Tag Archives: communication skills
Federal mandate to enhance civic discourse?
The Democracy Imperative’s most recent newsletter has an interesting write-up detailing a recent forum exploring how federal policies and programs might be expanded to enhance the civic skills of American citizens.
Exercising the Civic Muscle
Colleague Jeff Prudhomme and I spent this last weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Central States Communication Association Conference at the invitation of 2009 Summer Institute participant Professor Laura Black. We were there to participate in a “beyond the town hall” discussion, with a focus on “best practices” in civic engagement. We gave them a Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged civic engagement, discussion process, facilitation, learning by doing, personal development Leave a comment
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Losing Sight
During the last few weeks of my IF course, I have been struggling to understand just how well students are developing discussion and facilitation skills. Even though students have engaged in several weeks of discussion, some members dominate the conversation more than others, sometimes they talk over one another, some facilitators stick to their outline Read more »
All Communication Is Not Created Equal: Observations on the Usefulness of Blogging
Blogging, like most forms of communication, can serve various purposes. It can contribute to both IF’s learning by doing (through recruiting, say) and teaching (by drawing attention to the lessons we have learned by doing). But it is a fundamental error to value blogging because it might create opportunities for discussion. Blogging might engender discussion, Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged citizen discussions, civic engagement, conversations, discussion process Leave a comment
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Making the Town Hall Work
The “ambush” of US Congressional representatives over the summer of 2009 by the foes of national health care reform did little to endear expanded citizen participation to those who bore the brunt of bullying and disruption at so-called “town hall” meetings on the subject. Several issues concerning good governance and useful deliberation were exposed by Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged citizen discussions, civic engagement, deliberation, governance Leave a comment
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Public Discussion: We’ve All Done It Before
Some people think there’s something magical or mystical about IF-style citizen discussions. Others think they’re just plain mysterious. They are none of these things. In fact, they’re a lot like the kind of thing most of us do on our own when faced with difficult and important personal or family decisions. Consider the following decision, Read more »
Posted in Perspectives Also tagged citizen discussions, conversations, personal development, Public Discussions Leave a comment
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Jobs and the Future of a College Education?
What is the future of a college education in the USA? The recent economic downturn seems to have sharpened the already well-known trend toward seeing a college education largely in terms of enhancing one’s economic security. And as our uncertain economic times become ever more uncertain, it’s easy to understand students wanting to find a Read more »
Posted in Education Also tagged creativity, discussion process, educational implications, higher education, reasoning skills Leave a comment
What Is A Non-Participating Yet ‘Strong’ Facilitator?
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