In a Creative Insight Council (CIC), a diverse microcosm of the community comes together to creatively explore a difficult issue, with each person contributing their own perspective to the larger whole. The Creative Insight Council can be composed of a purely random sample, a stratified random sample, or people chosen intentionally to reflect the broad diversity of the larger community. It can be sponsored by a non-profit organization, a coalition of community groups, or a local government agency.

In a CIC, twelve people are selected randomly (e.g. from the voter’s list) to meet for one day, to address a pre-selected issue. The council takes the views of experts and stakeholders into account, discovers new possibilities, and presents its unanimous conclusions.

With complex issues, a series of at least three CICs is the best way to gain deeper insight into known community priorities. This way the larger community can become more involved and affect the public conversation more deeply. Each new CIC takes the issues forward another step, working with fresh eyes and new perspectives, and giving voice to more of the community.

For a detailed description see Creative Insight Council on the Jim Rough's website.