Dialogue is a specific form of communication that promotes connection and understanding, especially across differences. It can be a powerful way to promote collaboration, effective communication, and inclusion in academic and professional settings. This resource includes strategies that the CDP team has found helpful for encouraging dialogue. These strategies are particularly useful for navigating complex group-level conversations and creating an inclusive learning and working environment. They also offer practical ways to implement Community Agreements, some of which we have highlighted here.
Collect group input before or during a meeting
Connect with key stakeholders before the meeting to develop a plan together.
Ask participants to share agenda items or questions before a meeting or a series of meetings.
For specific challenging conversations, invite anonymous input using tools like Poll Everywhere, Google Forms, or Padlet. You could use Poll Everywhere to ask scaled questions about agreement with specific statements or confidence in specific topics. Google Forms and Padlet are great for collecting and organizing open-ended responses to questions, learning points, or areas of agreement and disagreement. Share the responses with the group anonymously, e.g. print and post on a wall for a gallery walk, create a word cloud, display poll results, or compile responses for a shared document.
Community agreements supported:Take space, make space Be both teachers and learners Challenge the idea, not the person |
Other goal(s) supported:Highlight the benefits and opportunities of hearing diverse perspectives |
Surface motivations and sources of discomfort held by participants about the conversation/issue
Ask each person to reflect on a couple of prompts in advance or at the start of the meeting, such as:
- What energizes or excites you about this conversation?
- What about it makes you feel uncomfortable or challenged?
- What concerns do you have about this conversation?
You can then invite people to share their reflections in pairs or small groups, with the full group, or anonymously. This can help to open the conversation and encourage authentic engagement and connection.
Community agreements supported:Embrace discomfort Acknowledge judgments and assumptions, including our own Using “I” statements |
Other goal(s) supported:Highlight discomfort as essential for learning, creating shared meaning, and affecting change |
Set conversation expectations
Spend a few minutes at the beginning of a conversation sharing your goals for the content (what we are here to talk about/accomplish) and process (how will we go about communicating with one another?). This helps align the group around a shared purpose and clarifies expectations for participation. Setting conversation expectations is especially important if you want to try something outside the norm of what participants are used to. In many instances, it can also be helpful to clarify your own role and stake in the conversation.
This might look like:
- Sharing a goal to hear multiple perspectives from different sides of an issue
- Letting people know that you want to hear from each person at least once
- Encouraging participants to use communication practices they’ve been working on
- Communicating the need for microphone usage, if applicable
- Sharing expectations around device usage
- Letting people know how they should expect to participate (e.g. having cameras on, raising hands, etc.)
Community agreements supported:Choose the agreements, norms, and goals that are best suited for your conversation |
Other goal(s) supported:Building investment and shared purpose in the conversation Model that the process of communication is something you’re giving attention to and plan to support throughout the conversation |
Use the “three hands” strategy
After posing a question, state that you will wait for at least three participants to raise their hands to offer input before calling on anyone.
You can then call first on voices that have been quieter or those who you think will offer a fresh perspective.
Community agreements supported:Take space, make space Be both teachers and learners |
Other goal(s) supported:Make space for those who need time to process before responding Prioritize new perspectives |
Set an expectation of “no interruptions”
Set this expectation by asking participants to refrain from responding or envisioning their response while someone is speaking and noting that this is an essential demonstration of mutual respect and empathy. Interruptions or raised hands while someone is speaking indicate that the listener hasn’t listened fully. It can help people resist the urge to interrupt if they know that there will be an opportunity for them to share their own perspective later, and that you, as the facilitator, will encourage a focused conversation by responding to people who take more than their share of time, or who redirect the conversation in unhelpful ways.
Community agreements supported:One microphone Practice active and empathetic listening |
Other goal(s) supported:Promote constructive communication, connection, and the development of trust and mutual understanding |
Pull in alternative perspectives
This can look like:
- Expressing the value of hearing different perspectives to fully understand this issue.
- Saying that you want to hear from people who have not yet spoken.
- Explicitly asking for alternative/different perspectives, even if they are views not necessarily held by participants.
- Sharing areas of both agreement and disagreement with dominant views that have been surfaced.
- If you collected questions or feedback before the meeting, sharing that additional concerns or perspectives were raised that haven’t yet been brought into the conversation, and explicitly name them.
- Describe what you’d like to learn more about, and/or ask participants what they would like to learn more about.
Community agreements supported:Take space, make space Be both teachers and learners Acknowledge judgments and assumptions, including our own Challenge the idea, not the person |
Other goal(s) supported:Highlight that all voices are welcome and needed, especially alternative or less dominant perspectives |
Start with reflection and “idea dump”
After posing a complex or challenging question, offer quiet time for all to reflect individually and write their answers/thoughts before asking them to engage with each other. You can have this reflection be private or use tools like Google Forms or Poll Everywhere to gather many ideas to distill with the group.
Community agreements supported:Be here now Acknowledge judgments and assumptions, including our own Practice active and empathetic listening |
Scaffold conversations
Use small groups and pair-shares before building to a large group conversation to give all participants the space to reflect on and share their perspectives. It can also ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, and every participant is able to actively engage.
For example, send participants to small groups with a prompt and clear instructions (how much time they have as a group, how to use their time, what they’ll be expected to produce or share afterward). Be mindful of group dynamics (e.g. who might need to take or make more space).
Community agreements supported:Take space, make space Be both teachers and learners |
Other goal(s) supported:Highlight the importance and impact of hearing diverse perspectives Emphasizing the importance of both sharing and listening for mutual understanding |
Incorporate LARA
Remind participants of the goals and stages of LARA and encourage them to use this framework. Model using LARA in conversation.
Be generous in assuming intentions (and say this), but be courageous about sharing impact in a way that supports dialogue.
Intentional Communication: Using LARA Resource
Community agreements supported:Practice active and empathetic listening Be both teachers and learners Trust intent, name impact |
Retrospective review of goals, practices, and outcomes
After taking an action, do a retrospective review and use this to inform the unit’s next steps. Prompt participants to reflect:
- What did we plan to do and why?
- What happened when we implemented this plan? Why?
- What did we learn about the topic of conversation?
- What did we learn about ourselves as a unit?
- What did we learn about our next steps?
Community agreements supported:Stories stay, lessons leave Acknowledge judgments and assumptions, including our own “Challenge the idea, not the person” “Trust intent, name impact” |
Other goal(s) supported:Focus the group’s attention on the importance of group processes for setting and implementing goals Encourage individuals to reflect on their personal contributions to the group climate and its patterns |
Reflect on the conversation
After an important or challenging group conversation, ask each participant to reflect on and share one thing they learned. Lessons might be shared using pair-shares, small group conversations, or a large group go-around.
Community agreements supported:Stories stay, lessons leave Challenge the idea, not the person Trust intent, name impact |
Other goal(s) supported:Promote participants’ sense of ownership, agency, and capacity in the group |
Offer feedback about the conversation itself
For example, you might say:
- “I’ve noticed that we keep hearing from a few of the same people. What can we do as a group to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute?”
- “I noticed that we heard a lot of similar perspectives. What can we do as a group to ensure that we’re encountering a range of perspectives in our next conversation?”
- “I notice that we’ve been working hard to actively listen to one another. Even though there were moments of challenge, this commitment to listening helped us have a constructive and respectful dialogue today.”
Community agreements supported:Any Community Agreement that could be named to support clear feedback to the group |
Other goal(s) supported:Redirecting discussions and debates toward dialogue Model that leaders are watching for and expecting all to engage in constructive, respectful dialogue |