Shared Reality and Dialogue Culture Dr. Bernd Schmid Shared Reality and Dialogue Culture

Dialogue Culture Creating a shared reality in a context? Building a learning partnership at eye level Meeting each other‘s realities! Helping each other to understand the realities involved Experimenting with creating realities here and now Experimenting with creating realities for there and then

Beyond Command and Submission People must understand Their task Their role and their contribution to the requested performance The roles of others and their contribution The actual “Taylorism” (workflow, divided into parts) and synthesis

Shared Frames of Reference Can be constructed from outside and contributions assigned Can be organized by framing and self-organization within these frames Cooperation is based on the mutual understanding of roles and contributions Frames of reference and behavior of partners are based on individual realities

Communication as a Cultural Encounter

Implications of the Cultural Encounter Model Describes communication as encounter of cultures (personal, professional, regional etc.) Does not assume that mutual understanding is normal Each communicator involved is predominantly orientated to their own reality Necessary to study the realities of the sender and of the recipient Assumes that creating a shared reality is a necessary extra effort

Levels of Communication Encounters Level 4: Shared understanding of responsibilities and achievements Level 3: Shared understanding of how people and things interact Level 2: Shared meaning and relevance of perspectives and facts Level 1: Shared perspectives and facts to be taken into account

Perspectives and Events

Perspectives and Events

Meta-perspective  Helicopter style of communicating

Dialogue culture behavior Don’t know already: Ask! Don’t assume: Clarify! Don’t expect understanding: Explain! Don’t look up or down: Attain equality at eye level! Don’t complain: Look for resources and solutions! Accept mistakes: But require learning! See the humans who play their roles in a context!