The Delphi Technique, what it is and how to counter it

TCOT Action Projects ^ | March 6th, 2009 | Jenny Hatch

[Jenny Hatch]

I just wanted to make everyone aware of the Delphi Technique. It is a Consensus and Facilitation technique that keeps those who are unaware of how it works from being effective political activists. For those who are just beginning as politically active conservatives, mastering the countering techniques will help us be much more effective as we move against the Marxists who have overtaken our government.

[mnehring]

Austin, say no more..

[Wil H]

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.

Best description of the Drive By Media I've read in years..

[Crim]

“Many times it isn’t necessarily calculated, some controlling, narcissistic personality types do this without knowing it is a defined technique, it is just part of their nature.”

Yes I came to the same conclusion when giving it some thought...

I small bit of backround:

We were testing a new version of a popular computer( yea! I spelled it right) game a few years back...

Many members of the “gaming community” (players) wanted certain features from the older game...placed in the new version...

This person was dead set against anything from the old game being put into the new one...and in fact...railed against many of those very features in th old game as well...

This person also attained a status of trust and and “insider” previously as a tester...

Any mention of these features in the testing forums was met with imediate mockey, insults, devils advocation, cherry picking of quotes , strawman arguements ,and strong arming opinions outside of the public discussion to gain visible support...

People became divided between those who had played the old game...and new people who had not....with this person becoming the defacto leader of the latter group...

The subgroup became consensous as the other group gained “ignore” status, was marginalised, and eventualy gave up hope of influencing the game....

Needless to say...the guy got everything he wanted...

The game sucked compared to it’s former versions....

Sales tanked...

A lawsuit resulted between the developer and the licensee from lost profits vs licensing fee’s...

And the game became the laughingstock of the player base who stuck with the old game...

And in hindsight...the guy was a flaming liberal....just a natual aggitator I guess...

Very illustrative.....thank you for posting it...

[outinyellowdogcountry]

This explains how people could allow the unbelievable could occur. It explains how logic can be disregarded and the person speaking the truth ostracized. It confuses and infuriates me but knowing how it works gives me power to see the reality and perhaps combat it with calm facts. Frustration over people not understanding the truth usually makes me react with anger. The DT is purely manipulation. A narcissistic personality could and would easily utilize such a technique to get their way, if nothing else just to get their way. Power.

[annieokie]

bump for later

[Oatka]

You also, Jenny Hatch.

[Quix]

THANKS.

Useful.

Personally, I think Deliphi can be used by our side . . .

[agere_contra]

I read somewhere that one of Alinsky’s rules was to hold the opposition up to their own highest standards. Why do you think he said that? ‘Cause he knew that would paralyze them.

Damn good point. But (contra that) I believe that the Conservative position at the end relies on simple truth.

We may be paralysed in Alinksy's view, because we refuse to use poisoned weapons.

But at the same time, using deceit or dishonest techniques in the primary battle of ideas must tend to weaken one's ability to discourse truthfully - must weaken one's ability to be conservative.

Democrats are always hiding what they believe. They make you sign onto a "war against poverty" or onto the "pro-choice" movement. They use victims as human shields.

We do not. The very essence of Conservatism is to let our true ideas wrestle naked with the alien deceits of the Socialists. If we start using subterfuge to cloak our ideas then we deny our ideas their power.

[concerned about politics]

Yeah, I know. Unfortunately, the right wing politicians don't make liberals play by their own rules.
The left wants choice, but denies choices for everyone else. Why not call them on it?
They want free speech, but deny it to others. Why not call them on it?
They want rights for homos living together, but object to unmarried heterosexual living together getting the same rights. Why not call them on it?
They scream about Corporate wealth and criminality, but ignore their own politicians who have "mysteriously" become millionaires after reaching Washington . Why not call them on it?

Our politicians are forced to live by their own rules, yes, but our own politicians at the same time give the left a pass. Why aren't they calling them out?

[MHGinTN]

Most excellent! Thanks. Placemarker ... we are about to see this technique on a national scale, as the kenyan kloen posse pretends to have ‘townhall type meetings’ of middle calss Americans as a means to ‘achieve consensus on our direction’.

[outinyellowdogcountry]

Did you wonder why you could not persuade the other group? Did you think after the new game failed that you should have been more hard headed? Just wondering. I don’t know how hard you fought or the circumstances. I just was thinking what I might have thought later. I realize majority rules, usually.

[agere_contra]

Oof! Ok, I admit, even in bald print that technique is effective.

Fortunately someone being engagingly nice on FR is so unusual that all our internal alarms go off - we’re safe from your Neurolinguistic reign of Terror!

[Excellence]

Thanks for posting this. I have known from the beginning that the so-called “forums” at the White House are just sessions in the Delphi Technique. In your opinion, are our congress critters really that stupid to not realize this?

[agere_contra]

It confuses and infuriates me but knowing how it works gives me power to see the reality and perhaps combat it with calm facts.

Well said. This article has been posted before, and IMO it should be posted every ~ three months just to inoculate and forewarn us.

[concerned about politics]

There’s a PDF analyzing his technique - I bet sticking “Obama Neuro linguistic Programming” into Clusty

Heck, I bought an entire training manual. I wanted to know how Obomas speeches, which said absolutely nothing, were building such a following. No one knew anything at all about the guy, he had no job training at all, and never said anything that mattered, yet people still voted for him. I figured he must be doing something under the radar. I decided I was going to find out how he did it.
No one in their right mind should have voted for this guy - for any position. He hasn't even had a job at Mc Dolands yet! That makes millions of teenagers more qualified for the presidency than he is.

[GonzoGOP]

One of the best tactics against Delphi is to designate a sacrificial lamb. You have to plan before hand and it is very hard to pull off on the spur of the moment. The purpose of this person is to draw the fire of the facilitator. The sacrificial lamb will end up being hated by everyone on both sides. Their purpose is to simply, and politely, dump derision on the ideas of the facilitator, and point out the tactics they are using. If the facilitator isn't a pro, but just one of the usual liberal pocket dictators, you can sometimes get them so angry that they snap at you or try to have you thrown out. Ask questions like, "Some people have issues about going up to the podium, how about putting some microphone down in the isles?" You also are the one who continually points out that the question isn't being answered. You must stay civil, so they can’t throw you out, but definitely be a pest. The operational word is cynical and snaky. If the facilitator makes it personal, all the better, it bites them later. It makes it much harder for them to look reasonable if they just did a full scale verbal beat down on somebody in the room.

Remember the facilitator wouldn’t be trying Delphi unless they believed they were smarter than all the rubes in the room. When things stop going to plan they will start to get angry that somebody isn’t playing by their rules and try to push the person out, or change the rules. As the SL your goal is not to propose alternatives, in fact that is the one thing you must never ever do. Your goal is to have to get them off script and focus all their attention on you. It won’t work with a true professional, but I’ve used it a couple of times on petty tyrants from my homeowners association and the village board of directors. Note: if you play this part nobody is going to like you.

This is why this has to be part of a group tactic. The goal is to make the meeting become a peeing match between you and the pocket dictator. Then have one of your compatriots, who as stated in an earlier post isn’t sitting with you and isn’t seen talking to you, put forward the counter offer. They seem like a reasonable middle ground, and an alternative to the acrimony that has been going on in the room. Delphi works almost 100% of the time on a group of individuals; it can be broken by a team, especially when up against armatures like town halls or teachers meetings.

[kalee]

ping

[John Galt's cousin]

scary

bookmarking for later

[agere_contra]

Absolutely agree!

Anyone who wants the PDF I was referring to, it's here

[mnehring]

What do y’all think about a psychological and cognitive technique ping list? There was a lot of interest during the campaign when we where discussing Bambi’s use of NLP.