Bohmian Dialogue

Based on David Bohm's On Dialogue (1996), this technique is a process for getting groups to talk and think together more deeply and coherently.

Purposes

• To create a flow of meaning among dialogue participants
• To think more effectively together
• To build on one another's ideas creatively and freely
• To identify what gets in the way of shared meaning and collective thought
• To think productively about seemingly intractable problems

How It Works

• Participants form into a circle and the convener explains the meaning of dialogue: there are no winners or losers and no attempt to persuade, the focus is on understanding what people actually say without judgment or criticism, and the object is to develop collective thinking.
• Bohm recommends talking about dialogue itself when people first come together through questions such as “What makes dialogue so difficult?” or “What conditions foster good dialogue?”
• There is no pressure to respond to the question immediately. People are encouraged to be silent and to speak only when they have a thought prompted by another's comment. Silence indicates people are actually thinking. If it's helpful, participants are encouraged to close their eyes or look at the floor.
• This process continues for as long as seems optimal. Bohm recommends two hours but we sometimes use much briefer chunks of fifteen to thirty minutes.
• The process concludes with participants sharing what they came to understand more deeply.

Where and When It Works Well

1. When sufficient time is allotted. People need enough deliberative time to see noteworthy results.
2. In settings that value contemplative deliberation. We have seen this work well in congregations, self-help groups, seminaries, and higher education. However, corporations looking for new and better ways to lead their organizations were early adopters.
3. To break hierarchical patterns. Community groups trying to democratize their interactions find this useful.

What Users Appreciate

1. How powerful it can be. It's revealing and refreshing to participate in this process.
2. The valuing of participants. Each person's contribution to the whole is explicitly appreciated.
3. The absence of competition and one-upmanship. The process bypasses the temptation to rebut or proselytize.
4. The experience of authentic collective thinking. New directions and possibilities sometimes emerge from this way of talking and thinking together.

What to Watch Out For

1. Initial frustration and hostility about the process. Frustration at the lack of structure is normal and to be expected. Don't stop it from being expressed but don't back down. This looseness helps release imaginative thinking and foster careful listening.
2. Time constraints. Give it enough time and don't expect too much if you don't.
3. The group size. Bohm (1996) recommends forty members so the group represents the diversity of experience and opinion that often undermines dialogue. We have easily adapted this process to smaller groups.

Questions That Fit This Protocol

• “What makes dialogue so difficult?”
• “What conditions foster good dialogue?”
• “What's stopping us realizing our potential?”
• “What do we need to do our best work?”
• “What do we do best?”