This 2011 book, edited by Roger A. Lohmann and Jon Van Til, focuses on how public deliberation and group discussion can strengthen the foundations of civil society, even when the groups engaged in debate share a history of animosity. Scholars have begun to study the dialogue sustaining these conversations, especially its power to unite and divide groups and individuals. The twenty-four essays in this collection analyze public exchanges and the nature of sustained dialogue within the context of race relations, social justice, ethnic conflicts, public-safety […] (continue)

Written by NCDD director Sandy Heierbacher to expand upon the text on our “What Are Dialogue & Deliberation?” page. This resource provides enough details to enable you to decide which of these leading dialogue and deliberation methods you should learn more about. In addition to looking at which methods fit your intentions, you will need to consider which methods are aligned with your resources, timeline, and the people you feel need to be involved. The text below is drawn from NCDD’s Engagement Streams Framework. AmericaSpeaks […] (continue)

The theme for Arsalyn’s 2007 annual youth conference, which took place in D.C. August 9-12, 2007, was “Bridging the Partisan Divide: Rediscovering Deliberation,” and NCDD was proud to play a major role at the event. Arsalyn invited 150 young people ages 16-20 to the 2007 conference to learn the art of political deliberation. This event is part of a series of conferences geared toward helping young people – especially politically active youth – develop skills that will help them communicate effectively with those of opposing […] (continue)

At the 2008 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation, we focused on 5 challenges identified by participants at our past conferences as being vitally important for our field to address. This is one in a series of five posts featuring the final reports from our “challenge leaders.” Inclusion Challenge: Walking our talk in terms of bias and inclusion. What are the most critical issues of inclusion and bias right now in the D&D community and how do we address them? What are the most critical […] (continue)

This 52-minute documentary video production chronicles a 4-year-old campus dialogue project on diversity issues which has engaged students, faculty and staff both in and outside the classroom in a unique type of public discourse that is patterned on the National Issue Forums. The video tells the story of how policy-oriented deliberative forums and the related practice of 'sustained dialogue' helped change a rural New England college campus from a state of racial conflict and crisis to one of increased tolerance and respect for diversity. The video captures the experience of what it is like to be a participant in these dialogue groups and explains how such experiences educate and transform those involved. (continue)

Wintergreen Performing Arts (WPA) was established in 1996 to enhance the quality of life of central Virginia by providing cultural education and promoting an understanding and participation in the performing arts. WPA's music-based project 'Preserving the Rural Soundscape' explored issues of land use and sustainable economics. Residents of rural Virginia collected and preserved indigenous animal and other soundscapes that communicated to them the meaning of place; these sounds were incorporated into a commissioned new work by composer Judith Shatin. (continue)

Sustained Dialogue is a process for transforming and building the relationships that are essential to democratic political and economic practice. SD is not a problem-solving workshop; it is a sustained interaction to transform and build relationships among members of deeply conflicted groups so that they may effectively deal with practical problems. As a process that develops over time through a sequence of meetings, SD seems to move through a series of recognizable phases including a deliberative "scenario-building" stage and an "acting together" stage. (continue)

The following is a working document developed in 2002 to ensure that members of the planning team for the first National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation were aware of the various streams of dialogic and deliberative practice. The 2002 conference was the first major event to bring people together from the entire spectrum of D&D practice, and it was important to us that all of these streams felt welcomed to the conference, and were represented in all aspects of the conference - from the handbook to the break-out sessions. (continue)

This document briefly describes the idea of sustained dialogue. Sustained dialogue is a critical instrument for engaging "whole human beings" in deeply divided communities. This process for transforming conflictual relationships among citizens outside government can be a point of entry into the relationships among the groups with which they identify. (continue)

This unique 100-page, illustrated cookbook celebrates 12 years of sustained relationship building and community outreach by the Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group of San Mateo County, California. In addition to 71 wonderful recipes, the book includes dialogue participants' narratives about childhood memories of family and food. The book provides windows into the two cultures about how food is vital to celebrations, holidays, and identity for both peoples. The book also contains guidelines for how to begin a Sustained Dialogue and ideas for events, ceremonies, and outreach to the public. (continue)