Too many public meetings turn into shouting matches or echo chambers. A Better Convening offers a proven, nonpartisan approach to town halls that builds trust, includes every voice, and makes your meeting worth attending — for leaders and citizens alike.
Whether the chair for the leader is full or empty, you can design a meeting that connects neighbors, surfaces shared priorities, and sends leaders a message they can’t ignore. A short opinion piece about this is just below. And please feel free to use - and refer - the free resources below to anyone interested in proven ways to improve town hall meetings.
In these polarized polarized times, many people miss the days when town hall meetings were places where people of divergent viewpoints respectfully exchanged ideas about the challenges of the community. While those days seem like a distant collective memory, we can revive the spirit of the democratic town meeting bylaws making a few simple changes.
The free 2 page tutorial above provides an overview of the key changes that are possible. If you are intrigued, please down load the free Field Guide, which clarifies the key strategic choices you must make and some additional detail about how to make them happen so that your town halls reflect the spirit of vibrant democracy we all want.
Shortly, this site will also feature an unabridged facilitator’s guide with even more detail about implementing A Better Convening than the Field Guide has. Come back soon!