Enhancing Productive Dialogues

1. Delineation of context (all discourse inherently rooted in context) – What are the historical roots of a controversy, what special interests have emerged?
2. Acknowledgement and examination of assumptions, values – Teasing out assumptions of positions allow these to be questioned; implicit values need to be made explicit.
3. Reciprocity – Active engagement with each other’s views rather than exclusively defending one’s own is essential.
4. Active listening involving paraphrasing to clarify others’ statements is conducive to understanding them. Reflective thought throughout the process results in understanding ourselves.
5. Structured reflection – Oral and/or written reflection that causes students to take a step back from their immediate situation in order to reframe their experiences (Colby et al., 2007).
6. Finding common ground – Areas of agreement are important to stake out, especially as a counter to polarization.
7. Apology and forgiveness – Any incivility or offense need to be addressed explicitly, apologized for, and forgiven so as not to impede further communication.
   (Rodin & Steinberg, 2003).

 Creating Ground Rules