The Common Ground Network for Life and Choice Manual

CHAPTER FIVE:
“WHAT NEXT?”
Frequently the end of an initial dialogue finds some or all participants wanting to meet
another time. They may have in mind to start meeting on an on-going basis for either a specific
number of meetings or as an open-ended process. They may not be at all clear about their goals,
but very sure they want a chance to talk more.
When this is the case, there needs to be an opportunity created for people to address the
"What next?" question with more thought and time. At this early point, it is important to
proceed slowly enough to bring everyone along. If things move too fast, the result is likely to be
silent acquiescence during meetings and low commitment to follow-through. The question to be
worked through is, “What do we want to do together/”
A commitment to extending the dialogue and continued learning is one form of “doing.”
Another is to proceed on finding an issue of mutual concern upon which to take action. It is just
very important to remember that there are many kinds of doing and action: some are issueoriented;
some are community building; and some are educational.
Two case studies are included with this chapter to illustrate how all three kinds of
“doing” have been reflected in the experience of two existing common ground efforts: The
Buffalo Coalition for Common Ground and Quad Cities Common Ground (Davenport, Iowa.).
See Appendices 5.1 and 5.2.
Ongoing Dialogue
A group of people may decide to meet and talk on an ongoing basis remaining open as to
what the outcome will be beyond the dialogue itself. In Wisconsin, seven advocates, both prochoice
and pro-life, began meeting with the initial goal of getting past media images and