Intergroup Dialogue

Intergroup dialogue uses structured conversations to help people who are different from each other achieve mutual understanding, friendlier relations, and cooperative interactions. From this perspective, intergroup dialogue has three main characteristics.

  • Intergroup dialogue uses structured conversations. The conversations follow guidelines and procedures that help people communicate with one another.
  • Intergroup dialogue involves people who are different from each other. They may hold different worldviews, belong to different cultural or social groups, face very different life circumstances, or have very different life experiences.
  • Intergroup dialogue aims to help people better understand each other, open doors to more constructive conversations, and encourage friendlier and more cooperative interactions.

Whole books have been written about intergroup dialogue. It is not practical to review these books in a short essay. I would instead like to provide some useful resources where people can learn more about intergroup dialogue.

Conversation Cafe

I have attended intergroup dialogue events that follow the Conversation Cafe approach. The events were both enjoyable and successful in promoting constructive and meaningful conversations. I feel comfortable recommending this approach.

Conversation Cafés are open, hosted conversations in cafés as well as conferences and classrooms—anywhere people gather to make sense of our world. At a Conversation Café there is nothing to join, no homework, no agenda, just a simple process that helps to shift us from small talk to BIG talk, conversations that matter.
– Conversation Cafe FAQs 1

Conversation Cafe has created a Quick How To guide that gives an idea of how conversations are structured.

First, participants sit in groups of 6-8 people at tables. Too many people at a table reduces the time for each person to contribute to the conversation. Too few people at a table reduces the opportunity to learn from a variety of people.

Second, participants are asked to abide by the following guidelines during the conversations.

  • Curiosity: Seek to understand rather than persuade.
  • Discovery: Question assumptions, look for new insights.
  • Sincerity: Speak from your heart and personal experience.
  • Brevity: Go for honesty and depth but don’t go on and on.

Each table has a host who is trained to remind people about the guidelines. The table host also uses an object such as a pebble or a stick to ensure that only one person speaks at a time (i.e., only the person holding the object speaks). The object is also used to ensure that everyone gets a chance to speak (i.e., the person holding the object passes it to someone else). People may always choose to not talk and simply pass the object to another person.

Third, the conversation is divided into different “rounds.” Each round is timed to ensure the event ends at the scheduled ending time.

  • Round 1: Pass around the talking object. Each person speaks briefly to the topic, with no feedback or response from others.
  • Round 2: Again with talking object, each person deepens their own comments or speaks to what has meaning now.
  • Round 3: The participants engage in open, spirited conversation. The talking object may or may not be used during this round. Table hosts may ask participants to use the talking object if there is domination, contention, or lack of focus in the conversation.
  • Round 4: Each person at the table is given the talking object to briefly share what challenged, touched or inspired them.

Here are some useful resources from the Conversation Cafe website.

Useful Books

Here are two books about intergroup dialogue that are relatively easy to read and contain practical information for hosting dialogue events.

If someone is specifically interested in interfaith dialogue, then the following book may be useful.

Although I hope the books above will prove useful to people interested in learning about intergroup dialogue, I encourage people to search for other books as well. People may find other books that prove even more useful to them.

Other Approaches

Other approaches to intergroup dialogue may be found online. I am less familiar with these approaches. I simply want to let people know there are options for planning and hosting intergroup dialogues.

References
  1. Conversation cafe FAQs (2023).
  2. Lisa Schirch and David Campt (2007). The Little Book of Dialogue for Difficult Subjects: A Practical, Hands-On Guide. Intercourse, PA: Good Books.
  3. Nelle Moffett and Richard Bowers (2015). Beyond Robert’s Rules: An Overview of Group Communication Models. Harmony World Publishing.
  4. Bud Heckman and Rori Picker Nelss (2008). Interactive Faith: The Essential Interreligious Community-Building Handbook. Woodstock, VT: Turner Publishing Company.