Constructive Conversations About Challenging Times: A Guide to Community Dialogue

This Guide was written "to help people engage in constructive conversations about what's going on in the world. The need for mutual understanding is greater than ever. Each of us can play a part in cultivating it." This Guide is dedicated "to those who want to foster caring and enriching relationships that can embrace conflicting views and values, confusion, fear, and anger."

The Guide to Community Dialogue draws on over a decade of experience conducting dialogues about divisive public issues such as abortion, homosexuality, and how to use natural resources. It contains instructions for a two-hour structured dialogue and suggestions for briefer or less formal conversations that have the spirit of dialogue.

The mission of PCP is to foster a more inclusive, empathic and collaborative society by promoting constructive conversations and relationships among those who have differing values, world views, and positions about divisive public issues.

Table of Contents

Introduction

• Why We Developed This Guide
• What We Mean by “Dialogue”
• Who This Guide Is Intended to Serve
• Different Ways to Use This Guide

Planning the Dialogue: Questions and Answers

• Convening Your Group
• Design and Preparation
• Facilitation

The Plan

• The Flow of the Plan
• The Plan: Step by Step
• Welcome and Orientation
• Agreements
• Introductions and Hopes
• First Question
• Second Question
• Facilitated Discussion
• Parting Words

Feedback Forms

Appendices

• Distinguishing Debate from Dialogue
• Self-Help Tools for Participants
• Two Sample Invitations
• Facilitator Worksheet
• A Tale of Two Grandmothers
• Proposed Agreements (Handout)
• Contributing to a Connected Conversation (Handout)
• Topic-Specific Questions to Consider