Wikipedia:Lectures/lecture2-questions

We'll be talking about

User:Filll/AGF Challenge

How do you go about solving situations like this?

Start by formulating an initial position:

Try to answer the following questions:

1. The action you would like to take , and a personal reason why you are in support of that action.
   • what's your gut feeling
   • who is involved
   • what needs to be attained
   • what's the best outcome for the encyclopedia?
   • how can that outcome be attained?
2. What would theoretically needs to be said or done to make you reverse that position, or where you would be willing to compromise
   • where might there be flaws in your reasoning
   • what could you give up on and still (mostly) achieve your goal?
3. A reason why you think others (will) support that position (ie, why is this likely to gain consensus).
   • What policies, guidelines or essays have there been written? What direction do they tend to point to?
   • Who is involved? What are their opinions? (read talk pages, and see if you can find previous statements)
   • How will they respond to your tentative action?
   • Can you modify your action to make that response more favorable?
4. What likely would need to be said or done to reverse the position of the community. , or where the community might be willing to compromise
   • What flaws are there in other people's reasoning?
   • what could they give up on and still (mostly) achive their goal?

If you are an admin, or BOLD editor, or what have you...

• write on the talk page:
  • what you are doing
  • where you'd be willing to compromise
  • why you think everyone will support it
  • where you hope people will compromise with you
• Immediately take the best course of action you decided on.
• Make a short edit summary which states what the action was

Now you can continue using WP:BRD

if you are a mediator

• Keep your initial position to yourself. You are neutral, so it's not your position you are trying to push.
• find the key people involved
• ask each person about their position
• now modify your initial position based on what you have learned
• present your modified position to each person in turn, negotiate and find a new modified position.
• continue until the modified position settles down and doesn't change much anymore.
• then continue as above for admin or bold editor.