![]() Interactivity Foundation's "Who Are We The People? Who Belongs?" explores democratic inclusion through a structured three-part facilitation guide. Participants engage in round-robin discussions, open dialogue, and collaborative wrap-ups to examine which voices are heard in our democracy and which are excluded. By the end, participants gain insights into building more inclusive democratic systems and develop skills for constructive engagement across different perspectives. Feedback opportunities are available to continue improving this vital conversation. Read more in the post below.
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![]() In today’s world of advanced technology and countless sources of information, distinguishing between truth, falsehoods, and misinformation can be challenging. The Interactivity Foundation’s “Truth & Democracy” is a three-part facilitation guide designed to spark discussions on the role of science and education in a democratic society and strategies for addressing media misinformation. Read more in the post below. ![]() Political discussions on social media often become polarized. *Tips for Discussing Politics Online* by Essential Partners offers guidance for more respectful, productive conversations. It encourages self-reflection before engaging and suggests strategies like avoiding personal attacks, sharing personal experiences, and avoiding generalizations. With curiosity and active listening, online discussions can foster understanding. Read more in the post below. ![]() In a society driven by mass consumerism and production, it's easy to overlook the role of farmers and rural communities in making convenience accessible to many people. The Interactivity Foundation’s “What is the Future of Rural Life in America?” is a facilitation guide designed to encourage discussion about the current state of rural living, agricultural values, and potential directions for the future of rural communities. The guide features three discussion topics, each with a round-robin discussion, an open discussion, and a wrap-up section that fosters perspective sharing and collaboration. By the end of the forum, participants will have gained a deeper understanding of rural life and developed the skills to collaborate with diverse viewpoints in exploring sustainable approaches for rural living. A link is also provided where facilitators and participants can submit feedback on the resource. Read more in the post below. ![]() Most people agree that comprehensive K-12 public education is important, but implementing policies and allocating resources to benefit all students equally can be challenging. The Interactivity Foundation’s “What is the Future of K-12 Education?” is a facilitation guide designed to foster discussion about current educational systems, who benefits from them, and potential directions for the future of K-12 education. The guide includes three discussion topics, each featuring a round-robin discussion, an open discussion, and a wrap-up section that encourages perspective sharing and collaboration. By the end of the forum, participants will have gained a deeper understanding of various educational systems and developed skills to collaborate with diverse viewpoints in imagining ways to reform K-12 education within realistic constraints. A link is also provided where facilitators and participants can submit feedback on the resource. Read more in the post below. ![]() The arts play an important role in society, but how can an environment be created for them to thrive? The Interactivity Foundation’s “What is the Future of Arts in Society?” is a three-part facilitation guide designed to encourage discussion about how art is defined, how the arts influence society, and who should support the arts. Each topic includes a round-robin discussion, an open discussion, and a wrap-up section that fosters perspective sharing and collaboration. By the end of the forum, participants will have gained a deeper understanding of how art has contributed to societal change and developed the skills to collaborate with diverse perspectives in exploring new approaches to arts education within realistic constraints. A link is also provided where facilitators and participants can submit feedback on the resource. Read more in the post below. ![]() Interactivity Foundation’s “How Do We Find Social Connection?” is a facilitation guide that addresses big questions facing society today regarding social connections and disconnections. The guide includes five discussions and each discussion surrounds a short film that is provided for participants to discuss. Participants will watch the respective films and then discuss individual views, societal issues brought up in the film, and how each individual might address these issues. Each discussion consists of three sections (a round-robin discussion, an open discussion, and a wrap-up section) with questions that encourage perspective sharing and collaboration. There is also link available where facilitators and participants can fill out a form to share feedback on the resource. Read more in the post below. ![]() How can society create a world where sports play an integral role in bringing people together while also addressing the inequities that can drive people apart? The Interactivity Foundation’s "What is the Future of Sports & Fitness?" is a four-part facilitation guide designed to foster discussions on the role of community in sports, the importance of sports to human well-being, the equity of sports, and the future of sports. Each topic includes a round-robin discussion, an open discussion, and a wrap-up section that encourages perspective-sharing and collaboration. By the end of the forum, participants will have gained a deeper understanding of the complexities of fitness and developed the skills to engage with diverse perspectives in addressing fitness inequities. A link is also available for facilitators and participants to provide feedback on the resource. Read more in the post below. ![]() As the world becomes more divided, involvement in community conversations regarding shared public concerns will become increasingly important to bridge cultural divides. Interactivity Foundation’s “How to Host a Community Conversation” includes three guides on how to organize, facilitate, and participate in community conversations with included checklists to break down and simplify each of the three processes. Participants who use these guides will learn to collaborate with diverse perspectives and form more civically involved communities that are better equipped to face local challenges. There is also a link available where facilitators and participants can fill out a form to share feedback on the resource. Read more in the post below. ![]() Every American is affected by the divisions and outrage that prevent us from making progress on urgent problems. The National Issues Forum Institute’s “A House Divided: What Would We Have to Give Up to Get the Political System We Want?” is a guide on leading forums that encourage dialogue and deliberation while exploring the U.S. political system. The guide offers three options to combat division and outrage in America while recognizing that there are no perfect solutions to our political system. Participants will also discover the upsides and potential trade-offs of each proposed idea and deliberate on follow-up questions about how to approach each of the issues. Read more in the post below. ![]() Partisan polarization has reached an all-time high. Almost two-thirds of Americans find it stressful to talk about politics with someone who identifies with another political party. But to solve the most significant problems—and to have a healthy democracy—we must be able to discuss the issues, policies, and values that matter. The purpose of this guide is to help prepare you to speak about what is most important to you in ways that can be heard, and to hear others’ concerns and passions with new empathy and understanding—even and especially if you continue to disagree. Interested in learning more about EP's approach? Consider registering for an Essential Partners workshop or contact us for a free consultation. Download ![]() An Empathy Circle is a structured dialogue process that effectively supports meaningful and constructive dialogue. The basic process can be fairly easily learned in about 15 minutes and it is a lifelong practice to deepen. An Empathy Circle increases mutual understanding and connection by ensuring that each person feels fully heard to their satisfaction. The practice is the most effective gateway practice for learning, practicing and deepening listening and empathy skills, as well as, nurturing an empathic way of being. ![]() Submitted by: Mark Smutny Imagine meetings where everyone is heard and all people matter. Picture organizations that embrace all voices and are committed to justice, equity and opportunity. Imagine businesses, nonprofits and the public sector creatively engaging people in thousands of ways—seeking their best ideas, empowering the silenced, and building communities where all are treated with dignity and respect. That’s what Thrive seeks to create. Each chapter contains practical insights and accessible stories that transform meetings from dull to dynamic. You will learn how to: • capitalize on diversity’s strengths. • keep meetings task-oriented and collegial. • facilitate effectively in polarized or conflicted settings. Thrive includes chapters on privilege and power, multilingual and virtual meetings, and full inclusion of people with disabilities. Whether you are a skilled practitioner or new to leadership, Thrive will teach you techniques for facilitating more effective, inclusive and energizing meetings. About the Author - Dr. Mark Smutny is a professional facilitator, DEI consultant, speaker, author and founder of Civic Reinventions, Inc. He is known for helping organizations uncover the wisdom hidden in their diversity, build cohesion, and achieve their goals. He draws upon decades of work planning and leading retreats, facilitating meetings, and working with nonprofits and businesses. https://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Facilitators-Radically-Inclusive-Meetings/dp/1945847484?tag=tarrale-20&geniuslink=true NCDD’s October 2010 Resource Guide on Public Engagement showcases the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation’s best collaboratively-created products (like the Core Principles for Public Engagement and the Engagement Streams Framework), as well as recognizing and directing you to a lot of the great work on public engagement that has been done by others in our field.
Created for our 2010 regional events (all attendees received a copy), this must-have guidebook was developed to share stories and resources with the dialogue and deliberation community, public managers, and anyone else with an interest in public engagement. ![]() NCDD’s October 2010 Resource Guide on Public Engagement showcases the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation’s best collaboratively-created products (like the Core Principles for Public Engagement and the Engagement Streams Framework), as well as recognizing and directing you to a lot of the great work on public engagement that has been done by others in our field. Created for our 2010 regional events (all attendees received a copy), this must-have guidebook was developed to share stories and resources with the dialogue and deliberation community, public managers, and anyone else with an interest in public engagement. Here’s how the Engaging Cities blog described the Resource Guide: It’s a small compendium full of valuable knowledge on all facets of public engagement. Not only does the guide contain a directory of valuable resources, points of contact, and case studies of collaborations that work, but it also contains some of the more exciting results of last year’s conferences. Items such as the ‘Core Principles for Public Engagement’ remind us of how far we’ve come, the commonality of our goals and how much more we have yet to achieve. The brief ‘Online Engagement’ section of the manual is a fantastic introduction and database of resources, including Public Agenda’s Promising Practices to Online Engagement that we helped write. And the ‘Upgrading the Way We Do Politics’ portion of the manual addresses common issues found when politics and public engagement intersect. Handling the material in a constructive manner, NCDD provides helpful tips and positive suggestions for improvement. Extremely informative, the ‘Engagement Streams’ matrix ties common goals of public engagement to strategies that complement those goals in proven ways while also showcasing key features that will help in achieving that goal. The matrix is invaluable for anyone involved in public outreach. In fact, the entire manual is invaluable for anyone involved in public outreach and engagement. Resource Link: NCDD Resource Guide |
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