Civic Health

Ideas and tips to get along and get stuff done-------- -----------October 25, 2024

New Report on Maine's Civic Health

According to a report just released by Colby College, "Maine ranks first in the nation in attending public meetings and participating in groups."

Oh my gosh. This makes me so proud. I love our state right now. Yay Maine!

Here are some other impressive national rankings. Maine is

- 4th in contacting or visiting public officials

- 6th in discussing issues with families, friends, or neighbors

- 9th in working with neighbors to improve their neighborhood or community

Six in ten Mainers believe that “while people might not always have the same

opinion, we are still able to find common ground."

Yet while our relative rankings are high, civic health across the country as a whole is low. Over thirty other countries have higher voting rates than the US, which has recently been about 62% (details here). Here in Maine, about 30% to 40% of could-be voters are not participating in most elections. And participation among young people is frighteningly low across the country, and in Maine.

This is a fantastic report. Well researched. Well written. Very high quality. It shines light on the issue of the day: our civic health. Get the full report here

How to Talk Across the Political Divide (and other divides)

Wednesday October 30 1pm ET

Free. Online. 50mins.

Many of us fear current environmental and political trends. Many of us are retreating to our own corners, increasingly alienated from each other; increasingly afraid to engage with others who think differently.

Join me to learn strategies to get along with others even when you disagree; even when you don't like what they believe.

Get inspired and gain confidence to forge conversations across divides; political divides, religious divides, wealth divides.

My Training Talk Shows are always free. Always interactive. Just 50 minutes online.

WEDNESDAY, October 30, 2024, 1pm MaineTime Register Here

Leigh Tillman is offering her 4-hour story-telling workshops to groups

May your group be a farm crew, neighborhood organization, small business, nonprofit, multigenerational business, community collaboration, government agency, school, cooperative, musical ensemble, etc. - this is an opportunity to know your group in a new way through delving into everyone’s stories and therein deepening and widening your shared understanding of your collective story.

This is an opportunity to get to know your team, community, stakeholders better - to learn different perspectives and sentiments involved in offering your work or service in your community…and in the world.

Leigh is a skilled story-teller, facilitator, and teacher. I often refer clients to her when I'm over-booked. Highly recommended. Learn more here.

Laura Young is helping groups make good decisions

Laura comes from a career in philanthropy having served as the Vice President for Philanthropy at the Maine Community Foundation, among other posts. Now she is a consultant with an array of services, meeting facilitation among them.

Laura has worked hard to learn my facilitation techniques. She has shadowed several meetings with me. She always wants to debrief and learn. And she has asked me to help plan her own meetings. We have similar styles and like to collaborate. I often refer clients to her when I'm over-booked.

Laura has special skills that make her an excellent meeting facilitator. Highly recommended. Learn more here.

I was a guest on The Connected Way Podcast

We discussed:

Why I'm a Quaker
Why connect across the aisle
How to define a successful conversation
Three strategies for hard conversations
Test for a good intention
How to handle different versions of the truth
A problem with religion
My views on the upcoming election

It was really fun. Rev Dev is a terrific host and interviewer. Listen here.

I was featured on

Listen First Friday

The Listen First Project combats toxic division by bringing Americans together. One of the many things they do is ask people to share inspiration via 3-min videos on Listen First Friday.

In this particular video, I explain the resources that I've made available at GoodGroupDecisions.com.

I spent some time once at a conference with Pierce Godwin, the founder of the Listen First Project. Great guy. Very likable. Passionate. More here.

Bridging the Divide

Here's my Maine Calling Public Radio interview with Jennifer Rooks and Dr. Liliana Herakova

Here's a link to the whole show. Some highlights:

Strategies for pushing back on the power of social media. 6:20
It’s hard to hate people up close. 9:00
High touch rather than high tech. 9:36
Everyone has a good reason for what they believe. 12:15
How to react when someone says something shocking. 17:22
The dark qualities of social media: anonymity and shutting out. 26:06
Views of right wing talk radio. 31:40
About loneliness and how it contributes to entrenchment. 33:03
Strategies for engaging right-leaning people. 44:12

Learn about Dr. Herakova here. It was a pleasure to talk with her and Jennifer Rooks.

How to Talk to an Adversary

with Respect

Click here for a Free One-Pager --->

Five simple steps for how to have a conversation with someone across a divide; someone you disagree with.

Did you know that Good Group Decisions members get access to hundreds of handouts (like this) and videos about group decision making?

And that membership is free?

Learn more here.

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