4. Conversation: the heart of “social”

“Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.” - Jane Goodall

A checkers game on the streets of Hong Kong (Image: Marc Rettig)

Social networks are self-generating: through communication we develop thoughts, meaning. By sharing thought and meaning we develop shared belief systems, explanations and values. It is a key insight of this course that by this same process, a shift in the conversation can help us shift our worldview and behavior.

We will lean on dialogue theory to help us understand how to help people move from conversation-as-debate to generative dialogue, through which we can gain shared understanding of what is going on, repair frayed relationships, align on what unites us, and move to action together.

Lecture and Activities

• Warm up: experience the difference between debate and dialogue
• Lecture: key concepts of dialogue; conversational dynamics at the heart of groups, communities, and organizations
• Reflection and discussion

Key Concepts

• The fork in the road: dialogue vs debate
• Three levels of conversation
• Sequences of dialogue sessions