This paper explores the role of public deliberation in engaging communities in governmental decision-making processes. In the USA, public deliberation involves face-to-face discussions where communities explore issues, weigh options, and consider diverse viewpoints before making decisions. The process includes framing issues, convening diverse stakeholders, and employing skilled moderators to handle conflicts. The paper presents examples from Missouri, USA, where deliberation was used for county land use planning, and discusses pilot efforts in Australia by Charles Sturt University and a local Catchment Management Authority (CMA) to involve communities in catchment management through deliberation. The goal is to utilize community knowledge and expertise effectively.