All NCDD members are welcome to join us on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 3:30-4:00 Eastern for the first in a new series of “NCDD Confabs” — conference calls for NCDD members where we’ll explore dialogue & deliberation’s role in current issues, learn about exciting projects and interesting methods from fellow NCDD members, and just get to know each other a little better. At this first NCDD Confab call on the 17th, we asked NCDD member Beth Offenbacker from PublicDecisions to talk with us about the […] (continue)

Learn what SMART Conversations are and how to have them. In this workshop on Monday, April 19th, discover how to engage yourself and others in dialogue, productive conversations that build trust and respect, foster a participative environment, encourage authenticity, invite all perspectives and have a bias for action. Dialogue is essential for building consensus, encouraging public engagement, enhancing organizational effectiveness and sparking creativity and innovation. If you need to train others in the conversation style of dialogue, join us for the optional two-day facilitator certification […] (continue)

We have a simple opportunity to advise the federal government about public participation.  We have so many great ideas that we routinely share with each other on our email list, so let’s spend a few moments to share them with the federal employees that are just now entering this space.  Our NCDD colleagues within the federal government at the EPA and CDC have demonstrated that just a handful of individuals with the right knowledge can make a tremendous impact, so let’s spread that knowledge! (continue)

A group of top researchers and practitioners in deliberation we’ve been involved in recently got some great news we wanted to share with everyone… How can collective deliberation by citizens lead to wise and timely action on climate change, including by municipal and provincial governments? Alberta (Canada) will be a testing ground for this question over the next five years. An international team of scholars, NGOs, businesses, and governments will be addressing it, supported by $1 million in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities […] (continue)

The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) moved in some new directions in 2009, in large part in response to President Obama’s focus on open government and citizen participation. Our work with the Open Government Initiative and on the Principles for Public Engagement both invigorated our membership and raised NCDD’s profile and status in many people’s eyes. NCDD continues to be one of the most trusted organizations in the field of public engagement, and seems to have more respect in the field now than […] (continue)

This month’s Open Government Directive Workshop will take place at the Charles Sumner Museum and Conference Center (17th and M Street NW, Washington, DC).  The workshop will take place from 9am to 4:30pm on February 17th.  RSVP is required by February 9th (instructions are below). NCDD is a partner of this workshop series, as is the General Services Administration (GSA), the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and GovLoop.  NCDD member Alex Moll will facilitate February’s workshop. We have a great program planned.  Building off […] (continue)

NCDD is a Conference Affiliate for the Including the Excluded Online Conference that will take place March 2-4, 2010. This unique online conference will be focused on Social Inclusion, Social/Environmental Justice and Accessibility, and will feature interactive presentations, networking and more. A portion of your registration supports NCDD, so be sure to use the NCDD discount code (“NCDDspecial”) when you register, so you can save $40 and support NCDD at the same time!  Registration for NCDD members is just $139. Here is the latest press […] (continue)

Members of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) have let us know about a number of workshops and trainings they are offering in the coming months.  Most of them are discounted considerably for dues-paying NCDD members.  They are… What Methods to Use When? Advanced Public Engagement Training CogNexus Institute’s Issue Mapping Webinar Series Masterful Facilitation Institute’s Spring Programs in Vancouver, BC Dynamic Facilitation Trainings for Individuals, Groups, and Large Systems “Hidden in Plain Sight”: a Center for Strategic Facilitation workshop Two Trainings for […] (continue)

I wanted to post a “new and renewed members” report for December 2009, with a special welcome to our 8 new December members and a huge thank you to the 32 existing members who renewed or transitioned from non-dues to dues-paying memberships. I plan to add a post like this every month in 2010, and hopefully earlier in the month than this starting in February… NCDD is an open, inclusive network and, as such, membership dues are not required.  But in these tough economic times, […] (continue)

Just a quick note to encourage those of you who are aware of job openings related to dialogue and deliberation to forward them to me or Joy (joy@thataway.org) so we can share them with the NCDD network.  Too many NCDD members are unemployed or underemployed right now, and sharing job openings within the network is a first step. I’ll be making it a priority this year to add job openings, internships, consulting opportunities, etc. that I hear about to the News & Perspectives blog on […] (continue)