Preparing for Public Discourse

Public discourse refers to presenting ideas, concepts, principles, values and other kinds of knowledge and information to others, whether in a meaningful conversation with an individual, a group discussion or meeting, a more public platform or event, at a conference, in social media or in publications. It is open to everyone, and is complementary to social action, through which your deeds should be coherent with your words.

One of the main purposes of the International Environment Forum is to contribute to public discourse relevant to the environment and sustainability, in particular by providing perspectives inspired by the Bahá'í Faith, its teachings and community experience. The IEF website is full of examples of public discourse in its conferences, statements and newsletters, and it provides many resources that you can use to prepare yourself for public discourse.

Given the importance for everyone to participate in public discourse, building this capacity is one way for the IEF to fulfil its mission. We have added to the educational materials on the e-learning section of this website a set of five presentations to help you to prepare for public discourse, both concerning the methods and content, with a focus on the environmental, social and economic dimensions relevant to sustainability, the need for global governance, and how to start in your local community.

You can find them here or under courses on the e-learning home page