The Common Ground Network for Life and Choice Manual

it is important to stress the significance of this action in the communication.
We also asked people for a telephone number and made a personal contact in this way to
confirm their understanding of the purpose and nature of the dialogue. During this conversation
we sought other information to create a good mix of participants. Aside from pro-choice/pro-life
balance, we advise a degree of parity in the degree of activism, i.e., you do not want all full-time
staff or leaders of advocacy organizations on one side, and all "civilians" (people for whom
abortion is an extra-curricular concern) on the other. So, we asked about the degree of their
involvement and their experience as advocates.
Involving a Facilitator
An experienced facilitator should be chosen to play the crucial function of enforcing the
ground rules, directing and moving the dialogue along and encouraging participation. The
general role of a dialogue facilitator is explained in Chapter Four. In the online setting, the
facilitator should practice the same behaviors, but simply alter the format from verbal to written.
Some specific facilitator interventions are included below in "Basic Design."
Setting opening and closing dates
Definite dates on which the dialogue will commence and end should be set, to insure a
good level of intensity and involvement. We found that from four to six weeks works well,
allowing that additional unfacilitated dialogue may continue independently after this time.
Basic Design
Initiating the Dialogue Group
The facilitator opens the group by calling for a round of introductions, beginning by
introducing him/herself. The facilitator also reviews the purpose of the group, clarifies his/her
role and sets the start date of the group dialogue. Appendix 6.2 is a sample opening letter.
Dialogue