Better Conversations Newsletter
"Raising the Standard of Conversation in Life"
Loren Ekroth, Ph.D.
 DrConversation
 
aka "Dr.Conversation" 
Ideas for Better Public Conversations
Loren Ekroth photo
Today's Contents
Thanks for Recommending Us
Guest Author
Recommended Resources
Ideas for Better Public Conversations
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This Week's Issue:
August 12, 2010

Hello again, subscriber friend!

 
Despite the unusual hot spell here in New York, I'm
getting out this week's issue.  I hope you find value in it.
 
Loren Ekroth, publisher

[email protected]

Today's Contents
(Words this issue:  926   Reading time: 3 minutes)
 
   1. Thanks for your help.
   2. Guest Author 
   3. Recommended resources   
   4. Article:  Ideas for Better Public Conversations
1. Thanks for recommending us to new subscribers!
A great way to spread the word about "Better Conversations" ezine is to include excerpts of any newsletter in your own messages or publications.

 

Also, when you invite new subscribers, they will get a new bonus of my "Small Talk Success Tips" booklet.  As always, my list is private, never sold or traded, only used for this ezine.
2. Guest Author, Dr. Peter Adler
 

My old friend and professional colleague Peter Adler is a national expert on conflict resolution.  The founder of the Neighborhood Justice Center in Honolulu many years ago,

Peter is now CEO of the famed "Keystone Center" in Colorado
where he sponsors meetings and training programs to deal
with some of the most important yet thorny and complicated
issues of our time.  I am honored that he was willing to
contribute this article with ideas for how to hold better
public conversations. 
 
Please take a few minutes to read his article.  You'll be glad you did.
3.  Recommended Resources
Eye of the Storm Leadership:  150 Ideas, Stories, Quotes and Exercises on the Art and Politics of Managing Human Conflicts, by Peter Adler, Ph.D. (RIS, Inc., 2008.)   This book can be ordered at http://www.mediate.com/EyeofStormPurchase/.
 
Also check this website at www.eyeofthestormleadership.com for additional resources, including a DVD.
4.  Ideas for Better Public Conversations
 
In 1943, one of America's most iconic artists, Norman Rockwell, did a series of oil paintings called "The Four Freedoms." The most famous of these is his "Freedom of Speech" which was eventually made into a U.S. Government poster for war bonds.

Rockwell's model was a neighbor and fellow Vermonter named Jim Edgerton. Edgerton stood up at a local town meeting in lone dissent of a proposed new school construction project. Edgerton was given the floor as a matter of courtesy and protocol. The motion passed.
 
 

Rockwell Freedom of Speech Poster
Look carefully at the painting.[1]

Notice the faces of Edgerton's neighbors and the way they are listening as he makes his remarks. Rockwell captured a uniquely American ideal, the idea of ordinary citizens in their neighborhoods and communities standing up to speak their minds and being afforded the time and respect of a dissenting view.

Now compare this with the growing incivility of many public gatherings, most notably, the harsh and angry discussions over health care convened last summer by Congressional legislators.  What happened is part of a growing "hyper-polarization" phenomenon in which poorly managed public conversations descend into shouting matches by a few dominators on either side of the issue. 

We have all been to such gatherings and they are frustrating. People who come for information don't get it. Those who want to make a comment never get a chance to speak. Issues are neither clarified nor discussed. Good debate and deliberation is absent and the meeting either ends in chaos or goes on interminably.

It need not be like this. Public conversations take place all the time and are an important aspect of our culture and politics. Issues vary. It may be over road widening, sewer upgrades, signage, taxes, or consolidation of school districts. They may be convened by an elected or appointed official, hosted by a minister, held in a home, sponsored by several organizations, or officially noticed in the public record. 

If you are responsible for convening, sponsoring, moderating or facilitating a public conversation, here are a few simple guidelines that could make the difference between success and failure.


  1. Organize the Room. Choose a time and place appropriate to the topic. Set up the room in advance. If it is a big meeting, you may need theater style seating. For smaller meetings it might be tables in an open horseshoe, chairs in a circle, or a set of restaurant like tables of eight or ten.
  2. Purposes. Be clear on the intent of the gathering and make sure it is announced at the start of the meeting. Sometimes it is useful to frame the purpose as a question, for example, "How can we find adequate funding to clean and repair our park?" 
  3. Protocols. Announce a clear set of ground rules or assumptions on meeting behavior. These might include: "Everyone gets a chance to share their opinion before someone speaks a second or third time." "Speak only to the topic at hand." "Do not interrupt others even if you disagree with them." Fashion specific ground rules to the anticipated challenges you expect at the meeting. 
  4. Create Good Openings. In Hawaii (where Loren and I come from), most public conversations must start with a prayer or chant said in the Hawaiian language. If that is not appropriate, it is often wise to have a credible and wise "elder" offer words of welcome and expectations for a good meeting.  
  5. Presentations First. Many meetings start with a presentation on the topic at hand. Whether it is a single speaker or a panel, do not let these go on too long and limited the use of power points.
  6. Separate Questions from Comments. As the meeting moves from presentation to discussion, be sure to take questions for information or factual clarification before taking comments. It is important that people have a reasonable technical understanding before opinions start flowing.
  7. Defer Off-Topic Comments. Sometimes a member of the audience feels they have a captive audience and wants to talk about something not on the agenda. As this comment starts to unfold, stop the speaker, write the new topic on a flip chart, assure the person it will be taken up at the end of the meeting, and invite everyone else to stay around for the discussion.
  8. Bring Positive Closure. No matter how easy or challenging, it is important to summarize what has happened at the meeting, clarify any next steps, and thank people profusely for their participation.
_____________________


Peter S. Adler, PhD is President and CEO of The Keystone Center which helps organizations, agencies and corporations organize effective conversations on challenging topics. More information is available at
www.keystone.org.


[1]  Photo courtesy of U.S. Government Archives, www.archives.gov/.../save_freedom_speech.html.
but . . ." to any point you make.
 
 
 
 

Loren Ekroth �2010, all rights reserved

 

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life. 

 

Contact at [email protected]