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Update from thataway.org, October 2007

October 16, 2007; thataway.org; Update from thataway.org, October 2007; by Sandy Heierbacher.

THATAWAY.ORG - Home of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation

Hi, everyone!

  1. Write an Op-Ed on John Edwards' One Democracy Initiative!

    For this update, I want to spotlight something that could have a major impact on our field.

    This past Saturday, Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards gave a speech in which he called for the creation of "Citizen Congresses" that would regularly convene one million Americans in national deliberations on critical policy issues. These congresses are part of his One Democracy Initiative (www.johnedwards.com/issues/govt-reform/), which references AmericaSpeaks' and Study Circles' work, as well as Deliberation Day and the newly-formed November 5th Coalition.

    AmericaSpeaks' Joe Goldman was contacted by the Edwards campaign about this before the fact, and Joe gave me and a number of other leaders in the field a heads-up on the speech. Joe encouraged us to submit letters to the editors of our local papers, not to support Edwards or his specific public engagement plan, but to raise awareness of the importance of public engagement and the fact that it is already happening across the country - AND to encourage the other candidates to go beyond rhetoric and propose their own concrete solutions for bringing the public back into politics.

    I strongly encourage all of you (at least those based in the U.S.) to consider submitting op-eds to your local papers as soon as possible! A number of great op-eds have already been submitted to papers across the country, and I'm doing my best to keep track of them all at www.thataway.org/?page_id=1034. You'll also find tips for submitting op-eds, sample editorials, blog posts, and details on the speech on this page.

    This is a great opportunity for people in the D&D community to join forces to raise awareness about the need to for the public to have a greater voice in the governance process. As a community, we need to figure out how to respond quickly and collectively when things happen that can raise awareness of D&D - whether they be crises, conflicts or high-level PR opportunities like this one. Perhaps this effort can set a precedent for us to accomplish this.

    Please let me know if you plan to write an op-ed!

  2. Discounts on Top-Notch Trainings for Paid NCDD Members

    NCDD members who pay the full membership fee can take advantage of discounted rates for the following trainings offered by our partners. Go to http://thataway.org/index.php/?page_id=785 for more details on these and other discounted trainings (including how to register). Or to www.thataway.org/members for instructions on joining as a paid member (only $50/year for individuals or $100/year for organizations - and you still get a free copy of The Change Handbook when you join!).

    1. Master Class in Large Group Design and Facilitation for Leaders and Consultants (October 24-26, 2007 in Stowe, Vermont)

      Large group methods, virtually unknown twenty years ago, are being used worldwide to address complex organizational and community issues. The goal of this three-day course, "The Collaboration Imperative," facilitated by Nancy Aronson, Ph.D and Gilbert Steil Jr., is to share with you the magic of whole systems work, and equip you with the tools to design your own large group meetings whether they involve 30 people or several thousand. NCDD members receive a 15% discount. The fee for the seminar is $1490 ($1267 for NCDD members).

    2. Dialogue and Field Dynamics: Connecting the Visible with the Invisible (November 1-4, 2007 at the Nature Center in Florissant, Colorado)

      This three day intensive is a time for personal retreat and reflection, as well as group dialogue and inquiry. Designed to draw forth a deeper experience of ourselves and our connection to Life/Spirit/Source, we will directly explore the way that spirituality becomes practicality in everyday living. Serving as both guides and learners, Peri Chickering (Senior Consultant for Dialogos), Andrew Shier (Master Attunement Teacher), and Paul Alexander (Director of the Institute on the Common Good and NCDD Board Member), will provide the overall facilitation for the experience. Tuition is $500 plus room and board at the Nature Center in Florissant, Colorado. NCDD members receive a generous 20% tuition discount.

    3. Leadership Strategies' The Effective Facilitator Course (4-day courses are offered November 6-9 in Denver; November 12-15 in Atlanta; December 10-13 in Washington DC and December 10-13 in Chicago. 3-day streamlined courses are offered October 29-31 in Atlanta and December 10-12 in Sydney, Australia)

      Learn the techniques our facilitators use to achieve amazing results through groups! How do you get groups to develop workable, realistic solutions? Our flagship course delivers the tools and techniques you can use immediately! We show you how to motivate a group, build consensus, manage dysfunction, maintain focus, generate ownership and inspire to action. Directed by Michael Wilkinson, Leadership Strategies, Inc. is well-known for their high-quality facilitation trainings and certificate program. NCDD members receive a 10% discount on all public or private classes. Public 4-day classes are $1895 ($1705.50 for paid NCDD members). 3-day training courses are $1495 ($1345.50 for NCDD members).

    4. Dialogue Partners' The Deciding Factor: How to make high quality decisions (November 7-8 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

      Decision-making is a daily challenge for people in organizations of all kinds. Whether in government, business or the non-profit world, important decisions are often made with very little understanding of how and why choices are made. The process of reaching a decision and the factors influencing the outcome can seem mysterious. What is true, however, is that the information needed to make good decisions is widely held by individuals both within and outside the organization. This course will help managers and other leaders understand the deep dynamics of decision-making and give them the tools and skills to approach decision-making in a new way. Registration for this training, which is delivered in partnership with the International Institute for Facilitation and Consensus, is $750 (paid NCDD members receive a 15% discount).

      Note: Check the NCDD site for other discounted trainings offered by Dialogue Partners - including the Calming Conflict and Controversy in Public Involvement Course, the Group Facilitation Skills for Public Involvement Course, and the Managing Public Consultations in Government Course.

    5. PCP's Everyday Dialogue Workshop (November 8 in Watertown, Massachusetts)

      For years, people have asked our friends at the Public Conversation Project "How can we talk about challenging, awkward or divisive issues with children, partners, colleagues and friends?" This new workshop applies PCP's approach to our long-term relationships with the people in our lives. $125-$250 sliding scale (paid NCDD members receive a 15% discount).

      Note: check the NCDD site for other discounted trainings offered by PCP, including their wonderful Inquiry as Intervention and Power of Dialogue workshops.

    6. Leadership for the Common Good: The Dance of Partnership (November 8-9 in Denver, Colorado)

      Future Shapes(r) is an Omega Point method that has been successfully implemented in numerous non-profit and government agencies. At this gathering, you will experience a dynamic, interactive learning environment providing you with new skills for embracing change effectively. Only this ability enables moving into the future with confidence. Registration is $300, but paid NCDD members receive a 15% discount.

    7. IAP2 Certificate Course in Public Participation (December 3-7 in Alexandria, Virginia)

      The Perspectives Group is one of the nation's leading firms in the application of public participation programs, and trainer Doug Sarno regularly offers the 5-day IAP2 Certificate Course in Public Participation. The certificate program consists of a series of three courses over five days. These courses allow public participation professionals to master the basics of how to design and deliver a public participation program and enhance their existing skills. Upon completion of all courses, students will be awarded a Certificate in Public Participation from IAP2. NCDD members are eligible for a 15% discount on these registration rates ($1339 instead of $1575 total for all three courses).

    8. The Center for Wise Democracy's Dynamic Facilitation Training (December 4-7 in Frankfurt, Germany)

      Dynamic Facilitation is an energy-based way of facilitating where people address difficult issues creatively and collaboratively, achieving breakthrough results. It creates a process of talking and thinking that builds mutual respect, trust and the sense of community. Dynamic facilitation is used to facilitate Wisdom Councils - randomly-selected, facilitated 'juries' which engage in dialogue about the larger system and arrive at creative consensus on shared visions. NCDD members receive a 20% discount on DF trainings which, for nonprofits, are regularly $795 for 3-day trainings and $995 for 4-day trainings.

    9. Harwood Public Innovators Lab (February 5-8, 2008 in Austin, Texas)

      The Harwood Public Innovators Lab is an intensive, four day experience that will help you create new pathways to accelerate change and engender authentic hope in your communities - finding ways to get past the negative conditions in public life that stand in the way of progress. During the Lab you will examine how you can see, think about, and engage in your work from three important perspectives - how you engage communities; how you think about your organization's role in change; and what you need to do as an individual to be effective and stay true to your own values. Registration is $995 ($895.50 for paid NCDD members).

    10. Essentials of Dialogues with The Dialogue Group and The Enterprise Group (February 9-13, 2008 in Santa Fe, New Mexico)

      Glenna Gerard and Elizabeth Fadell invite you to join them for this unique program, in which you will integrate the skills and guidelines necessary to create and maintain a practice of meaningful Dialogue in your life and work. We will engage you in an in-depth experience where you will learn how Dialogue functions to build trust, deepen capacity for authentic and powerful conversation, and enhance wholeness and coherence within the life and world systems you inhabit. Tuition is $1,500 for non-profits, government organizations and individual consultants ($1,700 for others). Those who register before November 30, 2007 receive a $200 discount, and paid NCDD members receive a 15% discount whether they register before or after November 30th.

    11. College of DuPage Public Policy Institute (PPI) - NIF Moderator Training (March 24-25, 2008 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois)

      The PPI is in agreement with the core NIF (National Issues Forum) belief that for democracy to fulfill its promise, citizens must take responsibility and work together toward the implementation of democratic ideals. This moderator training teaches individuals how to lead or convene deliberative forums in their communities or organizations. The College of DuPage PPI generally charges $100 for 2-day moderator trainings and $200 for 2 1/2 day issue framing trainings. NCDD members receive a 20% discount off of these trainings.

    12. Advanced Dialogue Facilitation Program with The Dialogue Group and The Enterprise Group (Late April, 2008 - Santa Fe, New Mexico)
    Glenna Gerard and Elizabeth Fadell invite you to join them for this program, which is designed to expand and stretch your foundation and practical knowledge to convene, design and facilitate Dialogue conversations in a variety of settings. You are invited into a learning community of practitioners to share experiences, explore questions and experiment with frameworks and practices that Glenna and Elizabeth have developed over the past 17+ years of Dialogue practice. Tuition is $4,100 for non-profits, government organizations and individual consultants ($5,500 for others). Those who register before February 15, 2008 receive a 10% discount, and paid NCDD members receive a 15% discount whether they register before or after February 15th.

  3. Headlines from the News & Perspectives Blog

Here are just a few of the blog posts that have gone up since our last update, just to make you wonder "Gee - why am I not visiting the NCDD website more regularly?!" Go to www.thataway.org to read the full posts, and email me at sandy@thataway.org with announcements for the blog.

Best, Sandy

Sandy Heierbacher, Director, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD)

Web: www.thataway.org

The "dialogue and deliberation community" is a loose-knit community of practitioners, researchers, activists, artists, students, and others who are committed to giving people a voice and making sure that voice counts. NCDD provides the infrastructure needed in this community so we can work together to increase both our individual and our collective impact.

To unsubscribe from this monthly update message on news and opportunities for the dialogue & deliberation community, send a blank email to NCDD-Updates-signoff-request@lists.thataway.org or email joy@thataway.org and ask to be removed from the updates.

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