The Right to be Heard

From Sandy Heierbacher <sandy@NCDD.ORG>

The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) is a network of 1,600 organizations and individuals who bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, and act together on today's toughest challenges. NCDD serves as a gathering place, a resource center, a news source, and a facilitative leader for this active community centered around the practices of dialogue and deliberation.

NCDD conferences provide people who are committed to helping dialogue and deliberation flourish in the world with the opportunity to increase their skills and knowledge in these processes, share their own learnings and innovations with others, and develop supportive, collaborative relationships with their peers. Perhaps most importantly, NCDD conferences leave participants feeling more motivated, energized, supported and prepared to do this vital work.

The next conference will be held in Seattle, Washington from October 12th through the 14th.

Although our approaches, philosophies, venues, and purposes for doing this work can be very different, we all share a common vision: a future in which all kinds of people–regardless of income, position, background or education–are able to engage regularly in lively, thoughtful, and challenging discussions about what matters to them, in ways that have a positive impact on their lives and their world.

Making this vision a reality is no easy feat. To truly make the impact we believe we can and should have on the world, we must work together rather than just working simultaneously, and we must build on each other’s knowledge and expertise rather than starting from scratch in our own silos. THIS is the reason we hold biennial National Conferences on Dialogue & Deliberation.

NCDD conferences are chock-full of opportunities for participants to network with colleagues, experience different group methods first-hand, share learnings, hear from leaders in the field, and explore key issues facing our field. Some people have told us that they’ve never attended better conferences.

NCDD gatherings are not your run-of-the-mill conferences. Instead of parading endless speakers in front of you in the hope that you will absorb some of their knowledge, we acknowledge and tap into every participant’s expertise and unique perspectives, and ask participants to play an active role in shaping the future of this burgeoning field.

NCDD conferences are highly participatory. We use the plenary sessions (where we’re all in one large room) as an opportunity to not only showcase innovative large-group dialogue and deliberation techniques – often blending methods to better meet the group’s needs, but also to utilize the wisdom in the room to tackle challenges facing this emerging field. Our concurrent workshops, led by key leaders and innovators in the field, offer participants a smorgasbord of experiences designed to build skills, increase knowledge, broaden awareness and build relationships. And the arts always play an innovative, prominent role in our conferences.

Our attendees value our willingness to experiment with new things, to involve everyone willing to volunteer some of their time in the planning process, and to respond to conference participants’ needs as they arise.

Will you be joining us in Seattle this October? Registration is live for the 2012 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation, at www.ncddseattle.eventbrite.com. Be sure to register soon to take advantage of the $350 early bird rate.