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Upcoming
Meetings
Thursday, March
6, 2008 at 6:00 — 8:00 pm
Topic
"The Psychology
of Persuasion"
Speakers
Jorge Fernandez
Location
Right Management
Fort Lauderdale
Cost
$15.00 for members and $20.00 for guests. A light meal will
be served.
Complete registration
online at:
http://www.sflodn.org/registration.htm
or
RSVP to Nancy
Rehbine Zentis if you are attending.
April 3, 2008
Action Reflection Learning Methodology
Isabel Rimanoczy, LIM International
May 1, 2008
Precision Questioning, Precision Answering (PQ&A)
Presenter: Cesar Aguirre GPHR, President, Human Assets Group
Look what you
missed in February!
Art of Dialogue
Isabel Rimanoczy shared with us the
the Art of Dialogue and how to use dialogue in group discussions.
We had a wonderful dialogue discussion! Everyone commented
on how much they enjoyed participating in the dialogue discussion.
Here’s some information on Dialogue!
What is 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.
Dialogue from Peter Senge's Perspective
by Martha Merrill
Peter Senge wrote The Fifth Discipline,
The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, which,
when published in 1990, became a resource book for organizations
interested in team learning. Senge looks at the "paradigm
shifts" needed for an organization to become a learning
organization, or an organization that learns collectively.
Senge's ideas on dialogue and its
use in learning organizations draw heavily on the work of
David Bohm, a contemporary quantum physicist. In introducing
his chapter on "Dialogue and Discussion," Senge
discusses Bohm's treatment of the subject of dialogue:
Dialogue, as it turns out, is a very
old idea revered by the ancient Greeks and practiced by many
"primitive" societies such as the American Indians.
Yet, it is all but lost to the modern world. All of us have
had some taste of dialogue--in special conversations that
begin to have a "life of their own," taking us in
directions we could never have imagined nor planned in advance.
(Senge, 1990, p. 239)
Senge uses Bohm's work to define and
examine such concepts as quantum theory, systems perspective,
mental models, incoherent thought, and synergy as they are
related to dialogue. Bohm's thinking and writing saturate
Senge's discussion of dialogue. For example, Senge quotes
Bohm in identifying the three basic conditions necessary for
dialogue:
- All participants must "suspend"
their assumptions, literally to hold them "as if suspended
before us"
- All participants must regard one
another as colleagues
- There must be a 'facilitator' who
'holds the context' of dialogue. (Senge, p. 243)
An in-depth examination of Bohm's
conditions follows the discussion of the necessary conditions.
Only when Senge begins to examine dialogue from a team learning
perspective does he offer some insight into his own perception
of dialogue and its uses:
A unique relationship develops among
team members who enter into dialogue regularly. They develop
a deep trust that cannot help but carry over to discussions.
They develop a richer understanding of the uniqueness of each
person's point of view. They experience how larger understandings
emerge by holding one's own point of view "gently."...
Part of the vision of dialogue is the assumption of a "larger
pool of meaning" accessible only to a group. This idea,
while it may appear radical at first, has deep intuitive appeal
to managers who have long cultivated the subtle aspects of
collective inquiry. (Senge, p. 248)
Senge often says that "reflection
and inquiry skills provide a foundation for dialogue"
and that "dialogue that is grounded in reflection and
inquiry skills is likely to be more reliable and less dependent
on particulars of circumstance, such as the chemistry among
team members" (Senge, p. 249).
Senge's perspective seems to be that dialogue can be a powerful
tool for building team learning. His discussion of dialogue
in The Fifth Discipline is heavily informed by the work of
David Bohm. Senge provides little new knowledge about the
definition or principles of dialogue. His contribution to
the body of knowledge regarding dialogue lies in his application
of dialogue in fostering organizational learning.
For more information: See Former
Meetings / Handouts
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