Dialogue
A S ST.PROF. T HA N ASIN CHU T I N TA RANOND, P H. D.
FACU LT Y OF COMMUN I CATION A RTS , CHU L A LON GKORN U N I V ERSITY
Dialogue
Diálogos A CONVERSATION ON A THE PRIMARY PURPOSE
COMMON SUBJECT OF WHICH IS FOR EACH
diá : through, inter BETWEEN TWO OR MORE PARTICIPANT TO LEARN
logos : speech, PERSONS WITH FROM THE OTHER SO
oration DIFFERING VIEWS THAT S/HE CAN CHANGE
AND GROW
Dialogue Decalogue (Swidler, 2018)
FIRST PRINCIIPLE: The primary purpose of dialogue is to learn, that is, to change and grow in
the perception and understanding of reality, and then to act accordingly.
SECOND PRINCIPLE: Interreligious, interideological dialogue must be a two-sided project—
within each religious or ideological community and between religious or ideological
communities.
THIRD PRINCIPLE: Each participant must come to the dialogue with complete honesty and
sincerity.
Dialogue Decalogue (Swidler, 2018)
FOURTH PRINCIPLE: In interreligious, interideological dialogue we must not compare our
ideals with our partner’s practice.
FIFTH PRINCIPLE: Each participant must define himself.
SIXTH PRINCIPLE: Each participant must come to the dialogue with no hard-and-fast
assumptions as to where the points of disagreement are.
Dialogue Decalogue (Swidler, 2018)
SEVENTH PRINCIPLE: Dialogue can take place only between equals—both coming to learn.
EIGHTH PRINCIPLE: Dialogue can take place only on the basis of mutual trust: approach first
those issues most likely to provide common ground, thereby establishing human trust.
NINTH PRINCIPLE: Persons entering into interreligious, interideological dialogue must be at least
minimally self-critical of both themselves and their own religious or ideological traditions.
TENTH PRINCIPLE: Each participant eventually must attempt to experience the partner’s religion
or ideology “from within,”.
AIR ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT DIALOGUE (Mays, 2018)
Appreciative
Statements
AIR
Reflective-
I-Statements Statements
AIR ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT DIALOGUE (Mays, 2018)
Appreciative-Statements : Try to make your first statement to a dialogue partner be one in
which you affirm something in his/her position.
For example, “I really agree with you when you say….”
This is a concretization of the commonsense principle: Start with what you agree on to
establish a common basis and initial trust; then move toward what you think you don’t agree on
AIR ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT DIALOGUE (Mays, 2018)
I-Statements : Especially when approaching a topic concerning which a variety of positions is
likely, begin your position by saying,
“I am convinced that….,
I think that….,” or the like.
That way you can carefully, even powerfully, state your position without blocking the Dialogue
even before it begins—which is likely to happen with statements like, “Here is the truth…., No
one can disagree that….” Flat, “take it or leave it!” blocks all further dialogue, whereas, making
the same claim in the “I” form—“I think the following for these reasons….,” not only leaves open
the Dialogue, but even invites it!
AIR ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT DIALOGUE (Mays, 2018)
Reflective-Statements : Since Dialogue means literally, from the Greek dia-logos,
“thinking/talking across/together,” we want to be sure that not only do we spell out clearly our
ideas, but we likewise want to be certain that we hear/understand our partner’s ideas correctly.
Both halves of the structure of Dialogue are essential! Again, we too often misunderstand what
our Dialogue partner is saying, and hence are not talking with, but past each other! A simple
and extremely effective remedy is—as is clearly articulated above in Principle Five: The one
interpreted must be able to recognize herself in the interpretation—simply frequently say,
something like,
“I understand you to be saying this…. Am I understanding you correctly?
