Not a Public Forum

Public forums are great. Our dialogue practices are social, but usually not public. They are more focused on meaning and understanding than is much of our discourse.  

             A public forum is of great value to a people. It is a place for news and information to be exchanged, and may be a place to convince others of the value of one's positions. It may even be a place for economic or religious contention. Such forums are important tools of democracy, nation, and community.

        Members of dialogue practice groups often support public forums. The public forum is a place for the practice of free speech wherein the limits are so broad so that it seems that anything goes. The debate found there is often valuable. Our practice groups are less interested in bringing another to our point of view and more interested in truly understanding the meaning of what the speaker has said.

        In our dialogue groups we aim for higher levels of meaning, understanding, and ability to think together. We aim for greater respect and valuing for the assumptions and opinions of others. With appropriate modesty, we aim to better understand the meaning what others are saying for us.

        We like our group to be inclusive. We are interested in sharing peace, meaning, and understanding. In our groups we practice talking among ourselves using rules for, and ways of,  carrying on our talk effectively.

        To beginners our talk sometimes seems purposeless. We seem to have no agenda, to have little authority or hierarchy. However, with our rules, ways, and skills, we limit fear, anger, and contention as we enhance understanding, meaning, and peace. At times we are pleasantly surprised by evidence of a new power of thinking together.

        Check out the other posts on this kind of dialog on this blog. A new post is on the way.

        Thank you for reading.

        

                                                    by Richard Sheehan 

                    

Assumption: "Talk is cheap"

 A new kind of effective dialogue is being practiced and I have been posting about it.     

                  Let me repeat just a bit about the nature of our dialogue before writing about "assumptions," an important concept for those who advance in dialogue practice.

 

                    A useful size for a dialogue group can be about 28, with considerable flexibility. A couple alone can benefit from its practice. Groups of 40 or more change in nature and come to be more of a demonstration group and calls for facilitators.   

 

                    This kind of dialogue is a unusually effective and needed way of communication. It takes some practice to learn to work it. However,  much can be learned about it right here.

 

                    A happening that is proving important in our practice is "assuming."  An assumption is much like an opinion, but one may be less aware of it. We have found that it takes some effort to put our learning about assuming into practice. It is not even easy to keep in mind that assumption can be active in our talk even when we are not aware of their activity. So, how are we to be aware of the assumptions of those we are talking with.  

 

                    Even so, we find our growing awareness of assumptions very interesting; very interesting, valuable, and enlightening.   

 

                    So, yes, there are those who are finding the benefits of 

practicing our "new" kind of dialogue. You can place yourself among them.

 

                    If you care to think of this dialogue practice as a kind of schooling you may see us as working at a kindergarten or primary school level. That is true, but our vision extends to beyond the post graduate level.

                    Assumptions are probably not among your top reasons for an interest in dialogue. They were not among the first human behaviors which drew me to the dialogue. However, as my experience with dialogue has grown, the more important I see our assumptions to be.

                    The list which follows deals with assumptions and how their workings can effect our talk and understanding:

~ Assumptions are learned much as beliefs and opinions are, from experience, our own experience and that of others.

~ As assumptions appeared to be mainly learned from experience, we are learning that, for example, the more one understand of her experiences and how she has interpreted them, the better are our chances for for respecting and loving her fairly and truly. The same seems true as we become more aware of our own experience and how we interpret it.

~ As assumptions come up in our advanced dialogues, we find it useful to avoid believing them or disbelieving them. We have found it best to first come to better understand them.

~ Our assumptions are often an important part of who we are. We tend to want to defend them, but have found it best not to try to defend our own and very important to avoid attacking those of another.

~ We are becoming more willing to know more of the experiences which led to the creations of an assumption of our own and that of another member of the group. No one has to feel obligated to share an experience, but a time may come when it is useful to do so.

~ We find that we can take in many assumptions and privately note our reaction to each of them and so come to know more about our-self as well as he who shared an assumption.

~ We do want to come to a dialogue level whereat assumptions can come up and out somewhat freely in advanced meetings.

~ We would like assumptions, our own and those of others, to come out where we can all look them over and understand them in some comfort.

~ Many of our assumptions are unconscious or pre-conscious. We find it beneficial to become aware of them.

~ We feel that knowing the meaning of each assumption helps us appreciate the opinions and positions of others.

                    A practice group may meet weekly for a year without a mention of an assumption and still learn much and realize much progress. Even so, most who continue their practice, come to feel the power an importance of assumption in their lives and in society. The become please to be aware of them as the come up in their group.

                    More about the nature and the practice of dialogue to come. Have you taken a look at the other posts on this blog?

                    Just below the end of this post you can find the word "comments" or even "no comments." By clicking their you can find a place questions and comments about the content above and even add to it! Please do so.

 

                    Thank you for reading.

 

 

                                                       Richard