Online Facilitation Unconference 2015, Oct. 22-24

Posted on October 19, 2015 by NCDD Community

We are pleased to share the announcement below about a great online event this Oct. 22-24 that NCDD members get a 30% discount on. NCDD Member Tim Bonnemann of Intellitics shared this announcement via our great Submit-to-Blog Form. Do you have news you want to share with the NCDD network? Just click here to submit your news post for the NCDD Blog!

As some of you may know, the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) is organizing International Facilitation Week this coming week, October 19-25. Its purpose is ”to showcase the power of facilitation to both new and existing audiences and to create a sense of community among facilitators and their groups worldwide.”

For the third year in a row, Intellitics is involved in organizing a parallel online unconference focused on “the art and practice of facilitating in virtual environments”. Topic brainstorming will kick off early next week, and sessions will take place over the course of a 48-hour window between Thursday evening and Saturday. All sessions will be documented and the results shared with all participants.

While the event remains participant-driven and not-for-profit, we’re making a few changes to the funding model this year, asking all participants for a small monetary contribution. The regular price is $24/person. However, you’ll have until Monday evening at midnight Pacific Time to take advantage of discounted early bird rates. NCDD members can use the discount code “NCDDonline” to get 30% off any available ticket.

Details and registration here: http://ofu15.eventbrite.com

If you click through our 2013 event site, you’ll find the list topics that emerged then. Some really interesting and useful stuff there.

Whether you’re already an expert or still completely new to online facilitation, this is a great opportunity to share, learn and make new connections. Once again, it’s shaping up to be a very international crowd.

Hope to see you there!

Join us at The Harwood National Public Innovators Lab!

Posted on October 5, 2015 by NCDD Community

We are pleased to share the announcement below about a great opportunity coming up this Dec. 1-3 in Alexandria, VA that NCDD members can get a 15% discount on! This announcement came from Melissa Salzman of The Harwood Institute – an NCDD member organization – via our great Submit-to-Blog Form. Do you have news you want to share with the NCDD network? Just click here to submit your news post for the NCDD Blog!

Co-hosted by United Way Worldwide and The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, The Harwood Public Innovators Lab is a 2.5-day experience to help you and your organization learn what it means to Turn Outward – to use the community, not your conference room, as your reference point for choices and action. This year’s Lab will take place December 1st – 3rd at the Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, VA.

If you Turn Outward and make more intentional judgments and choices in creating change, you will produce greater impact and relevance in your community. The Harwood Institute has partnered with some of the world’s largest nonprofit networks including United Way Worldwide, AARP, Goodwill Industries International, the American Library Association, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and others to spread this approach, which is being used across the U.S. and increasingly worldwide.

The Lab was recently redesigned to be more applied, more practical, and more hands-on. You will leave with a clear action plan for things you can do to increase your impact the day you return home. Additionally, all Lab alumni receive:

Access to more than 2,000 public innovators worldwide through our Public Innovators Listserv
Three months of weekly tools, real world case studies, and tips on using what you’ve learned plus our monthly newsletter and Rich Harwood’s “Redeeming Hope” blog
A Public Innovator Toolkit print ready for you to use with your staff and partners
A library of videos featuring Rich Harwood that you can use to spread what it means to Turn Outward

The Public Innovators Lab is foundational for any organization seeking to drive change in their community. We encourage you to bring a cross-functional team if possible or at least another colleague to share the experience. The Lab is designed for senior teams or individuals that have responsibility for developing strategy and driving execution.

For more information and to register, visit https://conferences.unitedway.org/content/harwood-public-innovators-lab-0.

Register for NCDD’s October 15th Confab on Brain Science

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Courtney Breese

Join us on Thursday, October 15th for NCDD’s next “Confab Call.” We’ll be talking with NCDD Members Mary Gelinas and Susan Stuart Clark about how brain science supports constructive dialogue and deliberation. The confab will take place from 2-3pm Eastern (11am-12pm Pacific). Register today to secure your spot!

What’s happening “beneath the surface” when people are participating in public meetings? Many conveners are nervous about emotions: those of the public and sometimes even their own. Understanding what evokes the potentially difficult emotions of fear and anger as well as the potentially constructive sense of compassion and hope, along with the conditions that help people notice and effectively manage such emotions, is critical to designing and conducting productive processes.

Mary V. Gelinas of Gelinas James, Inc. and Susan Stuart Clark of Common Knowledge both use the burgeoning findings from brain science to work with clients and plan interactive group processes that use emotions skillfully to help groups find common ground. They also use it to prepare themselves to facilitate such processes. They will share highlights about:

Triune brain theory;
What emotions are, along with why and how they get evoked in meetings;
Some key lessons from brain science for designing and conducting effective group processes;
How brain science can increase our ability to be instruments of change.

During this interactive session Mary and Susan will highlight the key elements of brain science they use in their work to provide a stepping off point for participants to ask questions and share their own insights and experiences.

Mary V. Gelinas, Ed.D. is the managing director of Gelinas James, Inc. and co-director of the Cascadia Center for Leadership. She is a committed student of how brain science and contemplative practices can strengthen the design and conduct of inclusive and collaborative processes. Her blog “How We Talk Matters” provides inspiration, tips, and tools to create constructive conversations about consequential questions.

Susan Stuart Clark is the founder and director of Common Knowledge, a mission driven organization dedicated to a more inclusive and innovative democracy. She works at the intersection of sectors and cultures, using insights about neuroscience to help people interact with “other.” A research deputy for the Kettering Foundation, Susan serves on the board of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation and as an advisor to civic tech groups.

About NCDD’s Confab Calls…

NCDD’s Confab Calls are opportunities for members (and potential members) of NCDD to talk with and hear from innovators in our field about the work they’re doing, and to connect with fellow members around shared interests. Membership in NCDD is encouraged but not required for participation. Register today if you’d like to join us.

Sign up for September’s Tech Tuesday with QiqoChat

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Courtney Breese

Registration is now open for September’s Tech Tuesday event featuring QiqoChat. Join us for this FREE event Tuesday, September 29th from 12:00-1:00pm Eastern/9:00-10:00am Pacific.

QiqoChat is a tool for phone-based dialogue and video chat. It supports dialogue methods such as online open space, Conversation Cafe, and liberating structures.

We will be joined by Lucas Cioffi and Michael Herman, who will provide a demonstration of the QiqoChat platform and discuss the lessons learned from hosting two open space conferences for the worldwide community of open space facilitators.

NCDD Member Lucas Cioffi served on the board of NCDD for three years. He is an Iraq War veteran and is the software developer that built QiqoChat. Michael Herman been a facilitator and trainer of many methods and approaches since 1991 and an active Open Space community member since 1996. Michael and Lucas co-convened the first ever “virtual open space on open space” gathering in July 2015.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about this platform and how it has been utilized – register today!

Tech Tuesdays are a series of learning events from NCDD focused on technology for engagement. These 1-hour events are designed to help dialogue and deliberation practitioners get a better sense of the online engagement landscape and how they can take advantage of the myriad opportunities available to them. You do not have to be a member of NCDD to participate in our Tech Tuesday learning events.

Get 20% Off NCDD Membership & Renewal During Membership Drive!

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Sandy Heierbacher

Hi, everybody! To round out our summer membership drive, we wanted to offer a special incentive for any of you who have not yet renewed or upgraded your membership.

For the rest of the week, you can save 20% on all membership types and upgrades by entering “SUMMER-DRIVE” in the discount field in any of these three forms:

Join form for individuals (if you’re not already a member) – www.ncdd.org/join-individual
Join form for organizations – www.ncdd.org/join-organization
Renewal/upgrade form – www.ncdd.org/renew

You can even renew for two years with the discount!

As always, you can look yourself up in the member directory at www.ncdd.org/directory to see what your member type is (“Member” means you’re non-dues, so please upgrade to Supporting Membership today!), and what your renewal due date is (if it is in the past, you’re lapsed, so it’s time to renew for sure!). Or just send an email to office manager extraordinaire Joy Garman, at joy@ncdd.org, and she’ll let you know your status.

We know you appreciate the work NCDD does, and many of you are already supporting, sustaining, and organizational members. But for those who aren’t, please consider upgrading or renewing this week. Your support means the world to us, and helps us continue serving this amazing community.

Feel free to encourage other friends and colleagues to join NCDD this week using the SUMMER-DRIVE code – anyone can use it.

And as always, thank you for investing in the future of NCDD!

Public Conversations Project Founder: “Invest in NCDD”

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

Please take a minute to read this wonderful letter from Laura Chasin – founder of one of our long-standing members, the Public Conversations Project – endorsing the value of an NCDD membership. As we’ve recently mentioned, NCDD is in the midst of an important membership drive. If you are a non-dues member of NCDD, if your dues have lapsed, or if you’re not a member at all, we hope this letter encourages you to support our work!
We encourage you to look yourself up in the NCDD member directory at to find out your membership and dues status and join or renew today!

PCP Founder and D&D Leader Laura Chasin

Hello NCDD Community,

I am an extremely grateful to NCDD for its having been central to my professional life and critical to the work of numerous esteemed colleagues.

As the founder of the Public Conversation Project, I’ve derived ever-increasing benefits from my involvement with NCDD since it began. Sandy Heierbacher’s high-energy, deft, walk-the-talk leadership has fostered unusual loyalty and exceptional growth. NCDD conferences are highly relevant and stimulating; the resources and the exchanges accessible through its website are amazing in size and scope, and the diverse colleagues I meet through NCDD venues keep putting my work in valuable contemporary perspective.

In addition, NCDD has made Public Conversations’ work more visible across the US and abroad. My colleagues and I are particularly excited that NCDD will likely soon be housed with us here in Boston.

Speaking as a citizen, I experience NCDD as a nodal point in a growing, largely under-the-radar, multi-silo network of antidotes to the polarization and cynicism that haunt and hobble US politics and civil society. Knowing that I am doing my bit to help this vital coalition reach its full potential helps me to remain hopeful on days that the headlines would otherwise tempt me to despair.

I hope you’ll join with me in investing in NCDD’s future by becoming a dues-paying member today.

In grateful solidarity,

Laura Chasin

It’s a Great Time to Join NCDD

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

The NCDD Board of Directors is reaching out to the NCDD community with the following message…

There is so much to talk about in America – gun violence, racism, healthcare, climate change, same sex marriage, voting rights, the shrinking middle class, presidential campaigns. Now more than ever, Americans need to be able to talk and act together to solve our most pressing problems.

NCDD plays a unique and important role in supporting and accelerating the work of practitioners and the public in building democratic capacity. Our strength and ongoing success depends on the active involvement and support of our members. We hope you will take a moment today to join NCDD, and if already a member, increase your show of support by becoming a dues-paying member.

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Here’s a taste of the meaningful work NCDD is currently doing:

Convening meetings across the country bringing together NCDD members with staff members of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service
Hosting regular “Confab Calls” and “Tech Tuesdays” to help NCDD members stay current with the latest innovations in our rapidly growing field
Curating our field’s most important news and resources on our rich website
Developing an innovative leadership program in partnership with Penn State that matches students with deliberative democracy organizations for valuable fellowships

By becoming an NCDD Member, you’re not only expressing your support for the value NCDD offers you, but for our collective work in fostering a living, thriving democracy. Everyone who joins is entitled to the benefits of membership, and those who pay dues are eligible for additional benefits.

Here are some actions you can take:

If you’re not already a member, please join!
If your membership dues have lapsed, please renew and get your dues up-to-date. Check on our Member Map & Directory to see the status of your membership.
If you previously joined as a non-dues member, consider upgrading to Supporting Member status for $75.
If you’d like to increase your support, please become a Sustaining Member for $150.
If you’d like to make a donation to NCDD, you can do that too (we are a 501c3 after all!).

In these challenging, exciting and unpredictable times, we are more committed than ever to help increase the practice of democratic skills that will benefit us all. We need each one of you to help make that possible. Please take a few moments today to add your support.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

The NCDD Board of Directors

Barbara Simonetti, Chair
Marla Crockett, Immediate Past Chair
John Backman, Treasurer
Diane Miller, Secretary
Martin Carcasson
Susan Stuart Clark

Register for IAP2 Trainings from the Participation Company

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

Our friends at the Participation Company are offering three great trainings this year, all of which NCDD members can get a discount on! The trainings are given within the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) framework and are a great opportunity to earn an official IAP2 certification. Learn more about the trainings in the announcement below or by clicking here.

Upcoming IAP2 Training Events in 2015-16

If you work in communications, public relations, public affairs, planning, public outreach and understanding, community development, advocacy, or lobbying, this training will help you to increase your skills and to be of even greater value to your employer.

This is your chance to join the many thousands of practitioners worldwide who have completed the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) certificate training.

Foundations in Public Participation certificate program (5-Day):

PLANNING for Effective Public Participation (3-Days) and/or *TECHNIQUES for Effective Public Participation (2-Days).

December 14-18, 2015 Chicago, IL Trainer: John Godec
February 1-5, 2016 Arlington, VA Trainer: Doug Sarno

*The 3-Day Planning is a prerequisite to TECHNIQUES

Learn more about the Foundations training and registration clicking here.

Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation (EOP2): Moving from Rage to Reason (2 days):

October 28-29, 2015 Orlando, FL Trainer: John Godec

Learn more about the EOP2 training and registration by clicking here.

The Participation Company (TPC) offers discounts to NCDD members. Visit www.theparticipationcompany.com/training for more information and on-line registration.

Future Search Learning Exchange Offers NCDD Discount

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Roshan Bliss

The Future Search Network, an NCDD member organization, recently shared the opportunity for NCDDers to get a great discount on two workshops they are offering later this year. These two workshops will be offered this Aug. 17-23 in Berlin, Germany and again from Dec. 7-11 in Philadelphia, PA. The early bird deadline ends August 4th for NCDDers, so make sure to register ASAP. You can learn more from the FSN announcement below.

The Annual Future Search Learning Exchange

We hope you can join us! Future Search has events scheduled for August in Berlin, Germany and for December in Philadelphia, PA.

The theme of this year’s Learning Exchange is “Working With Future Search to Address our World’s Challenges”.

The Learning Exchange is for anyone who is interested in applying Future Search principles in their work and their lives – not only for those who regularly lead Future Searches. This event is open to members of the Future Search Network and to practitioners working with the principles of Future Search across other large scale, whole systems approaches to change.

As always, the Learning Exchange is your opportunity to:

Meet Future Search practitioners and advocates and hear their stories
Share your experience of Future Search and exchange ideas
Learn about what we are doing as a Network around the world
Reflect on who we are touching through our work
Explore how people are using the principles and philosophy of Future Search in meetings of all sizes, every day
Re-energize your practice and yourself, and have fun!

***We will extend both workshop early registration rates to August 4th for NCDD Members – SAVE up to $700 on tuition!***

The Learning Exchange will include two separate workshops in both locations. Here are the details on both:

Managing a Future Search – a Leadership Workshop
August 17-20, Berlin, Germany
December 7-9, Philadelphia, PA, USA .

This workshop is for leaders and facilitators who want to learn how applying Future Search principles and methodology enables an organization or community to transform its capability for action. You will experience this highly successful strategic planning method used worldwide by organizations and communities for social, technological and economic planning.
Learn more & register

Lead More, Control Less – a Master Facilitation Class
August 22-23, Berlin, Germany
December 10-11, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Based on the upcoming new book by Sandra Janoff and Marvin Weisbord, “Lead More, Control Less: 8 Advanced Leadership skills that Overturn Convention”. Learn about personal and structural issues for leading interactive meetings. Explore the realms of practice beyond traditional models, methods and techniques.
Learn more & register

Registration Open for August 5th Confab with Matt Leighninger & Tina Nabatchi

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Courtney Breese

Join us on Wednesday, August 5th for NCDD’s next “Confab Call.” We’ll be talking with NCDD Members Matt Leighninger and Tina Nabatchi about their new book, Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy. The confab will take place from 2-3pm Eastern (11am-12pm Pacific). Register today to secure your spot!

Public Participation for 21^st Century Democracy is an exciting new book that aims to help people improve the infrastructure of public participation, the regular opportunities for citizens to take part in making decisions, solving problems, and strengthening community. It provides real-life examples and practical suggestions for renovating and creating new arenas for participation, as well as utilizing the skills and ideas of citizens.

On this confab, Matt & Tina will provide an overview and some highlights of the book, and share some of their learnings in putting this book together. They welcome your contributions to help improve and expand upon the book, so if you get a chance, check it out before the confab (here’s the link to Amazon)!

Matt Leighninger is the executive director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, an alliance of organizations and leading scholars in the field of deliberation and public participation. With twenty years in the field, he has worked with public engagement efforts in over 100 communities, forty states, and four Canadian provinces.

Tina Nabatchi is an associate professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. The author of several book chapters, monographs, research reports, and white papers, her research focuses on citizen participation, collaborative governance, and conflict resolution.

Our confabs (interactive conference calls) are free and open to all NCDD members and potential members. Register today if you’d like to join us!

More about the book…

Public Participation for 21^st Century Democracy explores the theory and practice of public participation in decision-making and problem-solving. It examines how public participation developed over time to include myriad thick, thin, and conventional opportunities, occurring in both face-to-face meetings and online settings. The book explores the use of participation in various arenas, including education, health, land use, and state and federal government. It offers a practical framework for thinking about how to engage citizens effectively, and clear explanations of participation scenarios, tactics, and designs. Finally, the book provides a sensible approach for reshaping our participation infrastructure to meet the needs of public officials and citizens.

The book is filled with illustrative examples of innovative participatory activities, and numerous sources for more information. This important text puts the spotlight on the need for long-term, cross-sector, participation planning, and provides guidance for leaders, citizens, activists, and others who are determined to improve the ways that participation and democracy function.