Convening Resources for Let's Talk America

Welcome! Your partnership as a Convenor is key to making Let's Talk America a truly national initiative. By creating regional hubs for LTA you help generate widening circles of conversations that will ultimately spread to every corner of our nation. With your help, we will achieve the purpose of Let's Talk America: restore faith in our democracy, build trust between us, and give us a sense, once again, that the voices of "We the People" matter. The resources provided here will enable you to bring LTA conversation to your region in ways that will honor LTA principles and take the conversations from small talk to big talk so that everyone can feel respected, safe and heard.

How to begin convening a regional hub? Start small and build the local leadership network one step at a time. Seek partners who represent the widest possible spectrum of constituencies and thinking in the community. The kinds of people who may be very attracted, supportive and helpful in getting you started: networkers, university faculty (especially public administration, sociology, political science and communications departments), city clubs, municipal leagues, league of women voters, youth groups (many working to network young adults and engage them in volunteerism), interfaith community (already partnering across differences), leadership programs, facilitators, organizational consultants, mediators, dialogue organizations (i.e. race issues etc.) - and your friends and colleagues. We can help you find Dialogue and Deliberation professionals in your area: send an email to: sandy@thataway.org with your email and location and Sandy will send you The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) members in your area.

Suggested first step: Bring together the core group, brief them on the vision and status of the LTA project, and brainstorm ways to launch LTA in your region. We encourage you to begin each meeting in conversation, with one of the questions from the LTA Issues & Questions bank, so you have a Let's Talk America experience. The first hubs forming in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma County (CA), Seattle/Puget Sound, Whidbey Island (WA), Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago have found they learn enormously from each conversation, which they then weave into their next step, as a process of continuous learning.

Then, from this base of organizers, extend the invitation to convene public LTA dialogues, managing the logistics and publicity. You may want to hold at least two or three large LTA community wide dialogues as well as numerous smaller dialogues. Each gathering can be the seed for the next in widening circles when you ask, "Who is missing? Who else can we draw in to the conversation so all voices are heard." Then, each participant actively invites several more guests to bring to the next conversation. Be sure to list all meetings and events on our website so visitors to the website can find you.

You can use a variety of dialogue processes and designs, or adopt LTA's suggested blend of Conversation Café and World Café. This variety of forms, within the agreed upon principles and purposes of LTA, will be crucial to the richness and breadth of the initiative. We encourage you to craft events that reflect the unique talents and culture of your community and participating organizations.

Use this sign in sheet (or PDF version) to gather then names and emails of all who attend – some guests may show up who have not signed up on the website: but you’ll need their email to send them a link to fill out the questionnaire after the conversation and to invite them to future conversations.

Please be sure to complete the feedback questionnaire after each session regarding themes and patterns as well as what works and what needs refining in these fledgling dialogues to help guide the LTA initiative. And check back at the website frequently. We envision Let's Talk America as an ongoing learning community, gaining experience and insights into the living practice of democracy: we will adapt our processes and questions as we go.

Your regional hub may also want to work towards selection of delegates to attend the National Convention in Springfield, Illinois, on the 4th of July weekend - a large scale gathering of Americans from all corners of our nation. And stay tuned for details on a National Day of Deliberation in the fall.

Materials and Resources

Here are some materials and resources you can download and print to help you do the work. Send any materials you develop that you think others would benefit from using to info@letstalkamerica.org.

Sample invitation to initial convenors meeting: This includes the email message and the attachment used in Puget Sound for the initial convenor meeting (or PDF Version)

Overview of LTA Initiative for Convenors: This is a document (or PDF version) prepared by the Puget Sound convening group that provides an in-depth overview of the project and the various roles and opportunities for participation.

Flyers: Download and print these to help spread the word about LTA in your community.

Question and Issues Bank: suggested questions to use in your conversations

Wallet Card: a "mini-manual" that gives an introduction to Let's Talk America, as well as the Process and agreements. Have copies of these available for anyone participating in a LTA conversation

Media and Public Relations guide: This short brochure (or PDF version) offers many ways to get the word out through the media.

Poster: Use this to advertise your conversation (or PDF Version) –- and as a flyer to put in your neighbor's mailboxes.

Introduction to Hosting for Let's Talk America: This manual (or PDF Version) teaches the Conversation Café method, which is the simplest process we know and one that has a proven track record to be easily and reliably adopted by hosts who may have no previous experience -as well as by skilled facilitators.

The LTA Café: A Design for Hosting Large Group Let's Talk America Dialogues. For those with some facilitation experience who want to host a conversation for a large group. This design combines elements of Conversation Café with World Café.

Principles for any Let's Talk America Conversation

The resources in this manual will enable you to organize the conversation in a way that honors these principles:

Inclusive - all people and all perspectives welcome: