We use the term "Insight Council" (formerly "Creative Insight Council") as a way to protect the transformational potential of the Wisdom Council Process. Originally, we called any "Wisdom Council" that was given an issue rather than selecting its own issue a "Creative Insight Council". Gradually however, we discovered that Wisdom Councils did better when the issue was given to them. First, just by the nature of choice-creating they still have the power to change issues. And also because we want the Wisdom Council to be talking and thinking in the spirit of choice-creating. And selected the issue is more in the realm of decision-making, which we don't want.  ... Now, we use the term "Insight Council" when people modify the Wisdom Council Process in other substantive ways. For instance if the Council members are selected using a stratified random process ... or if this Council is a one-time intervention instead of an ongoing process ... or if the group presents its results to  "decision-makers" rather than to the whole system.  
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Example #1

Example #2: The city of Bregenz Austria used an IC to circumvent the usual partisan battle over developing its downtown. A random citizen group met with developers and city leaders and were then dynamically facilitated to determine a unanimous perspective. They reframed the issue to be "how to link the City to the Lake." Then they suggested raising the base level of the proposed project from the ground to the second floor, which would allow citizens to walk over the highway and railroad tracks and then down to the lake. It was a win/win proposal ... without the usual battles.

The second IC reviewed the story of progress from last time and again heard from stakeholders. They are dynamically facilitated in the spirit of choice-creating to evolve the ideas forward one more step. Again in the presentation, most people find themselves in resonance with the views expressed.

Example #3: In October 2011 the government of the state of Vorarlberg, Austria—including the governor, legislature and opposition party— convened a CIC on the issue: 

"Beyond Growth—How can we secure our quality of life?" This CIC of citizens presented their results to the elected officials in a ceremony held in the foyer of their building. It was everyone sitting around tables talking and smiling. (The event was live-cast on the web.) The CIC had sets of conclusions about the Future of Politics, the Future of Education and others and presented these conclusions to the assembled legislators and the media. The point was higher level of conversation that was sparked within the Parliament. Now, this process has been embedded into the Constitution of Vorarlberg. 

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