PRINCIPLES OF CIVIC DISCOURSE
Provide a framework for dialogue: establish ground rules and a framework that recognizes cultural differences.
Provide everyone at the meeting the opportunity to speak: manage inequalities of access and power.
Focus on issues, not personalities.
Avoid personal attacks.
Invite and encourage a variety of perspectives.
Recognize and value different forms of evidence ranging from testimony to statistical evidence and story telling.
Seek common ground and consensus whenever possible.
Resist relying on sound bites and buzz words heard from political pundits or politicians.
Make your goal to understand rather than persuade.
Source: Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. www.k-state.edu/icdd
The Institute was founded by members of the faculty of the Department of Speech Communication, Theatre and Dance in 2004. www.ksu.edu/sctd