An Images and Voices of Hope Dialogue

Each dialogue is unique. It focuses on the subjects that are most important to the community that is creating the dialogue, and it reflects the special gifts of those who are planning and participating in it. However, there are a few characteristics that are constant to all of the dialogues:

•      They are inclusive and dialogic. There is no expert on the stage telling the others the right way to think about media. It is first and foremost a dialogue among equal participants with a shared interest in the impact of public image making and public story telling.

•      The role of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry is a dialogue engine, a method, and an approach to creating the kinds of dialogues that seek out what is life giving in any particular system (in this case the media system) and generates possibilities for the community that is participating. We can provide sample dialogue designs. We can also provide you with the names of some experienced AI facilitators who may be able to help.

•      The importance of local support. The conveners of these dialogues are creating a repository of the growing body of knowledge and collective wisdom on the dialogues; however each dialogue is locally created and supported. This means that local sponsors are very important. They become important thinking partners in creating scale for the project. Local sponsors and partners in past conversations have participated in countless important ways:

1. Offering locations to house the dialogues, food, flowers and staff support as well as financial support.
2. Offering to stage exhibitions, provide artwork, process photographs, frame artwork, etc.
3. Lending their name and endorsement to the dialogue.
4. Providing entertainment, performance pieces, etc.
5. Arranging for videotaping, still photography, or edited

•      The role of the planning group. Each conversation begins with a planning group of 6-10 people who share an interest in the subject of the impact of public image making and public story telling on society. Generally these people have some affiliation with some part of the media. These groups work best when they convene on a regularly scheduled basis at the same place and when they represent a variety of specialties and gifts. It is this group that pulls together the first dialogue.

•      The power of thought leaders. In many cities the planning groups have gained the trust and participation of a few people who are well known in their field and whose name and endorsement creates excitement around the project. In Miami there was David Lawrence, former publisher of the Miami Herald. In New York there was David Finn, founding partner of the leading public relations firm Ruder-Finn. In Tampa it was Roy Peter Clark, a senior scholar at the Poynter Institute. In Santiago it was biologist and philosopher, Humberto Maturana from the University of Santiago.

•      The design of the gathering. The shortest dialogue (Tampa) lasted for just under three hours, the longest (Providence) for fourteen hours. Most of them last for roughly a half day either starting with a continental breakfast and finishing with lunch, or starting with lunch and wrapping with a reception. It is very important to allow enough time for thoughtful reflection, which cannot happen if everyone is rushing on to the next activity.

•     The design of the dialogue itself. It is very important that there be a genuine dialogue, not a program at which experts espouse their opinions from a stage.

•      How to plan for a one-day meeting. Please click on the attachement below to download the PDF. (This requires Adobe Reader. If you don't have it, you may download it here for free.)

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