An American Townhall on Race

Race is one of those topics that we as Americans have a very difficult time discussing in a productive fashion in public. This online experiment is a project of emPower Magazine, USARiseUp, and OnlineTownhalls to see if we can start a deeper conversation about race in America.

In this online conversation [link is no longer active], you’ll see some video interviews we conducted with tourists on the National Mall in Washington, DC. These participants were asked to make a statement or ask a question that would serve as a conversation starter, raising issues of fairness, racial profiling, segregation, etc. They raised these issues so that participants such as yourself can dive in and take the conversation further online.

We look forward to hearing from you!  You can join us here [link is no longer active] between now and June 15, 2011.

Lessons Learned from this Experiment

This has been a fun and worthwhile experiment.  Here’s an informal list of lessons I’ve learned for improving the radio show:

• Have an easy URL to announce over the radio which has all the information about the show.
• Post the agenda for the call in advance, ideally in the email which announces the show.
• Post the discussion questions ahead of time so that interviewees and the audience can begin the discussion a few days in advance.  A very focussed show with only one specific topic could work very well.
• Every 15 minutes, announce the call-in number, mention the context for the show, and mention who is being interviewed at that time.
• Have a list of lightning round questions to liven things up.
• Use social media for outreach, and give interviewees a chance to invite their networks to the show.
• Average listeners probably stay on for either 0-5 minutes or 30-45 minutes so in the future, a 1 hour show is ideal.
• Consider posting a place where listeners can sign up to be notified of future shows.
• The videos from citizens on the street have been useful to add ideas to the lightning round of questions and to add a personal feel to the description of the experiment on the blog.
• There are plenty of other tips for using Blog Talk Radio posted on the Blog Talk Radio company blog.

More lessons to be explored in the future:

• How to best incorporate online dialogue before/during/after the show?

Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section for any other thoughts you have about this experiment.

An American Townhall on National Politics

What’s working in our political system?  What isn’t? Our company is OnlineTownhalls and we are passionate about improving the quality of our national dialogue.  We recently joined the Open Model for Citizen Engagement Working Group here in Washington, DC which inspired us to take action.

From June 23-27, 2010 we are conducting an experiment called the American Townhall on National Politics.  Our mission is to find deeper ways to discuss critical issues facing our democracy combining tools for discussion online, in-person, and over the phone.

Join Us In-Person:

This week we’ll kick-start the townhall by conducting video interviews on the National Mall in Washington, DC. We’ll be asking visitors to our nation’s capital what they think is broken and what they think is working well in our national political system.  Here are a few example videos:

All the videos are included in the OnlineTownhall [link is no longer active] mentioned below where others participants can build on these ideas.

Join Us on the Phone:

The central question for the three-day show is, “What is working in our national political system, and what isn’t?”  We’ll be joined by Wayne Burke of the Open Forum Foundation and the lead organizer of the Open Model for Citizen Engagement, key staff  in the Sunlight Foundation who are leading the Citizens for Open Government project, and members of the National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation.

We have three live call-in radio shows and one online discussion:

• Wednesday, June 23, 2010 from 5pm-7pm EST. Click HERE to listen (archived).
• Thursday, June 24, 2010 from 5pm-7pm EST. Click HERE to listen (archived).
• Friday, June 25, 2010 from 5pm-7pm EST. Click HEREto listen.
  • 5:00pm-5:20pm   Steven Clift, E-Democracy.Org (staying on through 6pm to converse with other interviewees if you wish)
  • 5:20pm-5:30pm   Ben Roberts, Organizer of the Coffee Party Cafe Calls
  • 5:30pm-5:45pm   Andrew Krzmarzick, GovLoop Community Manager
  • 5:45pm-6:00pm   Alex Moll, a civic architect
  • 6:00pm-6:15pm   Ayofemi Kirby, Communications Director at Mobilize.Org
  • 6:15pm-6:30pm   Jim Rough, pioneer of Dynamic Facilitation
  • 6:30pm-6:45pm   Maureen Ross, Cherrydale Citizens Association in Arlington, VA
  • 6:45pm-7:00pm  Britt Blaser, creator of the NewGov.US project
• From June 23-27, 2010 join this OnlineTownhall [link is no longer active] to discuss the ideas raised in the radio shows.

Want to call into the radio show? Dial (917) 889-2510 to join the discussion during the times listed above. You can also add your thoughts via email to info@americantownhalls.org or through Twitter using the tag #ATHNP (for American Townhall on National Politics). We look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Join Us Online:

Using this conversation at OnlineTownhalls [link is no longer active], participants will be able to take the conversation started on the videos and the radio show deeper from June 23-27, 2010.

OnlineTownhalls is different than standard commenting software; it helps participants visualize all the branches in a conversation and see which issues are controversial and which are common ground.

For those that would like a brief orientation to the software, we will be available over the phone. The dial-in number for the live walk-through is 605-715-4920 with an access code of 616033 from 7pm-9pm EST on June 23-25, 2010.  The online discussion will be open through June 27, 2010.

If you’re comfortable with online tools, you’ll probably be able to figure out the townhall technology after watching this three minute intro video:

Visualizing the Data

Here is our first visualization of the opinions collected during the American Townhall on Health Care from September 12-13, 2009 in Washington, DC.  Click on the map to view the data in greater detail.

 

Concerns with the current system are blue and concerns with the proposed changes are red. Regardless of party affiliation, everyone was asked for both.

Researchers (and you!) are encouraged to slice/dice/analyze the raw data to surface other trends (using a less restrictive Creative Commons Share-Alike License instead of standard copyright).

Taking the conversation to the next level

Democracy takes work!

We are excited to say that we collected 1100 opinions about health care from across the political spectrum.  We talked with and listened to people on both sides of the health care debate.  This was an all-volunteer effort and we finally have everything digitized.

You may be interested in taking the conversation to the next level.  We’re using custom software to map out the conversation and dive deeper than the sound bites.  You can read/rate/respond to what other Americans said at our town hall meeting.  You’ll find some people that agree with you and some that disagree.

It is our goal to stimulate an engaging conversation where the highest-rated ideas rise to the top.  We want to provide a space where we Americans can speak for ourselves in a highly productive fashion.  If this conversation gains traction online, then we’ll be able to bring it to the attention of the media– so if you believe in what we’re doing, spread the word!

What’s next?
The first conversation we created deals with the concerns with the proposed legislation.  This is new conversation mapping software so it will be different.  If you’re comfortable with online tools, you’ll probably get the hang of it in a minute or two.  You can also check out the quick-start guide [link is no longer active] for a brief introduction.  This conversation will be open until September 30th, 2009.

If this first conversation goes well, we’ll hold a second conversation about concerns with the current system.  As promised, all raw data and opinions from our town hall meeting are posted online for researchers to analyze (using a less restrictive Creative Commons Share-Alike License instead of standard copyright).  In the coming days, several other organizations will build visualizations of this data with maps and other online tools.

How to Contact Us
We had a great time talking with you and other fellow Americans here in DC.  If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to email us at hello@americantownhalls.org.

Feel free to forward this invitation to folks back home who were not able to attend the town hall last week here in DC.

Couldn’t attend in DC? Take the survey online.

Welcome, and thanks for visiting.  If you’ve heard of our website, you know that we’re asking Americans to speak for themselves and to share their concerns with the current health care system and the proposed changes.

Here is the link to the survey online. (Note, the survey is now finished.)

Although it’s brief, this survey goes deeper; it gives you a chance to not just state your position but to also explain your reasons.  Our nation deserves a more in-depth conversation about health care, and with your help we can work to make that happen.  Democracy takes work!

The specific questions we will ask

We expect that people will attend the American Townhall on Health Care because they are concerned about something.  We will frame the questions so that they can directly address these concerns.  During Phase I, we’ll ask all participants for a written response to both of the following questions:

1. “What are your concerns with the current health care system?”
2. “What are your concerns with the proposed changes to the current system?”

These two questions seem to work well together and cover most concerns that Americans might have.  Focusing on just two questions will make it easier for more people to participate.

One disadvantage of only asking about concerns is that people will focus on the negative.  On the other hand, we only have a short amount of time with each participant and it’s more efficient to focus on what they want changed.  Subsequent conversations both online and offline can build a more complete picture of what they want to remain the same.

Please add your comments about these questions in the section below.  Do you have suggestions for alternate questions?  Will the President’s speech to Congress on September 9th create a need for different questions?

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Citizen Group Draws Two Lines in the Sand

WASHINGTON, DC (September 3, 2009)- The American Townhall on Health Care has a bold mission: to demonstrate that not only is cross-partisan dialogue possible during these politically charged times, it’s absolutely essential.

“Cross over either one of these lines, and you’re on our turf,” states Lucas Cioffi, the lead organizer, who is referring to how the group has carved out space between the TEA Party March on Washington and the progressive counter-protests on September 12th.

The volunteer, citizen-run townhall takes place between 3rd and 4th Streets on the National Mall from 10am to 6pm.  Americans from across the political spectrum are invited to drop by at any time and spend 30 minutes walking through a multi-phase dialogue process.  Participants will share their concerns about the current health care system and the proposed changes to the system.

Unlike other townhalls, this event is entirely based on citizen input. The group is placing a special emphasis on social media and collaborative tools to extend the conversation to those that cannot be present in Washington, DC that day.  The townhall will be broadcast live online using Ustream.tv, and Americans across the country can contribute their ideas over the Internet.

“We won’t be sitting around a campfire holding hands, we’ll be getting past the sound bites and talking about the very real tradeoffs that we face as a nation,” mentions Cioffi. ”We must change the tone of the debate if it’s going to be productive, and that’s what we intend to do.”

The event has a capacity for one thousand participants over the course of eight hours, with approximately one hundred engaged in dialogue at any given time.  By harnessing Web-based tools, they believe this online-offline hybrid model of civic engagement can create the largest and most in-depth town hall meeting on health care reform in recent months.

Cioffi is an Iraq War veteran and served in the same battalion as Casey Sheehan, son of Cindy Sheehan who became a prominent anti-war protester. He draws inspiration for this event from the civility demonstrated by Ms. Sheehan’s fellow protestors and the counter-protestors outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas one particular day in August 2005.  Cioffi states, “When I visited that protest, I was impressed by how both sides could remain on opposite sides of the road and peacefully disagree with each other– that was a dramatic step up from the violent disagreement that was going on in Iraq’s democracy at the time.  But I think more is possible and more is necessary today on health care; both sides need to connect.”

The group will make heavy use of new online tools.  ”All opinions will be anonymous and posted on the Internet so that researchers can help the American people visualize this very rich data set,” says Cioffi. “We’ve seen time and again how transparent data can serve as a platform upon which others can build amazing applications that we cannot even imagine ourselves.  We look forward to being surprised.”

More information is on the group’s website at AmericanTownhalls.Org.

Contact:
Tedd Determan
1270 New Hampshire Ave
Washington, DC 20036
Tedd@OnlineTownhalls.Com

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Script for Volunteers

As a group of volunteers we are using this blog to organize for September 12th.  Here is a draft script that volunteers may decide use as a basis for their interaction with participants.  You may also want to view the responsibilities of the volunteers.

Outreach

Hi, would you like to participate in a truly citizen-run townhall on health care?  It’s a chance for you to speak your opinion without being filtered.  It’s going on right over there [point].  We want to show that townhall meetings are great ways for citizens to have their voices heard.

Orientation

Hi, welcome to the American Townhall on health care. It’s been put together by a group of volunteer communication professionals who in their day jobs help others think, talk and act together to solve problems. Our role today is as neutral players or moderators. We have no political agenda, will offer no opinions, and back no health care plan on the table. Our interest is in providing a structured and friendly discussion so you can be heard, so others can hear your stories–what you care about, what you’re afraid of in this debate, what you’re not sure of, and what you’re willing and unwilling to sacrifice to get what you want.

By the end of the process, which should take 30-90 minutes, we’d like to see if you and the group you’ll be with can come up with suggestions that 80% of Americans could agree with. We’re broadcasting these conversations live online, and the outcome of your discussions will be put up on the Internet for anyone to see. We want all of you to have an impact in this debate, so here’s how we’ll do it:

This is a chance for you to speak your opinions without being filtered.  There are three phases: Phase I is brainstorming, Phase II is listening, speaking, and voting, and Phase III is an optional dialogue where you will be talking with others that probably disagree with you.  All the data will be anonymous and made public on the Internet for others to analyze.  Video from this event is also broadcast live online.  We have a few ground rules that everyone is expected to follow (read them here).  Do you agree to these ground rules? Do you have any questions that I may answer?  Here is your clipboard.  This page is for writing down your opinions during Phase I, and this page is for voting during Phase II.  Here’s your copy of the ground rules.  Your participant number is written at the top of each page.  This will be fun and productive.  If you have any questions or concerns, the volunteer organizers are identified by these red, white, and blue lanyards.

Phase I: Brainstorming

This is the phase where you will write down your opinions.  Instructions are on the sheet.  You’ll identify your top concerns with the current health care system and your top concerns with proposed changes to the current system.  During Phase II, other participants will be voting on your ideas so it’s important to explain your reasons.

Phase II: Listening, Speaking, and Voting

In this phase, you’ll get a chance to read your opinions to other participants.  Those folks will vote whether or not they support your idea.  Everyone starts off by reading their participant number and the idea’s number.  You’ll get the hang of it when you watch some people go first.  When you are ready, you may go to Phase III, go back to Phase I, or decide to exit the townhall.  If you finish, the last station is over there where you will turn in your papers and provide feedback on the process.

Phase III: Optional Dialogue

[These instructions will be determined by each dialogue facilitator.]

Feedback Station

Thank you for taking the time to participate.  The project’s website is AmericanTownhalls.Org.  Did you want to leave your email address to be notified of when you can participate online?  Did you enjoy this process?  Do you have any suggestions for making it better?  We’re open until 6pm; do you have friends or family nearby that you would recommend this experience to?  Would you also like to help out as a volunteer for a while?

Responsibilities of volunteers

We currently have 25 volunteers (from DC, MD, VA, NY, and CT) and those numbers will grow as we continue reaching out to other groups.  The more volunteers we have, the more successful this event will be.

We’ll mix the tasks up throughout the day so that no one gets tired or bored doing any one thing for too long.

It will be a great day with tremendous energy from several simultaneous events on the National mall.  Please consider joining us to help with the following tasks:

• Outreach to passers-by and attendees of other events
• Explain the ground rules during the orientation
• Look out for potential conflict situations among participants
• Provide instructions during the brainstorming in Phase I
• Facilitate the questions and answers session in Phase II
• Collect feedback as participants depart
• Clean-up at 6pm

Key tasks requiring expertise:

• Answer questions that the participants have about the legislation that will be in front of Congress at that time
• Facilitate a dialogue in Phase III (mediation and conflict resolution experience required)

Contact us if you can volunteer and be present on the National Mall on Saturday September 12th. If you’re schedule only permits volunteering for just a portion of the townhall– that’s great, we’re happy to have you on board!

You may also want to view the script that the volunteers may use as a starting point as they engage with participants.