Hi there,
With due respect to the great efforts involved, the lightning talks - as powerful as some of them were, I found them ineffective. Our national and global issues concerning Democracy can not be raced through, and they will not have the opportunity to change without allowing a prolonged interaction between presenters and receivers. No quick fix-it talks - this method has to stop. Hot-topic presentations must be turned into interactive dialogues of conversation that allow all sides, and all individuals, to be heard regarding any and all points of fact and opinion. We will not be able to design ourselves out of our present day disfunction without addressing HOW we address disfunction itself, starting with the way we share information with each other. I wish to thank you for the work you have all done so far, and ask that you stay open to the unexpected and uncomfortable. Please open yourselves to what is beyond each of our own thinking, because 'that' is where true change resides. In the practice of allowing something new, we can turn something that 'might' be possible into what can and 'will' happen. Rethink your methods for interactive discourse, as that is where healthy changes in our democratic process begin.
All the best,
Vic D. (open gov participant)