Susan Clark and Jacob Hess are working to make the Austin conference more balanced in terms of political ideology. They are also looking for ways to facilitate and highlight liberal-conservative dialogue at the conference. Given our (not great) track record for attracting conservatives to past conferences, we are asking the greater D&D community to help us think of new ways to involve and identify conservatives who are committed to public engagement and conflict transformation. Here are some of Susan and Jacob’s ideas… Identify and make […] (continue)

Here are some of the typical elements of NCDD national conferences: The general theme or purpose of NCDD conferences is to unite and strengthen the growing dialogue and deliberation community At least one highly participatory plenary (large-group) session each day; the plenaries model dialogue and deliberation techniques while helping conference participants think about where the field should be going and/or tackle key issues facing the field At least one of the plenary sessions allows participants to hear from several key leaders in the field (not […] (continue)

Progressives seem to “get” dialogue and deliberation more than conservatives do, and our conference participants definitely tend to lean to the left. We want make NCDD a more welcoming network/conference for conservatives not only because their perspectives will make our gatherings richer, but also because we need to learn how to appeal to more people if D&D are ever to spread to the mainstream. Conference planning team members Susan Clark and Jacob Hess have taken on this challenge, and here are some notes from their […] (continue)

Polly, Diane and Taylor – Let’s use this page to keep track of my and Polly’s schedules in Austin. When you firm up something, use the comment field to submit it and I’ll edit the page. Hopefully this will help avoid confusion and overbooking! Friday, February 22 4 pm – Sandy arrives in Austin around 4 pm, rents a car, and enjoys rush hour traffic on the way to the hotel 7 pm – Sandy drives over to Anoek’s house for the Central Texas Team […] (continue)

Here is an outline of the planning process for NCDD’s 2008 conference. Click here to look over the existing planning team. Structure of the 2008 Planning Team How does the Planning Team function? What’s next in the planning process? What Planning Team members should do Not yet part of the Planning Team? Structure of the 2008 Planning Team Conference Director: Sandy Heierbacher (secures funding, galvanizes involvement and support from community, manages budget, provides overall direction, ensures continuity, supports Core Team, etc.) Conference Manager: TDB (facilitates […] (continue)

NCDD’s biennial conferences are unique experiments in collaborative planning, and we have managed dynamic mostly-volunteer planning teams of about 60 people for each of our three previous conferences. This year, over 100 people joined the planning team (!) which, as always, was open to anyone who wanted to get involved. Learn more about the planning process. People to contact if you have questions (about what’s in the parentheses): Andy Fluke – NCDD Creative Director (website, publications, blog and other technology) Joy Garman – NCDD Office […] (continue)

We’re excited to be having our next conference in Austin – a fantastic city with an active network of dialogue and deliberation practitioners. Austin is a hip and trendy city, yet in a vintage sort of way. It’s high-tech and laid-back. It’s politically charged and culturally rich. It’s eclectic by nature and creative by design. Considered “The Live Music Capital of The World,” Austin is where cutting-edge technology resides with artists, musicians, and filmmakers. It is home to the South By Southwest Music and Media […] (continue)

Are you or your organization dedicated to solving group and societal problems through honest talk, quality thinking and collaborative action? Would you like to show your leadership in this area to the movers-and-shakers in the rapidly growing dialogue and deliberation community? If so, please consider supporting the 2008 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation in one of the following ways. Your support is much-needed and much-appreciated! Plus all of these options provide your organization or program with marketing visibility during the conference, and before and […] (continue)