Constructive Dialogue: Definitions

We can easily define the words “constructive” and “dialogue” individually, but when the two words are used as a phrase, the meaning is to build more from a conversation than participants started with. After several possible definitions, we outline a list of synonyms and similar terms to help develop shared meaning.

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Constructive Dialogue Institute defines constructive dialogue as “a form of conversation in which people who have different values, beliefs, and perspectives seek to build new ways to understand and interact with each other, even as they sustain commitments to their own principles and perspectives.” There are Five Principles of constructive dialogues: 1. Let Go of Winning; 2. Ask Questions to Understand; 3. Share your Story and Invite Others to do the Same; 4. Make Yourself and Others Feel Heard; 5. Find What is Shared

Additional Definitions

Bohm, David. (1996) – On Dialogue

“The object of a dialogue is not to analyze things, or to win an argument, or to exchange opinions. Rather, it is to suspend your opinions and to look at the opinions — to listen to everybody’s opinions, to suspend them, and to see what all that means. If we can see what all of our opinions mean, then we are sharing a common content, even if we don’t agree entirely. It may turn out that the opinions are not really very important — they are all assumptions. And if we can see them all, we may then move more creatively in a different direction. We can just simply share the appreciation of the meanings; and out of this whole thing, truth emerges unannounced — not that we have chosen it.” p. 26

Gore, Al. (2007) – Assault on Reason

“A well-connected citizenry is made up of men and women who discuss and debate ideas and issues among themselves and who constantly test the validity of the information and impressions they receive from one another—as well as the ones they receive from their government. No citizenry can be well informed without a constant flow of honest information about contemporary events and without a full opportunity to participate in a discussion of the choices that the society must make.” p. 254

Freire, Paulo. (1970) – Pedagogy of the Oppressed

“Dialogue is the encounter between [people], mediated by the world, in order to name the world. Hence, dialogue cannot occur between those who want to name the world and those who do not wish this naming—between those who deny others the right to speak their word and those whose right to speak has been denied them. Those who have been denied their primordial right to speak their word must first reclaim this right and prevent the continuation of this dehumanizing aggression.” p. 88

Isaacs, Williams. (1999) – Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together

“Dialogue…is a conversation with a center, not sides. It is a way of taking the energy of our differences and channeling it toward something that has never been created before. It lifts us out of polarization and into a greater common sense, and is thereby a means for accessing the intelligence and coordinated power of groups of people.” p. 19

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. (2005) – Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness

“No one needs to dominate in a dialogue, and indeed, it would cease being a dialogue at that point if one person or group attempted to control it. We watch the arising of and listen to the voicing of ideas, opinions, thoughts and feelings, and drink them all in in a spirit of deep inquiry and intentionality, much as we do in resting in awareness in formal meditation practice, allowing it all to be treated as equally valid of at least being seen, heard and known without editing, censoring, vetting, or rejecting. A greater intelligence that seems to reside in the group but is not in any one person often emerges, surprisingly, and with it a deeper collective understanding as a direct consequence of such spaciousness and openheartedness.” p. 448-449

Romney, Patricia. (n.d.) – The Art of Dialogue

“Dialogue is focused conversation, engaged in intentionally with the goal of increasing understanding, addressing problems, and questioning thoughts or actions. It engages the heart as well as the mind. It is different from ordinary, everyday conversation, in that dialogue has a focus and a purpose. Dialogue is different from debate, which offers two points of view with the goal of proving the legitimacy or correctness of one of the viewpoints over the other. Dialogue, unlike debate or even discussion, is as interested in the relationship(s) between the participants as it is in the topic or theme being explored. Ultimately, real dialogue presupposes an openness to modify deeply held convictions.”

Synonyms for Constructive Dialogue