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significance, often they invite dialogue and engagement with the aid of individuals who facilitate

and assist with keeping the group on topic and on the talk task. Although the role of the facilitator

is to guide the dialogue among participants, there are differing opinions concerning the level of

interaction the group facilitator should assume. I explore issues relating to the difference in

scholarly opinion about the role of the facilitator in more detail in Chapter III and in the lit review.

Public Sphere of Engagement

The “public sphere” seen from the German word: Öffentlichkeit is an area within social life

where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through

that discussion one influences political action. The term was originally coined by Jürgen Habermas

who defined "the public sphere as a virtual or imaginary community which does not necessarily

exist in any identifiable space" (Soules, 2007). Communication scholar Gerard A. Hauser defines

it as "a discursive space in which individuals and groups associate to discuss matters of mutual

interest and, where possible, to reach a common judgment about them" (Hauser, 1999).

Often the type of talk in these informal gatherings and dialogue spaces can be called public

debate and rampant discussions will typically flow differently from Community Conversations as

the general opinion and expression of views on matters in the public sphere can appear random,

topics hit upon are trending and while these expressions may reflect public concerns, they often,

but not always, invite opposing or diverging views to be expressed rudely or with hostility by

participants in the discussion. German beerhalls and English pubs can be examples of this space.

Public debate in the US on the other hand takes place mostly through the mass media, but

also can be present at union meetings, associative events, tradeshows or through social media. The

public sphere in whatever form can be seen as "a theater in modern societies in which political

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