1. Organizing and Conducting GOOD Discussions through Dialogue
Ratnesh Nagda
School of Social Work

2. WELCOME!! Welcome and Overview of session 3 critical questions for us:
What does a GOOD discussion feel like?
What is dialogue and intergroup dialogue?
How do we organize for effective dialogues?

3. AN EXPANDED DEFINITION OF INTERGROUP DIALOGUE
A social justice approach to dialogue… foregrounds both societal power relations of domination- subordination, and the creative possibilities for engaging and working with and across these differences. Cultural differences are contextualized in historical and existant social power relations. The approach aims to move beyond seeing these differences as divisive, and to collectively generate newer ways of being powerful without perpetuating social inequalities, and building bridges for social change.
Such an approach, therefore, can be used in mixed groups that are not defined along any particular social identities but allows for a consideration of different social positionalities.

4. UW INTERGROUP DIALOGUE INITIATIVE
Call for more courses focusing on racial and ethnic diversity
Failed attempts to pass undergraduate requirement
Innovations at departmental levels
Demands from students for more substantive and meaningful engagement with issues of diversity and social justice
Current initiative
FIGs, Gateway courses, Early Fall Start
Student and faculty leadership development
On-going curriculum development, research and evaluation

5. 3 CRITICAL IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION & DIALOGUE
Analytical and Knowledge Lens
Integration of multiple sources of knowledge, and conceptual and theoretical frameworks
Conditions for discussion and dialogue
Characteristics of learning environment that can provide meaningful participation and engagement (cognitive and affective)
Processes for discussion and dialogue
Learning, communication and interaction processes that can enable invigorating, respectful, honest and challenging reflection and dialogue

6. DIALOGUE… or DEBATE Dialogue Debate collaborative win-win
listening to understand
introspection
searches for strengths
open-ended
connection
Dialogue
oppositional
win-lose
listen to find flaws
critique
close-minded
search for weaknesses
separation
Debate

7. WHAT IS DIALOGIC COMMUNICATION?
An exchange of perspectives, experiences, and beliefs in which people speak and listen openly and respectfully In dialogue, participants speak as unique individuals about their own beliefs and experiences, reveal their uncertainties as well as certainties, and try to understand one another.

8. WHAT IS DIALOGIC COMMUNICATION?
… a two-way communication
… seeks to ensure clarity in understanding
… strives to build on the on-going conversation instead of introducing completely different topics
… searches for the different threads in the group discussion—similarities, differences, different levels, modes, and other ways of relating ideas
… affirming and supportive
… challenging

9. BUILDING BLOCKS OF DIALOGUE
Suspension of judgment
Active(Deep) Listening
Reflection & Inquiry
Identifying
Assumptions

10. SUSPENSION OF JUDGMENT…
* Developing an openness
* Being aware of our judgments
* Holding them softly so you can hear the other person

11. DEEP LISTENING… * Paying attention * Focusing on the moment
* Not getting lost in our own head trips

12. IDENTIFYING ASSUMPTIONS…
*Peeling an onion to get to different levels of understanding
* Making assumptions explicit
* Being aware of what we don’t say because of our assumptions

13. REFLECTION AND INQUIRY…
*Inquiry, coming up with questions based on your reflection
* Inner reflection
* Being clear what it means to you
* Slowing down, taking in what’s been said, thinking through

14. What is your responsibility as a discussion leader/ facilitator to foster a climate related to each building block?

15. SPIRAL MODEL OF ACTIVE LEARNING
5. Apply in action…
4. Strategize next steps,
practice skills,
plan for actions
2: Look for patterns and themes
1: Start with
experiences
of participants
3: Add new information
and theory, readings,
analogies