Dialogue Practice Group Benefits

More meaning in you your life, better understand of others, a way to a better world, being listened to.  

           

                On this new blog I intend to continue a number of posts on a kind of dialogue with which you may be becoming familiar. Some churches, corporations, civic organizations, and others have been benefiting from this sort of dialogue for years, so it is not brand new.

               

                For those who may not be certain of what I mean by dialogue, In brief, it is meaningful talk within groups.

                

                Below I will begin to note a few of the dialogue's benefits. As we are now on the internet I will say now that, I do not know of cases of the dialogue's being used successfully online. However, I believe that it is now possible to do so, but am not sure how. If you would like to suggest something the "comments" window below is for your use.

                

                As I know it, the dialogue is best used face to face, in person. And seems most effective in groups of between 20 and 40 participants. Groups of 15 and less have been please with it. Much of it can be used to good effect between husband and wife. It has been used with groups with groups much larger than 40 with professional facilitators and more as a demonstration than as well functioning group. I would like to see it use online. 

                

                The following list is far from inclusive and not completely representative, but can serve to introduce something of the dialogue.

                I am calling it the dialogue now, have called it Magic Table Dialogue and Dialogue For Peace.

                    

 Benefits include:

~ learning to make yourself heard.

~ being heard.

~ being listened to.

~ coming to enjoy being heard.

~ an opportunity for the practice of listening.

~ learning that dialogue is more than talk.

~ gaining motivation to listen.

~ improving your use of language.

~ practicing a language new to you.

~ learning new listening skills.

~ the possibility of getting in touch with traditions of knowledge new to you. 

~ getting to know yourself better.

~ getting to know an interesting other.

~ knowing new people.

~ having fun while realizing that the dialogue is a serious activity.

~ experiencing the creation of culture. 

~  increasing your word power.

~ Seeing how better dialogue can be a way to a better world.

~ sharing meaning and understanding.

~ the possibility of beginning an interesting new exploration with safe, comfortable "baby steps." Still there might come a time that you will want to take a step beyond your comfort zone.

~ improving your ability understand others, even those quite different from you.

~ learning more of the effect of assumptions in our lives.

~ the possibility of increased meaning and understanding in our lives.

                                     

                 More to come.

               

                Thank you for reading!

                                                                                                              RCS

 

 

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.

Dialogue of a Different Sort

An introduction to what I call the dialogue.

 

            There are kinds of dialogue. I intend to post about one of them. It is not the kind written into a novel or a film script. It is seldom used between two people, but can be. It is a kind of group talk which is rare today. It is a face to face communication that has come into use by some corporations and churches. It has been found useful for successful communication among persons of differing backgrounds. I have called it Magic Table Dialogue and a Dialogue For Peace. For now I will just call it the dialogue.

            The dialogue is a sort of practice. It is use to "create areas of coherence in the vastness of misunderstanding." I see it as doing just that, Another benefit of the dialogue practice is our experiencing the power  of collectively shared meaning. Yes, practice. I am writing about a practice. Much ordinary talk in our society may be called incoherent. The practice is an attempt to move us toward greater coherence.

            To learn to use the dialogue I write about takes practice. It takes practice to develop proficiency in its use. The dialogue and its practice has rules and skills to learn. The rules point to the nature of correct practice; perhaps a bit like at the gym or in yoga.

            A long range aim of the practice is learning  to think together coherently. An earlier aim could be called "effective listening." It might be called  listening practice, but it calls for the use of mind as well as ears. The satisfying power of thinking together may be begin with improved listening skills.

            Thinking together is not learned quickly and is not even much considered in early practice. Even so, it is a goal of the practice. It is a growing and learning process in which our individuality is respected and honored.

            There were times and places this kind of talk was more common. It became more uncommon and is still rare, but is experiencing renewal. It seems tome that it is urgent that more of us practice this dialogue and I intend to post more about it. It may be urgent for our benefit and the benefit of our world that we practice a more effectively honed, coherent communication. You can begin to practice more effective dialogue right now.

            You can learn to form a dialogue practice group for you and others.

            A dialogue practice group benefits and can thrive when its members strive for diversity and inclusiveness.

            For our well-being and, perhaps, our survival we need to better share our awareness and and experience, and become better able to talk more coherently together. Being able to talk more coherently enables us to better think together which enables us to do intelligently and effectively that which we deem necessary.

            That's it for now. This is the end of this little introduction. I intend to post more about the dialogue and its practice. Comment in the "comments" window below.

            Just talk can lead to action. Better talk can lead to better action. Very good talk can lead to really good action happening sooner.

                    RCS