to Achieve Consensus
How it is leading us away from representative government to an illusion of citizen participation

The Delphi Technique and consensus building are both founded in the same principle – the Hegelian dialectic of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, with synthesis becoming the new thesis. The goal is a continual evolution to “oneness of mind” (consensus means solidarity of belief) -the collective mind, the wholistic society, the wholistic earth, etc. In thesis and antithesis, opinions or views are presented on a subject to establish views and opposing views. In synthesis, opposites are brought together to form the new thesis. All participants in the process are then to accept ownership of the new thesis and support it, changing their views to align with the new thesis. Through a continual process of evolution, “oneness of mind” will supposedly occur.

In her book Educating for the New World Order, author and educator Beverly Eakman makes numerous references to the need of those in power to preserve the illusion that there is “community participation in decision-making processes, while in fact lay citizens are being squeezed out.”

Note: Please refer back to the Eagle Forum for the full article.

Sources:
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1998/nov98/focus.html
http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/Educate/alinsky_method.htm
http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NewAge/Delphi_Technique.htm
http://www.expertprogrammanagement.com/2011/03/groupthink-examples-avoidance/

What is the Hegelian Dialectic?

By Niki Raapana and Nordica Friedrich

In 1847 the London Communist League (Karl Marx and Frederick Engels) used Hegel’s theory of the dialectic to back up their economic theory of communism. Now, in the 21st century, Hegelian-Marxist thinking affects our entire social and political structure. The Hegelian dialectic is the framework for guiding our thoughts and actions into conflicts that lead us to a predetermined solution. If we do not understand how the Hegelian dialectic shapes our perceptions of the world, then we do not know how we are helping to implement the vision. When we remain locked into dialectical thinking, we cannot see out of the box.

What is Groupthink?

Groupthink occurs in groups when individual thinking or individual creativity is lost or subverted to stay within the comfort zone of the consensus view. People’s common sense and ability to perform problem solving, make good decisions, and raise unpopular views are overridden by the desire for group consensus.
Groupthink can lead to teams making the wrong decisions and so project managers, program managers, and indeed managers at all levels need to be mindful of it. Groupthink is particularly prevalent in cohesive groups, groups with a strong leader, and groups working in isolation. A number of general techniques exist to avoid groupthink, along with a number of specific tools, including Nominal Group Technique and The Delphi Method.

What is Critical Thinking?

by Dianne F. Halpern

“Eveyone agrees that students learn in college, but whether they learn to think is more controversial.”

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Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, 1770-1831  was the founder of the principles of Hegelianism or the Hegelian Principle of Thesis, Anti-Thesis and Synthesis. This is a principle used with varying modifications, by governments, business and/or anyone for that matter, when trying to change a personal or larger mental or physical state.
It’s slight of hand for the minds of the masses.

The Delphi method was originally developed in the 50s by the RAND Corporation in
Santa Monica, California. Today this techniques is leading us away from representative government to an illusion of citizen participation

It has been asserted that the word Delphi refers to the hallowed site of the most revered oracle in ancient Greece.  Forecasts and advices from gods were sought through intermediaries at this oracle.