[Ailist] [NCDD-UPDATES] news and opportunities in dialogue & deliberation

[Sandy Heierbacher]

March 2008 Update from T H A T A W A Y. O R G  -  Home of the  
National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
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Hi, everyone.

It's officially still March for a couple more hours, so I thought I'd  
send out the "March update" before it's too late!  I have a lot to  
share with you this month, so I hope you have the time to scan this  
message.  If you care about public engagement and conflict  
resolution, I think you'll find some worthwhile stuff below...

1.  NCDD-Inspired European Dialogue Consortium to Form
2.  Latest on the 2008 NCDD Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation
3.  The Little Book (on Dialogue) that Could
4.  Introducing "NCDD Headlines"
5.  PACE Needs Your Stories!
6.  Headlines from the News & Perspectives Blog
7.  Discounts on Top-Notch Trainings for Paid NCDD Members


1.  NCDD-Inspired European Dialogue Consortium to Form

NCDD's director, Sandy Heierbacher (well, me) is heading to Berlin,  
Germany in a few weeks for the inaugural meeting of the European  
Dialogue Consortium.  Felix Oldenburg, Director of New Governance at  
the German consultancy group IFOK, approached me excitedly at the  
2006 NCDD conference in San Francisco, saying he felt they needed an  
NCDD-like entity in Europe.  Well, this is it, and I'm going to see  
it happen!

The European Dialogue Consortium, a network of partner organizations,  
plans to actively promote and implement dialogue across Europe.  NCDD  
will be helping in every way we can, sharing resources and learnings,  
and helping with promotion.  I'll keep you posted on this exciting  
development.


2.  Latest on the 2008 NCDD Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation

If you're planning to join us in Austin for the 4th NCDD conference  
(October 3-5), here's what's new:

a.  Registration and workshop applications will be online shortly -  
probably later this week, so check the 2008 conference home page at  
www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=6

b.  If you're planning on joining us in Austin and haven't yet become  
a member of NCDD, you may want to join us now. NCDD members who have  
paid the optional membership fee save $50 off the registration fee,  
and individual memberships only cost $50 anyhoo.  Plus, you'll save  
$50 off of the post-conference training (#d below).  Just fill out  
the form at www.thataway.org/join

c.  The pre-conference workshops (held on October 2nd) have been  
announced; there will be 6 full-day workshops and two half-day  
workshops to choose from, and they are being run by a variety of  
respected thought leaders and practitioners (including Tom Atlee,  
Peggy Holman, Nancy Thomas, Taylor Willingham, Janette Hartz-Karp,  
and Jim Rough - to list just a few names I think you'll recognize).

The workshops include...

- an introductory dialogue workshop for newbies and locals
- a whiteness learning lab for white folks who need to understand  
racism and white privilege
- a workshop on democracy in higher ed
- an exploratory workshop on the dynamics of conversations that matter
- a workshop on Dynamic Facilitation and the Wisdom Council
- a workshop on choosing between different D&D methods (back by  
popular demand from 2006)
- a session on dialogue in the workplace
- a session on the roles/skills of "process champions" vs. "action  
champions"

Best of all, we're keeping prices super-low this year to encourage  
high levels of participation, so the full-day workshops are only $95,  
and the half-day workshops are only $50. More details about all of  
these pre-conference workshops can be found at www.thataway.org/ 
events/?page_id=87

d.  In collaboration with our friends at the Global Facilitator  
Service Corps, we're also holding a 2-day POST-conference training on  
October 6th and 7th. The workshop is on Facilitative Disaster &  
Crisis Intervention (DCI), and you can learn more about it at  
www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=107


3.  The Little Book (on Dialogue) that Could

I wanted to encourage all of you to order a copy of the $5 Little  
Book of Dialogue for Difficult Subjects, published by Good Books  
Publishing.  The authors are mounting an internet campaign to see if,  
even for a day or two, the dialogue and deliberation community can  
push a book about dialogue into the top 50 books on Amazon.com - and  
NCDD is supporting this effort. The campaign started last Friday and  
lasts until this this Friday (April 4) - the anniversary of Martin  
Luther King's death, and I strongly encourage you order a copy.

Co-authored by NCDD member Dr. David Campt and Dr. Lisa Schirch, the  
Little Book is a very useful, concise, and often insightful overview  
of dialogue.  It is highly accessible, with only 92 pages and a list  
price of only $4.95.  Though very short, the book covers a large  
range of topics.  And it includes ideas that experienced facilitators  
might find thought provoking, such as a valuable discussion and  
graphic that illustrates how dialogue can fit into larger social  
change efforts.

The book is part of the Good Books' wonderful Little Books of Justice  
and Peacebuilding series, and volume discounts are available from the  
publisher. To see reviews of the book and to make orders of five or  
fewer copies, visit www.bookofdialogue.com (the book is also  
available at Amazon.com).


4.  Introducing "NCDD Headlines"

NCDD Headlines is our new, regularly updated collection of D&D news  
headlines, NCDD announcements  and useful links to online resources  
served via Email, RSS or Twitter from the co-founders of NCDD, Sandy  
Heierbacher & Andy Fluke.

As part of our initiative to highlight useful web tools for the D&D  
community, NCDD has set up an online "stream of d&d news headlines"  
leveraging the power of the web tools Twitter (a micro-blogging tool  
-- http://twitter.com) and Del.icio.us (a social bookmarking tool --  
http://del.icio.us/) to quickly and easily serve the latest news and  
announcements to the dialogue and deliberation community.

NCDD Headlines offers D&D news and information in "tiny bites," and  
we hope those of you who are tech savvy will take advantage of this  
new offering.  For more details on this, go to www.thataway.org/?p=1289


5.  PACE Needs Your Stories!

I was contacted recently by Mike McGrath from the National Civic  
League. Mike is consulting with PACE on a project I think many of you  
will be interested in learning about, and he’d love your input. Those  
of you who attended NCDD’s 2006 conference in San Francisco will  
remember that Chris Gates, the director of PACE (Philanthropy for  
Active Civic Engagement), spoke during our reflective panel.

PACE is conducting an intensive research project to document, analyze  
and disseminate information on cutting edge civic/pubic engagement  
efforts by local government. The research is part of a two-year  
project supported by the Kellogg Foundation to examine new models of  
public engagement.

Towns, villages, cities and counties are rich sources of civic  
innovation, but many success stories and new models go unheralded  
outside the small circles of people who follow the ins and outs of  
local government.

Mike is inviting practitioners, community activists, public  
officials, etc. to send him descriptions of projects, programs and  
innovative practices by local government. If you have such examples,  
please email them to Mike McGrath, project director of the PACE-Local  
Government Innovations in Civic/Public Engagement Project, at  
mcgrath.mike1 at gmail.com

This is a great opportunity for us to (1) share innovations and  
stories with major funders and (2) help compile success stories of  
this work so we can be better equipped to demonstrate that this stuff  
really does work!  And please cc me at sandy at thataway.org, if you  
would, so we can be sure to add your program/innovation/process to  
the NCDD website as well!


6.  Headlines from the News & Perspectives Blog

NCDD's main blog (at thataway.org) is hopping as usual. Here's a  
sampling of what's been posted:

Some incredible job opportunities, including...
Kellogg Foundation - Program Director in Civic and Philanthropic  
Engagement
Pegasus Communications - President
IAP2 - Executive Director
Fetzer Institute - Program Officer (2 Positions)
Fulbright Scholar Programs in Conflict Resolution
YouthActionNet Global Fellowship Program
Program on Intergroup Relations at the University of Illinois at  
Urbana-Champaign - Assistant Coordinator for Enrollment Management  
(just got something on this one; check the blog tomorrow for it!)

(Note:  Here's another reason to finally become a member of NCDD...   
We emailed our members right away when we heard about the Kellogg,  
Fetzer and IAP2 job openings)

News of interest to movers and shakers in the field, like...
Peter G. Peterson Commits $1 Billion Toward Solving America’s Most  
Significant Economic Challenges
Anti-Semitism on the Rise Globally
Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth
A National Report on Deliberative Forums about the Energy Problem

Funding and award opportunities like...
Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media
ALA Grant for “Let’s Talk About It: Love & Forgiveness”

Events and programs you may not want to miss, like...
IAP2 International Conference (Call for Contributions)
Nexus II
Conversation Week 2008
16th Annual World OSonOS Conference
Art of Hosting: Tampa Bay
Citizen Engagement Conference Coming up in Vancouver
Global Majority’s Upcoming Peace Through Dialogue Programs
Shambhala Institute Summer Leadership Program is Coming Up
Sixth Annual Conference in Citizenship Studies


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

NCDD members who pay the full membership fee (only $50 for  
individuals or $100 for orgs!) can take advantage of discounted rates  
for dozens of upcoming trainings offered by our partners. Many of the  
discounts save you hundreds of dollars. Go to www.thataway.org/ 
discounts for more details on the trainings listed below (including  
cost and how to register). Or go to www.thataway.org/join to become  
one of our paid members and benefit from these great discounts!

Louise Diamond’s Advanced Training Program for Change Agents
- Four intensive sessions plus study, teleconferencing, and online  
dialogue running from January 11 through October 13

Community at Work’s Group Facilitation Skills Training
April 1-3 and June 3-5, 2008 at Community At Work in San Francisco,  
California

The Center for Strategic Facilitation’s ToP® Strategic Planning Course
April 3-4 and September 18-19, 2008 in Oakland, California; December  
11-12, 2008 in South Bay, California

PCP’s The Power of Dialogue (POD): Constructive Conversations on  
Divisive Issues
April 3-5 – Watertown, Massachusetts

NCI Charrette Planner® Certificate
April 16-18 in Asheville, North Carolina

Whiteness Learning Lab
April workshop (Thursdays) is April 17 and 24 and May 1; May workshop  
is May 16-18 - Soquel, CA (near Santa Cruz, 30 mins from San Jose)

Dialogue Partners’ Calming Conflict and Controversy in Public  
Involvement Course
April 23, 2008 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and the week of July 30,  
2008 (TBD) in Sydney, Australia

The Center for Strategic Facilitation’s Facilitation Fundamentals Course
April 23 and November 4, 2008 in Oakland, California

Dialogue Partners’ Group Facilitation Skills for Public Involvement  
Course
April 24-25, 2008 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Advanced Dialogue Facilitation Program with The Dialogue Group and  
The Enterprise Group
Late April, 2008 - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Foundations of Appreciative Inquiry
May 5-7, 2008 in Washington, DC

The Collaboration Imperative: Large Group Design Skills for Leaders  
and Consultants
May 12-14 and October 22-24, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Masterful Facilitation Institute: Becoming An Inspired Facilitator
May 14-16 (Competent Facilitator) in Vancouver, British Columbia,  
Canada; July 13-16 (Facilitating Wise Action for Lasting Impact) in  
Bowen Island, B.C.; and October 27-29 (Inspired Facilitator) in  
Vancouver, B.C.

The Center for Strategic Facilitation’s ToP® Facilitation Methods Course
May 15-16 and October 23-24, 2008 in Oakland, California ; July 31 -  
August 1, 2008 in San Francisco, California

National Charrette Institute’s Public Meeting Facilitator™  
Certificate Training
May 19-21 in Portland, Oregon

Dynamic Facilitation: The Essence of Leadership
June 4-6, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee

Graphic Recording Classes with Alchemy
June 6, September 12, November 2, and November 7 in Denver, Colorado;  
June 6, September 5, November 7 in Seattle, Washington

Managing a Future Search - A Learning Workshop
June 8-11, 2008 - Villanova Conference Center in Radnor, Pennsylvania

Co-Creative Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
June 9-10 and October 16-17 in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada)

IAP2 Certificate Course in Public Participation
June 9-13, September 15-19, and December 1-5, 2008 in Washington DC  
Metro Area

Bay Area Nonviolent Communication’s Living Peace Intensive  
Residential Retreats
June 10-15 in Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada; September  
5-10 in New Lebanon, New York; and September 12-17 in Ben Lomond,  
California.

NCI Charrette Planner® Certificate and NCI Complete Charrette  
Manager™ Certificate
July 14 -18 in Portland, Oregon

The Center for Strategic Facilitation’s Graphic Facilitation Course
July 25, 2008 in Oakland, California

The Center for Wise Democracy’s Dynamic Facilitation Skills Training
November 18-20, 2008 in Port Townsend, Washington; and October 10-12,  
2008 in Tri-Cities, Washington

“Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There!” - An Advanced Facilitation  
Workshop
December 7-9 in Seattle, Washington

Louise Diamond’s Advanced Training Program for Change Agents
- Four intensive sessions plus study, teleconferencing, and online  
dialogue running from January 11 through October 13

Leadership Strategies’ The Effective Facilitator Course
- Dozens of dates throughout the year in Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas,  
Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California;  
Portland, Oregon; Washington, DC; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and  
Sydney, Australia.

PublicDecisions.com Online Trainings (what follows is just a sampling  
of the courses offered!)
- Public Participation in Crisis (April 3 – online from 11:00 am to  
12:30 pm Eastern)
- Top Ten Reasons Not to Involve the Public in Your Decisions (date  
and time TBD)
- Integrate the Public’s Values into Facility Siting Decisions: Turn  
NIMBY into GUMBY (date and time TBD)


As always, email me at sandy at thataway.org with announcements for the  
blog or to inquire about partnership opportunities. Thataway.org now  
receives an average of 3,000 visitors a day (page views are many  
times that), so it's worth it to make sure your news is up on the  
blog and your resources are in the Learning Exchange.

Good luck with all you are doing!

Best,
Sandy

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

Web: www.thataway.org
Email: sandy at thataway.org

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The "dialogue and deliberation community" is a rapidly growing  
community of practice dedicated to solving group and societal  
problems through honest talk, quality thinking and collaborative  
action. 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 at lists.thataway.org or email  
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