How might we encourage people to connect with a sense of responsibility when airing their views?

[katska]

What people say and how they say it matters. We've been discussing in the redesign of the site, and based on some research providing some fairly extensive guidance on a successful comment/submission. Until we delve into implementing this there might be some gentle help in this direction.
When we invite people to comment and make it easier to do so, we need to help find a moment of pause, to consider the significance of this step and consider how it might land, without compromising the essence of their useful input.

We're working on how we can help people to bring their concerns to light in a place where there is also space for others to be heard. Reminding people that they play an important role in how their community comes together - how they hold space for their own views, feelings and responses to the dreams that others have planned for themselves their families and community can either allow useful contributions or shut down others.

I'm also reminded lately that putting in a DA is an expensive business, and for individuals to put in so much effort and have this trash talked flippantly could also be pretty confronting!

The first comment on a development application can set a tone, especially if it's the first one people see when they scroll..... that might be one extra place to pay special attention.

I feel also that there might be room for surfacing the limits of commenting on a single DA and that specific feedback process may not meet the needs or issues raised. By providing a specific space for DA comments and something along the lines of 'while this isn't up for consideration when DAs are assessed, issues that also have some bearing on the matter are' .... and this might come with a request to ask how issues that are not taken into account here can be aired in the community.

[katska]

Being able to preview and save a draft for consideration give an opportunity to pause. What else might leverage that moment of pause to reflect. "Your words are important. How would someone else read this?"

A facilitators list I'm on checks in by asking 'do you really want X000's of people to read this?" It's one way to bring the public nature of the comment home!