​The International Listening Association will host its 47th Annual Convention virtually September 16–19, 2026, under the theme Questioning Listening and Listening Questions, bringing together a global community of practitioners, educators, and researchers committed to deepening the theory and practice of listening. The convention introduces a new program format designed around pre-selected listening questions rather than an open call for proposals, with session times deliberately varied across four days to support participation from members in different time zones worldwide. For NCDD members, the ILA convention offers a valuable opportunity to strengthen one of the most essential and often overlooked capacities in dialogue and deliberation work — the ability to listen with genuine attention and care. The ILA's commitment to advancing listening practice aligns directly with NCDD's mission to foster meaningful civic conversation and strengthen the relational foundations of democratic life.

James Madison University's James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and the National Issues Forums Institute have launched the Centers for Civic Life and Faculty Fellows program, a federally funded four-year initiative inviting colleges and universities nationwide to build campus deliberation hubs and develop faculty expertise in deliberative pedagogy and nonpartisan issue guide creation. Selected institutions receive up to $19,000 in combined campus and fellowship support, along with training, assessment tools, and integration into a growing national network of deliberation-centered campuses. The program draws on JMU's proven Better Conversations Together model, which has embedded deliberative forums in the first-year student experience, and extends that approach to campuses across the country. For NCDD members in higher education, this fellowship offers a rare, well-resourced opportunity to institutionalize the skills and practices of dialogue and deliberation at the heart of the undergraduate civic experience.

​Healthy Democracy and Sortition USA are offering a Leadership Training for Democracy program (apply by April 30, 2026) to help participants move from learning to action through local organizing around civic assemblies. The two-weekend virtual training (May 23–24 and May 30–31) covers how assemblies use lottery selection and facilitation to improve decision-making, with case studies and practical guidance for advocacy. Limited to 10 participants, the program requires ~4 hours/week post-training for outreach and organizing, and includes six months of support (mentorship, check-ins, peer network, and potential seed funding) to help participants build local initiatives and advance democratic innovation.

​Essential Partners is offering a two-day online workshop on May 5–6, 2026, focused on training participants in Reflective Structured Dialogue (formerly Basic EP Facilitation), a framework designed to help people facilitate and design constructive conversations in communities, workplaces, and other group settings. The program equips participants with practical tools to foster connection and curiosity across deep differences, build trust, and manage difficult or divisive discussions by learning how to structure dialogue with a clear purpose, encourage full participation, and navigate challenging moments effectively. The training includes hands-on instruction in EP’s facilitation methods and prepares attendees to apply these skills across a wide range of roles, including education, nonprofit leadership, clergy, healthcare, and dispute resolution. Scholarships are available based on financial need and community impact, and participants may request a completion certificate for professional development credit. The workshop costs $695.44 with an early bird discount, and registration is available through Eventbrite.

Designed Learning, founded by Peter Block in 1980, delivers workshops in 35 countries and five languages based on Flawless Consulting, The Empowered Manager, and Community: The Structure of Belonging. Its “Connecting for the Common Good” program teaches that authentic community emerges through small-group conversations where people share gifts, name fears, and commit to collective well-being. Emphasizing that transformation starts with the quality of these conversations, the program equips participants to design gatherings that shift focus from problems to possibilities, fostering accountability, belonging, and the common good in workplaces and communities.

​The Interactivity Foundation marks five years of Collaborative Discussion Coach Trainings with summer 2026 sessions (June 1–5, July 13–17), having certified 200+ coaches who’ve awarded 1,000+ certificates and reached 5,000+ toolkit users. New grants (apply by May 15, 2026) fund fully covered in-person or online cohort trainings (10–20 participants) running July 31, 2026–August 31, 2027, including facilitation, materials, and certification. Participants build facilitation skills, earn credentials, and join a growing community of practice—expanding inclusive dialogue across classrooms, communities, and workplaces.

The Interactivity Foundation is launching summer 2026 opportunities to build collaborative discussion and facilitation skills through its Collaborative Discussion Project, including coach trainings, certifications, and five fully funded cohort grants that bring training directly to campuses or communities. The program focuses on developing “collaborative intelligence”—the ability to think constructively across differences—through hands-on, practice-based training that results in certification, facilitation tools, and entry into a broader community of practice. It also supports a train-the-trainer model, enabling participants to run their own programs and expand local capacity for dialogue. Participants gain access to a 40+ activity toolkit and ongoing resources, with applications open through April 2026 and trainings running through 2027.

​The Sustained Dialogue Institute offers monthly information sessions introducing its five-stage dialogue-to-action model, developed by Dr. Harold Saunders based on international peace negotiations and adapted for college campuses in 1999. The model transforms group relationships to unlock collective problem-solving through proven peace processes applied in workplaces, communities, and schools. It provides structured pathways from dialogue to action through relationship-building and distinct stages, preparing groups for collaborative solutions. The model recognizes that addressing deep-seated conflicts requires ongoing commitment and transformed relationships among stakeholders, not just agreement on issues, demonstrating effectiveness across diverse settings where traditional methods have failed. This offering advances NCDD’s mission by providing practitioners with a structured, tested approach grounded in international peace negotiation expertise, offering monthly opportunities to explore how sustained dialogue’s emphasis on relationship-building can address specific workplace, school, or community challenges.

Essential Partners offers a two-day Dialogic Classroom workshop for higher education faculty (June 3-4, 2026) to improve class discussion quality, create inclusive environments, foster curiosity-driven learning, and strengthen community belonging. Led by Harriett Hayes and Karen Ross, the training equips educators to facilitate productive discussions on divisive topics like the Israel-Hamas War, race and history, partisanship, gun rights, and gender identity. Research shows measurable outcomes, including better content retention, constructive participation, social-emotional competency, dialogue across differences, and community connection. The workshop teaches adaptable building blocks for dialogic classrooms applicable to various formats, addressing faculty needs for concrete strategies creating intellectual spaces where students explore complexity, listen across difference, and develop civic skills. This training advances NCDD’s mission by strengthening dialogue pedagogy in higher education, providing evidence-based approaches that honor both academic rigor and relational dimensions of learning, and building faculty capacity to prepare students for thoughtful, collaborative engagement with disagreement essential for democratic participation.

Dr. Larry Schooler, a communication scholar and mediator, presents “The Thoughtful Advantage” framework for proactive conflict management through deliberate communication. He challenges instant-response culture by requiring multi-step self-interrogation. Schooler normalizes conflict as an inevitable natural phenomenon that requires understanding and management, not avoidance. He emphasizes practical tools like peer-to-peer discussion agreements, checking silences for authentic participation, and recognizing the spectrum of honesty. In leadership, he advocates facilitative approaches that create shared power through deep listening, personal attention, and sincere accountability. This framework advances NCDD’s mission by providing evidence-based strategies for creating conditions where people feel heard, establishing guardrails for vulnerability, and moving from silent politeness to productive engagement that acknowledges individual perspectives shaped by culture, gender, and power dynamics.