The process – not the rhetoric – of change.

If change is to come, we cannot return to business as usual. We have seen so many elections that promised hope and more responsive government. And time and again, we have returned from our polling places to our homes and just waited for change to come. This time, something must be different.

It is wonderful that Americans showed their commitment by standing in lines for hours to vote or volunteered in the final months of the campaign – no matter which candidate they supported. But change will not come if citizens return to disengagement and leaders head to Washington and only listen to themselves and to lobbyists. The public voice that roared with impressive voter turnout cannot go silent in the months and years to come if we are to make real progress on entrenched, unresolved issues.

Public dialogue is the way forward.

This election brought more people of diverse backgrounds and young people into the political process than ever before. It would be a tragedy if American politics alienates those newcomers with a political process that doesn't ask for their continued involvement and returns to the same old bickering between parties and jockeying for political points instead of long-term planning for the challenges that lay ahead.

President-elect Barack Obama said, "I will listen to you, especially when we disagree." But it isn't always easy to listen to Americans from all walks of life when you spend the majority of your time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. How can the president stay connected?

Public dialogue is the way forward.

With no clear consensus on how to proceed in Iraq and Afghanistan, huge unresolved questions about how to spur economic growth and no national consensus on issues like health care, immigration, energy and taxes, it is clear that the election did not provide all of the answers. Even if one believes that the election was a repudiation of the Bush administration's agenda, it cannot be asserted that an Obama administration has carte blanche to proceed without heed.

The promise of full public participation cannot end with the campaign.

Public dialogue is the way forward.

Organizations like Public Agenda help communities to connect with leaders, have substantive conversations based on thorough issue frameworks, and make progress on tough issues that demand compromise and sacrifice. We know that informed citizens are the real leaders of change across America, and no major reform can take place in the United States without their participation and support. We also know that a public that is not fully involved in learning and contributing to the national conversation can be a major barrier to change.

Real public dialogue isn't public relations in different clothing. Nor is it a "nice idea" in democratic theory. Public dialogue is the actual day-to-day, down-in-the-trenches practice of democracy. It's bringing together people who normally would never sit in the same room and helping them explore issues and find common ground for action. It is extending the conversation that happens between candidates during campaigns to communities across America so that people of all walks of life and from many sets of experiences can weigh in with their own knowledge and beliefs. Building national consensus on the tough issues we face requires hard work to keep Americans engaged and learning.

PUBLIC DIALOGUE IS THE WAY FORWARD.

America didn't just vote for Barack Obama, it voted for a different way of conducting politics. With this election, Americans have said: "We want leaders who listen." Listening can't happen through lobbyists and the echo chamber that is Washington. Dialogue works. Dialogue is the practice of democracy for the 21st century. Dialogue is the way forward, together.