Host Your Own
Community Conversations
Have ideas about the future of NYC? Agree or disagree with the survey results? NYC Speaks invites you to bring together a group of your neighbors, friends, or family to host your own Community Conversation!
This conversation guide contains everything you need to host a conversation that can shape the future of your city, whether it’s an hour-long discussion over a meal with a few friends or a 90-minute workshop with a dozen members of your community. Host your event, share your notes with us, and see your voice make a difference.
Together with the survey data, input from Community Conversations will help determine the priorities, policies, and programs of the new mayor and his administration. This information will inform proposals that will be developed in workshops with the City, practitioners, and other experts. These proposals will be included in the final Action Plan, which will be released this summer, and inform the City’s Strategic Plan, budget decisions, and other policy priorities in the near- and long-term.
THE AGENDA
This is what a Community Conversation can look like, but feel free to adjust the times based on what makes the most sense to you. You can plug Community Conversations into existing events, like monthly meetings, or plan a standalone event.
| Time | Focus |
|---|---|
| 15 min | Welcome + Introductions (introducing the facilitator, NYC Speaks, and the objective of the community conversation) |
| 45 min | Conversation Topic Activity + Discussion |
| 45 min | 2nd Conversation Topic Activity + Discussion (optional) |
| 10 min | Report Backs (if you utilized breakout groups, giving everyone a chance to hear what everyone talked about) |
| 5 min | Closing and Thank You |
THE TOOLKIT
The NYC Speaks Community Conversations toolkit includes all the resources you need to host your own event, whether you’re hosting members of your organization or your community of friends and family.
Download the full toolkit here, but you can browse some of the the tools below.
Invitation Materials
to spread the word about your community conversation, including:
- Email Templates
- Phone Scripts
- Social Media Posts
- Outreach Flyer
Civic Education Sheets
to share at your event to build knowledge about how city government works, including:
- NYC Speaks
- City Government Roles and Powers
- City Budget 101
- Strategic Plans
- Tools for Civic Engagement
Conversation Guides + Materials
to help you facilitate a Community Conversation, including:
- Facilitation Guides for an in-person event or virtual event and a Report-Back Sheet
- Topic Data Sheets, Activity Sheets, and Note Taking Documents
Report Back
instructions to share what you heard at your conversation with NYC Speaks
Ready to host?
The Community Conversations toolkit contains citywide data, facilitation guides, invitation flyers, and everything else you will need to host your own discussion, in person or virtually.
QUESTIONS?
Watch the video below for more guidance on how to host a Community Conversations event. If you have additional questions or want to give us a heads up about your event, email hello@nycspeaks.org.