The Value Of Dialogue



The Value of Dialogue

[Name of the Writer]

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The Value of Dialogue

Introduction

Today’s business environment is changing at a rapid pace. The world of business is experiencing revolutions and transformations by leaps and bounds. Large organizations are trying to grab the maximum level of market share by expanding their business not only at the national level but also at a global level. No matter at what level of growth or progress an organization is, the importance of communication cannot be denied. Especially in the case of new and learning organizations, mutual communication and dialogue play a vital role in the progress and growth of the company and taking it higher.

Discussion

Differences between Debate, Discussion, and Dialogue

Debate is a kind of formal discussion, which is carried on at a particular matter, usually in a public meeting or in front of a gathering. It includes arguments and counter-arguments and usually ends with a vote. The main purpose of a debate is to win and sway the opinion of others at one’s own personal side. Contrary to this, a discussion is not meant to win or lose but it is merely an exchange of ideas (Taguchi, & Kim, 2014). The problem arises when the difference of opinion forms a serious shape and turns into a serious argument or debate. A dialogue, apart from all these, is a communication process, which is carried on to achieve a deeper understanding of any concept or idea.

Value of Dialogue in Helping a Team Learn and Change

Dialogue plays a very vital role in the life of a team, in fact, a whole organization. Dialogue plays a monumental role in facilitating the learning process of the teams and promoting a culture of change among the teams in the organization. As the purpose of a dialogue is neither to win not making the other person lose, it is free from the sense of competition and negative aspects. Moreover, a dialogue is not based on the constructs of arguments and counter-arguments, which helps the team to participate in a healthy discussion, free form the fear of indulging in a fight. It gives rise to more powerful aspects like learning and respect.

Ground Rules to Reach a Mature Level of Conversation

A mature and successful level of dialogues in any organization is based upon some specific ground rules and regulations.

The first and foremost rule of a successful dialogue is active listening. If a person is able to listen to what his or her colleague is saying, only then he or she will be able to understand the concept easily and address the issue properly.

The second ground rule to a mature and healthy dialogue is mutual respect (Murray-García et. al. 2014). All the participants, taking part in the dialogue should understand that it is not necessary that the other person has the same opinion as them and they should give respect to other person’s views.

How to Design an Effective Dialogue Session

An effective and successful dialogue session can be designed by following some simple steps (Mercer, 2002):

Make every person feel comfortable and equal.

Give a feeling to every member that they are being heard.

Every person should be allowed to share their personal thoughts and experiences.

Every member of the team should be given a task to learn something out of the dialogue and gain something positive out of it.

Ease or Difficulty of Conversing at this Level, Dangers and Obstacles

As the organization is growing and the teams are newly built so there are greater chances that the dialogue may turn out in in a debate (Nagda, & Gurin, 2007). A difference of opinion among the various members of the team may result in a heated argument, which may prove harmful for the growth of the organization.

References

Mercer, N. (2002). Developing dialogues. Learning for life in the 21st century, 141-153.

Murray-García, J. L., Harrell, S., García, J. A., Gizzi, E., & Simms-Mackey, P. (2014). Dialogue as skill: Training a health professions workforce that can talk about race and racism. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 84(5), 590.

Nagda, B. R. A., & Gurin, P. (2007). Intergroup dialogue: A critical-dialogic approach to learning about difference, inequality, and social justice.

Taguchi, N., & Kim, Y. (2014). Collaborative dialogue in learning pragmatics: pragmatic-related episodes as an opportunity for learning request-making. Applied Linguistics, 37(3), 416-437.