What does it take to build a more dialogic campus?
At four North Carolina campuses, the answer came through student-led conversations, with the support of a custom Collaborative Discussion Certificate Program designed by North Carolina Campus Engagement in partnership with the Interactivity Foundation’s Collaborative Discussion Project team.
🔗 Read the story: https://iftalks.org/KSkbk
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #StudentLeadership #CivicLearning #NationalCivilityMonth
We talk a lot about the need for better conversations—but what does it take to actually support them?
Join us on August 12 (12–1 PM ET) for a free, hands-on introduction to the free Collaborative Discussion Project Toolkit—a flexible, practical set of activities designed to help educators, civic leaders, and facilitators build the conditions for thoughtful, inclusive dialogue.
🔗 Register here: https://iftalks.org/f0xRd
✨ New! Explore our Impact Stories page ✨
How do you build trust, spark imagination, and foster civil dialogue in a fractured world?
From Haiti to higher education, and public institutions to K–12 classrooms, people across sectors are using Interactivity Foundation tools to make a real difference—and we’ve just launched a new page on our website to highlight this work.
📖 Take a look & get inspired: https://iftalks.org/Impact
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #FacilitativeLeadership #Impact
What happens when the training *is* the model?
For Brian Hathaway, CDP Coach Training didn’t just teach collaborative discussion skills, it embodied them. “They were showing us, not just telling us. That level of intentionality is rare—and powerful.”
Our next, fully-booked, Coach Training cohort kicks off today. If you want in, don’t wait—September is your next chance.
🔗 Read the story: https://iftalks.org/rJM15
🗓️ Sept sign up: https://iftalks.org/RQUrA
Are your listening habits helping—or hurting—your ability to collaborate?
This week, "listen up" as you join nationally-recognized listening activist Dr. John G. Igwebuike for a powerful online workshop on how better listening can transform your discussions, your leadership, and your civic life.
🗓️ The workshop is this Thursday, July 10—don’t miss it! Register at https://iftalks.org/q8iZp to take part.
How do we honor freedom—not just as a word, but as a practice?
This Fourth of July, we’re offering 50% off upcoming Collaborative Discussion Project workshops, each one designed to build the civic skills that help us engage meaningfully with our communities, challenge injustice, and work together for change.
🎟️ Use code 4thJuly at checkout for 50% off (expires Sunday)
🔗 Register here: https://iftalks.org/Events
Big social problems can feel overwhelming—but what if we could easily identify where change is most possible?
That's one of the ideas behind systems thinking, and is at the heart of Dr. Lori Britt's new activity for the Collaborative Discussion Project Toolkit.
- Read the story: https://iftalks.org/sdI3G
- Try out the activity at Lori's upcoming workshop: https://iftalks.org/Z9cI2
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #FacilitativeLeadership #SystemsThinking
“That’s not inclusion—it’s extraction.”
In our latest Collaborative Discussion Project impact story, Coach Danielle Marshall explores what it means to design *with* people, not just *for* them.
🔗 Read: https://iftalks.org/6BhwR
#WhatIF #EquityInPractice #FacilitativeLeadership #Belonging #CollaborativeDiscussion
Do we have a listening problem?
As a 2025 Collaborative Discussion Project Visiting Fellow, Dr. John Igwebuike is challenging the idea of listening as a passive act, and helping reimagine it as the cornerstone of collaboration.
🔗 Learn more, and sign up for John's upcoming workshop: https://iftalks.org/mBLtw
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #FacilitativeLeadership #ActiveListening
Today is the International Day of Living Together in Peace.
We can all take part in the work of creating a more inclusive and peaceful world in small, everyday ways—and if you're not quite sure where to begin, our free Collaborative Discussion Project Toolkit is full of activities to support you and your community (https://iftalks.org/Toolkit).
Want to go deeper? Sign up for upcoming Collaborative Discussion Coach Training: https://iftalks.org/CoachJul25
What do pirate ships, improv, and civic dialogue have in common?
One answer: CDP Visiting Fellow Don Waisanen, and the new tools he is creating for the free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit!
Don's tools draw inspiration from the world of improv to help us practice flexibility, empathy, and reflection in dialogue.
🔗 Read his story and join Don's upcoming workshop: https://iftalks.org/JBgos
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #CreativeCollaboration #Improv
“We’re in a crisis—but I believe you never let a crisis go to waste.”
When uncertainty made it harder for one nonprofit to connect its day-to-day work with its commitment to equity, CDP Coach Danielle Marshall invited the team to reframe the conversation.
In just one session, the team found clarity, a way forward—and for one participant, hope for the first time all year.
🔗 Read: https://iftalks.org/q5sln
#WhatIF #FacilitativeLeadership #CollaborativeDiscussion #EquityInPractice #DEI
This Earth Day, let’s start from where we are—by recognizing the knowledge already around us.
Free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit Activity 5.5, Identifying Knowledge in the Community, invites us to explore the expertise and lived experiences within our own communities. Why not use it to consider how we care for the planet?
🔗 Get the free activity: https://iftalks.org/CDP55
#WhatIF #EarthDay #CollaborativeDiscussion #CommunityKnowledge #Sustainability
How do you shift a college conversation from defensive to collaborative?
For Yordi, it started with one small change: dropping the word “but.”
In our latest post, she reflects on her experience as both a student and facilitator in IF’s Better College Discussions series.
Want to run your own programs? Join our summer CDP Coach Training: https://iftalks.org/ebINF
🔗 Read Yordi’s story: https://iftalks.org/K6W1L
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #StudentVoices #CollegeDialogue
During times of gathering—whether for Easter, spring holidays, or just because—conversations can be joyful, messy, and everything in between.
Activity 4.1 from the free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit, Awareness of Social Identity, is a gentle invitation to reflect on the different roles and identities we carry—and how they shape the way we connect with others.
🔗 Explore the activity: https://iftalks.org/CDP41
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #Easter #DiscussionResource
By popular demand, we’ve opened TWO more Collaborative Discussion Coach Trainings for 2025, in July and September.
If you’ve been curious about how to use our free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit to lead more inclusive, thoughtful conversations in your classroom, workplace, or community… this is your chance.
👉 Learn more and register: https://www.interactivityfoundation.org/become-a-collaborative-discussion-coach-july-september
In times when it can feel harder than ever to talk *with* each other, not past each other…
What if we had tools to make those conversations better?
Our free Collaborative Discussion Project Toolkit webinars introduce practical, flexible (and free!) activities to help you guide thoughtful, inclusive discussions—in classrooms, communities, or the workplace.
Next session: April 10 (tomorrow!)
👉 See dates & register: https://iftalks.org/3RHKc
What does it take to have thoughtful, collaborative conversations in a divided world?
In our latest post, Cuda reflects on facilitating Better College Discussions—a workshop series where students explored co-creation, perception, and complexity.
Want to bring these practices to your campus or organization? Join our summer CDP Coach Training: https://iftalks.org/ebINF
🔗 Read Cuda’s reflections: https://iftalks.org/nOnHm
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #CollegeDialogue #FacilitativeLeadership
It's March Madness—but we're not just talking basketball 🏀
Free CDP Toolkit Activity 5.1 uses a tournament-style bracket to help participants identify their civic passions. It's a fun, engaging way to spark meaningful discussion about the issues that matter most—perfect for classrooms or community groups.
🎧 Interview with creator Jessica Friedrichs: https://iftalks.org/4niQZ
🔗 Sign up for Coach Training: https://iftalks.org/ebINF
#WhatIF #CollaborativeDiscussion #MarchMadness #Facilitation
🎓 New case study: The CDP Toolkit in Education 🎓
💬 “The Interactivity Foundation has the best and most expansive set of tools for teachers. It’s well-organized, comprehensive, and free.” – Leila Brammer, University of Chicago
Educators are using the Collaborative Discussion Toolkit to help students engage across differences, build facilitation skills, and navigate complex conversations.
Read more 👉 https://iftalks.org/630yC
