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often wondered why our parents made disparaging remarks about other people who lived “in the

wrong side of town.” In its purest sense, deliberation is based on exchanges among individuals and

groups about individual and collective values, priorities, personal stories, and the relevance of

these concerns to the larger public or community (Melville, Willingham, & Dedrick, 2005).

The Community Conversation sessions, which I informally observed, directly involved

participants from a local area community and the supplemented additional information I obtained

came from stated views and interviews with volunteers who were participants and facilitators. The

interviews combined with notes from the informal observations produced rich data about the

process, attendee interactions, and feelings and reflections about interactions and reflections that

happened during and after the dialogue experience. The analysis and findings produced

information and insights about key elements that characterize dialogue and deliberation, including

stories, face-to-face interactions, group interaction, and raw emotions that punctuated some of the

sessions. Wheatley (2007) suggested that in our hectic, fast-paced communities people need places

to relax and listen to each other using storytelling and conversations that allow us to connect.

“Unfortunately, people don’t recognize how much they need this time—preferring to pass on such

informal gatherings—until they attend once and notice what they’ve been missing” (Wheatley,

2007, p. 120).

When taken together these elements contribute to the unique Metasphere that creates a

container which is jointly contributed to among participants and facilitators. The dialogue group

itself as construct becomes a vehicle for relationship building, new insights, hard questions,

emotional depth, and validation. In essence, dialogue groups can become a vessel for candid views

and a place to confront deeply held beliefs. The synergy derived is due in part to the circular seating

formation that supported convening and a space for listening to divergent points of view. As such,

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