The Common Ground Network for Life and Choice Manual

• Facilitated dialogues gave participants the chance to talk together from the place of personal
beliefs, values and experiences relating to the issue of abortion. Consistent with our general
process, we framed the conversation by a dialogue question, of which these are examples:
How did you come to your position on abortion? What issues about women's value/role are
raised by the abortion issue for you? What religious/spiritual beliefs do you bring to the issue
of abortion and to common ground? What "burning questions" do you have for people on the
other side?
• At moderated roundtables, people with direct experience or expertise gave their perspectives
on such topics as adoption, teen pregnancy, how to mobilize the religious community, and
how to organize a local common ground effort. These roundtables were followed by
discussions open for all attending.
• Skill-building sessions were aimed at those wanting to learn how to lead common ground
dialogues and meetings. Topics covered included dialogue/discussion models, facilitation
techniques, how to train others to lead dialogues, and how to handle strong emotion. "Howto"
materials were provided and questions and discussion encouraged.
• Seminars/presentations featured academicians/writers/reporters who spoke about a topic
related to the abortion conflict or common ground. At these sessions, time was split evenly
between the presentation, questions directed to the presenter, and discussion among the
audience. If the audience was large, small discussion groups were formed, each having a
pre-designated facilitator.
Other Conference Elements
Tapping into our collective wisdom.
It was important to make available the experience and wisdom of the pro-life and prochoice
activists "doing" common ground and the lessons learned by the facilitators and mediators
supporting them. To that end, we extensively involved local common ground group members
and Network steering committee/board members as presenters, roundtable leaders, and
facilitators.
Particularly for the roundtables, leaders and participants were recruited to get a mix of
people from different places who could compare and share experiences and approaches. The
second conference featured a lunchtime "marketplace" where participants could get a bag lunch
and spend time learning about active local common ground groups, Network projects, and
partner organizations.
Celebration