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Successful dialogue does not just happen because we want it to happen. Participants in civil dialogue must want to have a constructive dialogue across differing perspectives, be aware of the tendencies we often have when having difficult conversations, and have the skills necessary to engage in this kind of dialogue. This section is aimed at helping us move toward the capacity for dialogue with those who have opinions that are different from our own.
When we encounter other people who have opinions or beliefs that differ from our own, we often make assumptions about them. Those assumptions can derail any chance at having a true dialogue about important and challenging issues. If you participated in the Can We? Retreats, then you have been introduced to the Ladder of Inference. The next few activities will get us further acquainted with this concept and provide a chance to explore how we can avoid some of the traps inherent in making assumptions and climbing the ladder of inference.
Activities:
III-1 The Ladder of Inference
III-1 The Ladder of Inference
Goals:
To understand what the ladder of inference is.
To develop an awareness of when and how we tend to climb the ladder of inference.
III-2 Productive Conversations: Using Advocacy and Inquiring Effectively
III-2 Productive Conversations: Using Advocacy and Inquiring Effectively
Goals:
To deepen understanding of advocacy and inquiry.
To identify questions that are high in inquiry.
To understand how people effectively engage in conversations.
III-2A Advocacy and Inquiry in Conversations
III-2A Advocacy and Inquiry in Conversations
Goals:
To deepen participants’ understanding of advocacy and inquiry.
To explore how advocacy and inquiry can help in facilitating conversations.
III-3 Circle of Viewpoints
III-3 Circle of Viewpoints
Goals:
To help us see and explore multiple perspectives on an issue.
To help us understand that different people can have different kinds of connections to the same thing.
To recognize that different connections influence how people see and think differently.
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