Deliberative Dialogue Moderator Training/Quinnipiac University School of Law, Center on Dispute Resolution

Civility in our country’s political discourse has clearly declined, and the political climate has become increasingly bitter. We have all seen public meetings turn into shouting matches or worse. But what can be done? Is there a way to elevate the tone of dialogue in our country? Can we bring back civility?

This two-day workshop will focus on how to moderate deliberative dialogues, one of many tools that we can use to bring citizens together to reason and talk and to deliberate about contentious public policy issues facing our society. Participants will be introduced to the National Issues Forum (NIF) model, which provides a way for people of diverse views and experiences to seek a shared understanding of the problem and search for common ground for action. During this experienced-based training participants will be guided through the process of how issues are framed and the discussion is moderated.

This workshop will train moderators how to lead a deliberative dialogue with a small group. Moderators use an issue discussion guide that frames the issue by presenting the overall problem and then three or four broad approaches to it. In this workshop, participants will be guided through the process of how issues are framed for public deliberation, how to help organizations convene and organize such forums, and how to facilitate a deliberative dialogue. They will then engage in a real dialogue session on an important policy issue. Participants will be given the opportunity to act as moderators of the dialogue and receive feedback and coaching. Special focus will be given to developing facilitation skills that can be used for dialogues and other forums participants might want to facilitate/moderate.

The next Deliberative Dialogue Moderator Training at Quinnipiac will be held on April 18-19, 2018. For more information and registration, click here.