Open Government Needs Public Trust

NCDD Community News » Open Government Needs Public Trust:

CA Fwd is attempting to “catalyze a conversation on rebuilding public confidence in government,” and released a roadmap called The Path Toward Trust in April.

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How to Host a Successful Discussion Forum

How to Host a Successful Discussion Forum:

"Discussion forums are one of the foundations of online engagement, and a key part of the PlaceSpeak platform.  Successful forums can encourage community debate and dialogue about complex issues. A compelling discussion forum can inspire people to become more personally invested in the topic at hand, and there communities in general.  Moreover topic participants are more likely to return to a topic page—and share it with their friends and neighbours— when they know that meaningful discussion is occurring."

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Issue Guide: America's Future: What Should Our Budget Priorities Be?

National Issues Forums: Issue Books:

"As we gradually shed the effects of the recession, we need to make decisions about our nation's spending. What should our priorities be as we face those decisions?"

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Book: Arguing for our lives: a user's guide to constructive dialog

Why Politics at the Dinner Table Is Good for Democracy by Andy Lee Roth — YES! Magazine:

"Defying the conventional wisdom that we get along best by avoiding public talk about religion or politics, Robert Jensen asks, “What else is there of interest to discuss?” In Arguing For Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialog he proposes that restoring our lost faith in “the possibility of honest argumentation in public” requires honing our critical thinking skills and putting them to more frequent use. Democracy, he reminds us, begins in conversation."

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Let’s Start Practicing Civil Discourse

Let’s Start Practicing Civil Discourse by George Wolfe | InterMix:

• Mediation is a process that can be used to resolve disputes between parties in conflict. The approach stipulates certain ground rules that can also be applied to our daily conversations with friends, colleagues, rivals and strangers. If these simple rules are observed and practiced when we engage in interfaith dialog, personal conversation and group discussion, rhetoric that can lead to misunderstanding and conflict is minimized. Our problem-solving efforts will then be far more constructive, increasing our chances of finding common ground. What follows is a list of mediation ground rules that I have modified to fit the forums of personal and public discourse.

See discourse ground rules.

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All Angles is an experiment in online consensus building

All Angles:

• We have all come across complicated issues that have so many opinions and facts that it’s hard to determine the right action to take.
• All Angles is a tool where everyone can come together, organize all we know and summarize the information into a consensus.

See the video for an explanation.

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Beginning September 23, 2013: Dialogue, Deliberation, and Public Engagement Certificate Program

National Issues Forums: News:

• The Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy at Kansas State University is pleased to announce the award winning Dialogue, Deliberation, and Public Engagement Certificate Program (DDPE) beginning September 23rd.
• This distinctive program focuses on developing mastery in making wise choices for bringing dialogue, deliberation, and engagement into situations where they are most effective.

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The Next Generation of Community Radio

This Year’s Best-Kept Secret: The Next Generation of Community Radio | Democracy Now!:

• A microphone and a radio transmitter in the hands of a community organizer imparts power, which some liken to the life-changing impact when humans first tamed fire. That’s why the prospect of 1,000 new community radio stations in the United States, for which the Federal Communications Commission will accept applications this October, is so vital and urgent.

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Preferable qualities of dialogue over debate

>> "Characteristics of Arts-Based Civic Dialogue: Debate Versus Dialogue"
Animating Democracy


Check out this table infographic comparing the participation aspects of debates versus dialogue. Civic engagement is a positive force for change.  In today's heated political environment, we must never forget that if we don't move forward in this nation (America), we'll be back-sliding into irrelevance on a global scale.