What is dialogue?

1
What is dialogue?

• Some characteristics
• Balances advocacy and inquiry, direction and
  exploration
• Difference is invited and used creatively
• Includes and respects others
• Curious about how others they see the
  situation/world
• Suspend judgement and see other possibilities
• Speak without imposing a view

2
Advocacy and inquiry

• Advocacy speaking for a point of view, giving
  an opinion, is directional
• Making a point or recommendation/case
• Suggestions, solutions
• Action, treatment
• Inquiry seeking to discover what is not yet
  known, is exploratory
• Wondering how another person sees things
• Curiosity what are we missing?
• Probing, diagnosis

3
Dialogue

• Balances advocacy and inquiry (Argyris)
• Become aware of the balance
• Learn how to do each skilfully
• Channels difference towards something that hasnt
  been created before (Isaacs)
• Learn how to recover from own reaction to
  difference and be skilful
• Learn how to hold differences or conflict
  between others

4
We only know half the story
The impact of my words on them - unknown
My intent - knowable
The impact of their words on me - knowable
Their intent - unknown
5
How we make sense of the world
FILTERS
Pattern recognition
(efficiency)
Sensory information Eyes, ears, touch
Best fit
With emotional tag
Conclusion or decision
Fill in gaps
(reinforcing)
Speak or act
6
The ladder of inference
I speak or act based on my beliefs
I adopt beliefs about the world
I draw conclusions
Reflexive loop my beliefs affect the data I
select next time
I shoot up the ladder of inference as I take in
and make sense of my situation
I fill in any gaps with assumptions
I pattern-match, make meaning, pick up emotional
tags
I select partial, filtered data
Direct experience, sensory data, what actually
happened
Chris Argyris (adapted)
7
Inquiry into your own ladder
I speak or act based on my beliefs
What are your decision making preferences?
Logic-based? Values-based? Experience-based? What
part do your emotions play? How quickly do you
become attached to your conclusions?
I adopt beliefs about the world
What are your paradigms, your mental models, your
maps of the world, your narratives? What dont
you know? What assumptions are you making? What
colours your experience? Where do your emotions
fit in?
I draw conclusions
I fill in any gaps with assumptions

I pattern-match, make meaning, pick up emotional
tags
Which senses do you prefer? Do you filter for
detail or big picture? For people or tasks? Logic
or feelings? Do you like things decided or
flexible? How do your beliefs influence what you
take notice of? How do your feelings
(likes/dislikes) influence what you pay attention
to?
I select partial, filtered data
Direct experience, sensory data, what actually
happened
Chris Argyris (adapted)l
8
Opposition/resistance/conflict

• Habitual
• Give up (disregard self)
• Steam-roll (disregard other)
• Stay stuck (disregard organisation/patients)
• Tends to
• Limit information (weapon focus)
• Take things personally
• Run out of options
• Be expedient/impose
• Feel overwhelmed by the trees

• Centred
• Collect self
• Include other
• Be aware of context and impact
• Can access
• More sensory information
• Curiosity
• Creativity
• Values/ethics
• Perspective - see the wood