For Successful Dialogue Practice

Try the following:

• Address the group as a whole. Avoid directing your words to one or two people.
• Remember that it is most useful to listen, hear, and understand.
• Avoid giving advice.
• Remember that a speaker is Probably doing her or his best to be honest.
• Avoid interrupting another. Your group has a way of dealing with those who who damage your practice.
• Keep expenses to a minimum. Everyone helps to take care of necessary expenses. Do your part.
• Everyone helps with the expenses as they can.
• Really listen to what another is saying. Improved understanding is a major aim of your group.
• Learn to listen well. You will gain greater listening skills.
• Encourage everyone to to speak at each opportunity. The words of each are gifts for us all.
• Usually limit speaking time to one or two minutes. It is great to have time to speak more than once at a single meeting.
• Remember that focusing dialogue on personal experience is good practice.
• In the very beginning get 7 or 8 interested persons to commit to 3 or 4 consecutive meetings.

Practice makes perfect.

More to come.

                                                    RCS