Planning a DwD Event
On this page you’ll find information on planning your own Dining with Democracy event. Feel free to download our Event Planning Checklist to assist you. You can also download our background scripts, slides, and facilitator guide.
Our goals for each event include:
- A better understanding of the diverse views in the community
- The opportunity for attendees to express their own views and feel listened to
- A deeper understanding about the issues discussed
Key ingredients to a successful Dining with Democracy:
- The room is set up for people to sit at tables of 6-8.
- Participants go to new tables each round so that they are talking with different people.
- Food!
Our events at NCSU include two-three different question rounds that each take about 25 minutes. Each table has a designated facilitator to help them move through activities. We suggest using the Tug of War strategy to guide discussion. People often want to jump right into debating their opinions about an issue, but we wanted to encourage participants to listen and engage in deliberation. The Tug-of-War discussion strategy is a way to first generate a variety of ideas and reasons about an issue.
Each round is structured like this:
- The set up. (5 mins) A short talk delivered by a student or faculty member that gave enough background that participants understand the policy question and enough relevant evidence that they can have a discussion.
- Opening Share Around. (4-5 mins) A warm-up intro question for the group. This is not the policy question, but something that gives participants a sense of each other’s experience with this issue. Each person shares their 1-2 sentence answer. No comment from others, just listening.
- Tug of War of Reasons. (5 mins) Using the Tug-of-War Routine, groups spend 5 minutes generating questions for the yes and no sides of the “rope.” The facilitator encourages participants to stay with one side before moving to the other side.
- Discussion (10 mins): The group engages in free discussion of the policy question.
- Closing Share Around (4 mins): Each person shares their answer to the sentence, “If I had to vote on this issue today, I’d say ____, because ______.” No comments from others, just listening.
- The room votes with a show of hands.
We use slides and timers to keep the groups moving along at about the same time. You can see these in our examples.
Dining with Democracy events range from 2-3 hours. Here’s the schedule for a 2-hour event covering two issues:
| 6:00 | Welcome |
| 6:10 | Dinner |
| 6:30 | Question #1 |
| 7:00 | Break |
| 7:10 | Question #2 |
| 7:40 | Dessert |
And for a 3-hour virtual event with three issues:
| 5:30 | Welcome |
| 5:35 | Zoom Review and Annotation Practice |
| 5:40 | Question #1 Presentation |
| 5:45 | Question #1 Breakout Rooms |
| 6:10 | Question #1 Poll |
| 6:15 | Question #2 Presentation |
| 6:20 | Question #2 Breakout Rooms |
| 7:20 | Closing |
| 7:20 | Closing |
| 7:20 | Closing |
| 7:20 | Closing |