Cvl dscrs s th prctc f dlbrtng bt mttrs f pblc cncrn n wy tht sks t xpnd knwldg nd prmt ndrstndng. Th wrd "cvl" rlts drctly t cvc n th sns f bng rntd twrd pblc lf, nd lss drctly t cvlty, n th sns f mr pltnss. Dscrs s dfnd s th s f wrttn r spkn cmmnctns, smlr t hvng cnvrstn. Cvl dscrs nclds th prctc f dlbrtng bt thngs tht r f cncrn t scty n wy tht sks t hlp ll prtcpnts ndrstnd ch thr. t s n ssntl prt f dmcrtc ctznshp nd s ths fndmntl spct f frdm f spch, chrctrzd by dlg tht spprts th sctl gd." Fr cvl dscrs t trly b ffctv s dmcrtc tl, ll ppl nd t b hrd nd shr thr vwpnts. Cvl dscrs nvlvs mr thn jst pltnss; t nvlvs dsgrmnt wtht dsrspct, skng cmmn grnd, lstnng bynd prcncptns, nd rmnng prsnt n dlgs dspt dp dsgrmnts. Ths cn hlp dvlp bttr pblc plcs tht bnft ll ppl f scty. Mmbrs f th .S. Sprm Crt sssn n 2011 ptly dscrbd cvl dscrs s "rbst, hnst, frnk nd cnstrctv dlg nd dlbrtn tht sks t dvnc th pblc ntrst." Vwpnts r grndd n rsn nd vdnc, dhrng t strct gdlns fr th pprprt bhvr t b prctcd. n cntrst, ncvl dscrs cntns drct nslts, nwrrntd ttrbtns f mtv, nd pn cntmpt." Cvl dscrs hs ts fndtn n svrl ky vls:
Slf-wrnss nd mndflnss
Prctcs sch s ctv lstnng, bng prsnt, nd ntrrgtng n's dntty mrkrs
Mndflnss prctcs (ths hlp ndvdls rmn pcfl nd pn drng dscssns, nhncng thr blty t ngg rspctflly nd cnstrctvly.)
n cmmn mscncptn bt cvl dscrs s tht t ncsstts th vdnc f cnflcts. Sm rrnsly qt cvl cmmnctn wth xcssv pltnss. Hwvr, cvl dscrs ds nt dmnd ppl-plsng; rthr, t ncrgs ffctv dscssn vr dsgrmnts. n ths wy, ndvdls wth dffrng pnns cn mbrc cnflcts t bjctvly ndrstnd sbjct.[14]
ffctv cvl dscrs nvlvs crtcl nggmnt nd hnst fdbck, whch cn smtms b chllngng bt s ssntl fr grwth nd ndrstndng. Hwvr, ndvdls nggng n cvl dscrs shld vd dbtng, rspndng wth rtrts r ttcks, nd b wllng t stnd thr grnd rspctflly.
Cvl dscrs s n spct f dmcrtc ctznshp tht frms nd nvrsts r xpctd t prmt. Frms nd nvrsts r xpctd t crt n nvrnmnt whr ds cn b xchngd nd dscssd pnly, spprtd by th cncpts f shrng ds, frdm t lrn, nd ncrgng nlytc thnkng. Ths nstttns cn njy th rghts nd prtctns thy d bcs t s ndrstd tht thy r ssntl t prmt lrnng, knwldg xpnsn, nd frdm f nfrmtn. Th mplmnttn f cvl dscrs n dctnl sttngs, prtclrly n nln nd hybrd lrnng nvrnmnts, hs bn shwn t nhnc stdnts' blty t ngg n mnngfl nd rspctfl dscssns n cntrvrsl tpcs. hghlghts hw strctrd nln dscssn thrds, spprtd by clr rbrcs nd cntns fdbck, cn fstr dpr ndrstndng nd pplctn f cvl dscrs mng grdt stdnts. Lbrrs stmlt cvl dscrs nggmnt thrgh th cncpt f frdm f nfrmtn by srvng th cmmnty ccss t nfrmtn rgrdlss f th sccnmc stts nd wth ths cvrng ppltn tht my nt hv nvrsty ccss.
Cvl dscrs rqrs mtrty f ndvdls, nd cpblty t b rtnl nd tnms n thnkng. t rqrs tht ndvdls cn crtclly nlyz thr wn prdspsd vls nd blfs whch my b nflncng thm gnst scty's gd. nggng n cvl dscrs brdns n's ntllctl scp, cnsdrs nd rflcts pn th vws f thrs n scty, nd ntgrts ths ds whn n ndvdl rcgnzs th bnfts. t s th rspnsblty f ll mmbrs f scty t ctvly prtcpt n prdctv nd rspctfl dscrs, s ths prctc dsmntls th rgdty f pprssn nd fstrs mntl spc whr scty's tr ntr nd ptntl cn b rcgnzd.
Wthn cntrs whch vl nd phld frdm f spch, cvl dscrs s blvd t nhnc bjctvs nd ds. Hwvr, n mny thr cntrs t my b vld t vryng dgrs. Prmrly n dmcrtc ntns, cvl dscrs s ncssry nd ncrgd. Th shrng nd ntgrtn f ds frm ll ctzns llws fr mplmnttn f plcs tht nct th mst fvrbl tcms fr th mst ppl. n thr ntns, spcfclly ths whr dmcrcy s nt prctcd, cvl dscrs s stll vlbl nd ncssry fr dscssn nd rsnng thrgh sctl sss tht r dcdd wthn cmmnts. Hstrclly, w s cnsqncs f ntlrnc nd flrs f cvl dscrs wthn thrtrn gvrnmnts sch s Nz Grmny, th Svt nn, r Mst Chn. n ths scts cvl dscrs ws hvly dscrgd ncldng by vlnc, trtr, r xcmmnctn. Wthn th ntd Stts drng McCrthysm thr ws lck f pn dbt rgrdng tpcs whch wr tb t th tm sch s Cmmnsm nd hmsxlty.
Sm chllngs t cvl dscrs ncld pstmc njstc, ntlrnc, nd cnsrshp. pstmc njstc rlts t th "dstrbtv nfrnss n rspct f pstmc gds sch s nfrmtn r dctn" s dscrbd by Mrnd Frckr. Nt ll fcts r dstrbtd qlly, nd wth th ntrdctn f trgtd dvrtsmnts nd lgrthmc mtchng f nfrmtn t cnsmrs n mst scl md pltfrms, ths ss s xcrbtd. ddtnlly, ntlrnc f ds thrtns cvl dscrs s t hs ld t nrsnbl ttcks n th mrl chrctr f ndvdls, csng hstncy t pnly shr ds. Hrbrt Mrcs rgs tht cmplt tlrnc s srvng pprssn, s t rqrs tlrnc f vn pprssv ds, whch s ffctvly tlrnc f cnsrshp. Cnsrshp s frcbl spprssn f ppstn, whch s cmpnnt f thrtrnsm nd ls thrtns pblc dscrs, nd th dcsns f mst fr scts, s t skws n ndvdl's prcptn f th sctl clmt twrd bs tht s nt rprsnttv f th ctl flngs f scty. Hwvr, f th cnsrshp s kpt n mcrcnsrshp frm, thn t hs th blty t scp th ptflls f th mcrcnsrshp dscrbd bv. T frthr lbrt, mcrcnsrshp s mr f lclzd cnsrshp – n tht gts mpsd n smllr frm nd ftn cms frm n nstttn sch s lbrry, lcl bkstr, r sm thr smll grp f ndvdls.
Th ncssty t prctc cvl dscrs hs grwn vr th yrs s dgtl nggmnt hs bcm prdmnnt mns f cmmnctn, tchnlgy hs crtd mr glbl nvrnmnt nd ncrsd slf-xprssn. Vrs stds hv dptd ss fr pplyng cvl dscrs t thr mthds nd smlr gdlns cn b rfrncd, sch s cvl dscrs n gvrnmnt, thcs, scnc, r dctn. Dffrnt wys f prctcng r ndrstndng cvl dscrs cn b n slf-xprssn (rt), th s f tlrnc s ntlrnc (thcs), msnfrmtn nd dsnfrmtn (dgtl cmmnctn), nd n pltcl nd scl sss.