This booklet is the second in a series of four research reports that address problems in smaller American cities. The reports focus on issues of collaboration between public, private, and not-for-profit sectors in communities; profile urban issues in the context of strategies for systemic change; and suggest new models for strengthening communities. This report introduces the reader to the role deliberation can play in creating new opportunities for communities to work together in more productive ways. The report draws on statistical and educational research to support the thesis that deliberative discussions can help a community learn its own strengths and weaknesses and can help bolster its confidence in its ability to change itself for the better. Using a Community Convention (a contemporary version of the New England town meeting) as a vehicle, the report explores the possibility of achieving a representative voice from all community segments. Several examples of the Convention at work are given, and an appendix lists possible Community Convention processes. (SLD)