In 2020, William Peace University introduced dialogue in its Honors Program, with every Honors student learning to facilitate scripted dialogues using our L.E.A.R.N. process and participating on a team to promote, host, and lead at least one dialogue. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about how to lead effective dialogues on our campus. We want to share our For Students, By Students Dialogue process here because we believe facilitated dialogues are a crucial tool for building a campus culture where students can:

• Share life experiences and observations;

• Listen to diverse perspectives;

• Move beyond polarities;

• Discover innovative solutions; and

• Engage in group meaning-making that fosters a sense of belonging.

On this website, you’ll find everything you need to host a For Students, By Students Dialogue - information about dialogue, a template to help you script your dialogue, question prompts to spark great conversations, sample dialogues, and facilitation tips. 

Learn More About Dialogue

While people often conflate the terms dialogue, discussion, and debate, dialogue facilitators need to understand how these methods of communication differ. 

• Dialogue is a cooperative conversation focused on maintaining a psychologically safe environment where participants listen carefully to each community member and share openly. Dialogue prioritizes empathy and curiosity as participants seek to understand and learn from one another's perspectives. In dialogue, participants don't try to persuade one another; they trust in the collective wisdom of the group and seek to deepen understanding. It's a positive-sum game, where everyone wins together.

• Debate is a competitive form of communication with the goal of persuasion. The focus is on defending one's own position and critiquing others' positions. It's a zero-sum game, where the stronger argument wins.

• Discussion, often referred to as "serial monologuing," focuses on exchanging information, opinions, and ideas. Typically, emotions and personal experiences are left out of discussions. While not overtly competitive, discussions do not focus on actively listening to others; discussions, therefore, do not necessarily foster an openness to being transformed by the conversation.

For more information about the distinctions between dialogue, discussion, and debate, see Nagda, Gurin, Rodriguez, and Maxwell's (2008) resource that outlines the key distinctions in greater detail. You will find additional resources on our dialogue references and readings list.