Sep 28, 2010
Six Simple Ways to Encourage Dialogue
Posted by Joe Paravisini in Community | Comments (2)
In my last post, I discussed the benefits of healthy dialogue to the learning process. This post goes over a few tips on fostering this kind of dialogue in your own community groups. This list is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to add to it in the comments below.
1 - Break the Ice
In the early stages of relationship building, group discussions can be awkward and silent. If the participants do not know each other very well, they are full of insecurities and reservations keeping them from engaging in conversation as freely. Spending time interacting in a less “formal” way can help this greatly. Share a meal, play a game, talk about the weather, whatever. Intimacy and trust to engage heartily in group discussions does not happen overnight, so don’t worry about it.
2 - Ask Open-Ended Questions
If it can be answered with just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, it probably will be. Ask questions that engage people’s minds and require explanations or examples to answer.
3 - Do Not Shut People Down
Sometimes, a participant will answer your question, and you know their answer is totally wrong. An amateur facilitator will correct the person immediately and directly, which can increase the intimidation factor in the group, stifling discussion. In situations like these, it can be more helpful to thank the person for their contribution, and ask if anyone else can add to it. Most of the time, the group corrects itself through several different voices. It is more important that participants feel welcome to at least try to answer questions, then to feel like they would be shut down for getting the answer wrong.
4 - Clarify
If your questions are resulting in dead silence, one of two things is probably going on:
- Participants have engaged in deep introspection because of the magnitude of awesomeness posed by your question. They are mentally changing areas in their life, and are too busy to respond. or…
- The question was confusing, and no one is really sure what you are talking about or looking for in a response. Pick up on that cue and restate the question in a different way, or ditch it altogether and move on. Don’t be emotionally invested in the questions that you created.
5 - Allow The Path of Questions To Teach
Identify the path that you took when you learned something new and ask questions that lead others down a similar path. Do not be satisfied with just ingesting and regurgitating propositions. If the point you are trying to make is logically sound, guide others down that same path of learning. Allow them to think for themselves, and you will all be better off in the end. This is basically the socratic method, and you will do well to study this further.
6 - Be Observant
This is probably the most important thing you can do. Observe your participant’s reactions to questions, answers, awkward silence, etc. Maybe you have someone who is shy and seems like they want to answer a question. It can be helpful at times to be the first person to answer, as it is less intimidating to be the second or third person answering a question. If you have someone who has hijacked the whole conversation, allow yourself to take charge a little bit to give others a chance to engage. If everyone stares at you like deer in headlights after a question is posed.
These are just a few ideas that I’ve learned from my own experience. What about you? Do you have any great tips for engaging discussions? What have you learned works well, and what doesn't work well? Leave a comment!
Posted by Joe Paravisini in Community
