Determining the Conversation Topic
One of the most important tasks for the planning
group is the selection of the conversation topic. The planning
group may wish to invite the discussion leader or local experts
to help make this decision and to collaborate in shaping the conversation
content.
A critical consideration should be the interests of the participants.
For example, there may be local issues that provide context for
the discussion. Conversation partners may also suggest whether
materials should be provided in preparation for the discussion
or simply provided as participants arrive at the discussion or
presented during the discussion as part of the initial presentation.
Whatever the group decides, these materials should be short and
speak directly to the conversation content.
Newspaper op-ed pages, letters to editors, poems, and stories
might be used as starters or additional resources. Don't hesitate
to adapt or use only a part of a suggested conversation starter,
article, or key document if that will best suit your needs.
To help you get started, go to the topics,
conversation starters
and resources
provided on this site. You may wish to use one or more of these
suggested starters for each conversation or select ones on your
own.
The topics provide
an overview of important issues upon which to build the conversation.
The conversation starters
are brief, accessible and provocative ways to jump start your
conversation and provide participants with a common starting place.
The resources
include background materials, selected readings and key documents.
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