A recent post on the Everyday Democracy blog caught our eye.  Written by NCDD member Janice Thomson and featuring the work of NCDD member Mary Jane Hollis, the article focuses on the power of sustained dialogue to tease out difficult issues such as race and to create lasting positive effects in our communities.  The full article can be found both on Janice Thomson’s blog where it was originally posted, or on the Everyday Democracy blog here. Last week a small but dedicated group of Chicago area dialogue ... (continue)

In principle, the same formality is required to change an agreement as to make an agreement. For instance, if an agreement is made in a group meeting and properly documented, no member of the group should assume that the agreement has changed or act in ways contrary to the agreement until the agreement is changed in a group meeting and properly documented. Group agreements often get ignored over time and people come to think it is okay to behave contrary to what was agreed to. The ... (continue)

At the start of the ‘What Would You Do If…?’ Master Class with Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff, you can raise whatever questions you have about real issues when organizing or supervising meetings: What would you do if…? You will learn from yourself, from each other, and from Marvin and Sandra (co-creators of the Future Search method), while discovering new possibilities, alternative strategies and new ways to support groups effectively. A unique 1.5-day first-hand experience of the power of being able to put your trust ... (continue)

This extraordinary post was submitted by NCDD supporting member Janice Thomson. Janice has been working in collaboration with UIC’s Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement to map the D&D terrain in Chicago, an effort which has led to the development of a new Community of Practice for dialogue and deliberation practitioners in the city. NCDD supports the effort and we hope to see other members launching similar efforts!  - Sandy From Janice… I honestly didn’t realize just how ambitious trying to understand the use of dialogue ... (continue)

How should schools and communities respond to the Newtown tragedy? A great new resource has just been released to help communities engage in discussion and action on school safety and other issues raised by the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. We encourage NCDD members to print out copies of this NSPRA guide by Matt Leighninger, and take it to your local school district along with an offer to help facilitate the dialogues described in this guide. Here’s the announcement from Matt… The Deliberative Democracy Consortium — ... (continue)

Dialogue-to-change is not simply a buzzword—it’s an active and real process that sees the bigger picture. The picture that says we can never have an energetic and authentic democracy without being connected to local communities and helping connect the dots to a national movement for change. In 2010, with the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Everyday Democracy arrived in Albuquerque as part of the Strong Starts initiative. We partnered with five local coalitions in finding ways to dialogue and take action together on ... (continue)

In several interactions today with colleagues I began to see a pattern of modes of engagement with dialogue and deliberation work that seemed to me more usefully complex than merely “theory” and “practice.” The insight was triggered primarily by hearing about “liberating structures” for the first time and learning more about The Art of Hosting. I found my thinking expanding to cover five broad categories of mediums or doorways through which we can engage with this work. These five mediums/doorways are briefly articulated below. I’m ... (continue)

In principle, we know we’re prone to make mistakes; it’s part of being human. And, we know that mistakes are our best teachers. Learning from small mistakes prevents big mistakes. Yet we’re prone to cover up our mistakes, especially in our groups, and this can make a mess of things. Collaborative decisions require humility among group members. I serve my group when I say, “I don’t have all the answers, I don’t do everything right, and it is okay for others to not be perfect.” ... (continue)

In principle, the more information we have about something the better decision we’re likely to make about it. And, we’re likely to have the most information at the last minute. Deciding more than we really need to at any given moment can cause regrets later. Practical Tip: Before you start making decisions, think about the order of decisions. What needs to get decided first? What next? What can wait? Break decisions up into pieces if possible, and if there’s anything to be gained by waiting ... (continue)

For those of you who have held public engagement programs in California, here’s an opportunity to get your work in front of funders, public administrators, fellow civic innovators, and others… NCDD is collaborating with the New America Foundation’s newly-launched California Civic Innovation Project (CCIP) to create a map of public engagement projects that have happened, are happening, or are being planned in California. Please take a few minutes to complete the simple survey at http://tinyurl.com/7ocbc48 and let us know about your projects and your organization.  CCIP and NCDD ... (continue)