About the Conference

The National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation will be a highly participatory, high-energy event which brings dialogue and deliberation practitioners and theorists together for the first time across models, topics, regions, applications and philosophies for a unique learning, networking and planning experience.

The conference emerged out of a need for dialogue practitioners to share strategies, experience one another's models and help develop and ensure the future of the powerful processes of dialogue and deliberation. A growing coalition of leaders throughout the dialogue community has collaborated to plan and design this exciting event.

The conference will include experiential workshops, networking sessions, opportunities to experience and observe a variety of dialogue and deliberation models, an exhibition of resources and materials, prominent speakers and a community dialogue-style action forum. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about what's new in the field (new strategies, methods, research, etc.), to increase their skills in organizing and facilitating dialogues, to find out how to handle specific problems and challenges they routinely face, and to share their own knowledge and experience with their colleagues.

Woven throughout the program will be opportunities for reflection about the needs of the dialogue community and the ways in which we might work together across methods and models, and opportunities for participants to take action on these issues by establishing and joining task forces, committees and networks.

This event is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and will take place October 4 - 6, 2002, at the Radisson Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia.

Why Hold a National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation?

For additional information about why this conference is needed and what we hope to accomplish at the event, click here.

Conference Proposal

To download a PDF copy of our proposal to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, click here.

Who Should Attend?*

" People who have leadership experience (as a facilitator or organizer) in small group processes that help people communicate and develop relationships across differences in background, opinion or perspective.

" People who have leadership experience in processes that help people make tough decisions or take action based on respectful deliberative discussion.

" People who have organized or facilitated dialogic processes, whether for one year or 30 years.

" People who have studied dialogue in depth, perhaps writing articles or theses on various aspects of dialogic practice.

" Leaders of organizations which utilize dialogic or deliberative processes as an integral part of their work.

*If you are interested in dialogue or would like to become a dialogue facilitator or organizer but haven't yet, this conference is unfortunately not for you. Please visit the Dialogue to Action website for a list of organizations that can help you become involved in the dialogue process.