Leading a Dialogue

Adapted, in part, from "A Handbook of Tips: A National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity (1995)," published by the National Endowment for the Humanities and used with permission of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Your role as dialogue leader | Tips on presenting to a high school class
Keeping the dialogue on track | Tips on involving everyone | Classroom strategies

Your role as dialogue leader

There is no more important participant in a discussion than the person leading it. This role can be both challenging and rewarding. Here are a few suggestions for bringing out a range of opinions, exploring the topic thoroughly and encouraging a rich and lively discussion.

A discussion leader

• serves as a facilitator rather than a lecturer,
  
  
• remains impartial, shows respect for all opinions, and does not try to influence the outcome of the discussion,
  
  
• helps participants look for common ground, but avoids pushing for a consensus,
  
  
• keeps the conversation moving and on track by occasionally summarizing points and bringing the discussion back to the topic if it wanders unproductively,
  
  
• creates opportunities for everyone to speak,
  
  
• raises views that have not been considered by the group,
  
  
• asks questions that challenge old assumptions, and
  
  
• deals quickly with any problems that arise and, if a ground rule is broken, asks the group to help re-establish the rules.

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Tips on presenting to a high school class

• The first five minutes of the discussion may very well make or break it. The first information must be presented in a dynamic and interesting manner. Remember that you are addressing students. Talk to them in words they can understand and take the time to explain words or concepts that may not be readily known to them.
  
  
• Never lecture or stand in one place. Move around, interact with students, get all of the students involved.
  
  
• Be relaxed and friendly so that you can gain the students' interest and get them engaged quickly.

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Keeping the dialogue on track
Here are some questions that will help keep the ball rolling once you've started:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of looking at the issue that way?
  
  
• What seems to be the key issue here?
  
  
• Would someone like to give another view?
  
  
• What other aspects of the issue should we be aware of?
  
  
• What do you find convincing about that viewpoint?
  
  
• Has anyone had a personal experience in dealing with this issue?
  
  
• What do you think people who hold that opinion care deeply about?
  
  
• Are there any points on which most of us would agree?
  
  
• Could you tell us the reasons behind your opinion?
  
  
• If the discussion strays, get it back on track by saying something like "I wonder how this relates to our major concern?" or "That's interesting, but I think we need to get back to our main focus."

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Tips on involving everyone
Don't let one or two people do all the talking. To involve others in the discussion, you might say:

• That's a good point, and I see that someone else wants to respond to it.
  
  
• Let's get back to the first point you made. Does anyone want to respond to that? (Repeat the point.)
  
  
• We've heard opinions from one perspective. Who would like to express another view?

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Classroom strategies to launch, focus and sustain the dialogue

Many students are in the process of developing and honing discussion skills. They may need assistance in marshalling facts to form or clarify their own views. They need to understand the importance of carefully listening to, understanding and evaluating the opinions of others. They need, also, to gain an appreciation for an informed and civil discussion, recognizing that opinions can (and often should) change as a result. Here are several easy to implement strategies that can be used to launch, focus or sustain discussion in classroom settings.

• Opinion Continuum
• Rank Order
• Point/Counterpoint
• Role Playing
• What Rights Would You Give Up?
• Brainstorming
• Committee Hearing
• Student Forum

Opinion Continuum
Students are presented with ideas or propositions related to the topics under discussion. They are then asked to vote on whether they

Strongly Oppose   Oppose   Are Unsure   Favor   Strongly Favor

the propositions. The votes can be tallied.

After the discussions, they have the opportunity to vote again. The new tally will indicate how opinions have changed.

Note: this exercise can also be done physically, with signs posted with the opinions and students "voting" by standing under the opinion they agree with. After the discussions, they can "revote" by standing under the signs they now agree with.

Rank Order
Students rank a set of values, or legal principles, or ideas according to each one's importance to a democratic society. At the end of the discussions, they will have the opportunity to revise their list.

Point/Counterpoint
Ask students to break into small groups. Pair the groups. Assign one of the pairs the task of supporting a particular opinion/idea with three to five arguments. Ask the other group to support a contrary idea with three to five arguments. Have each small group report to the class, and have the reports serve as the basis for discussion.

Role Playing
Ask each student to play the role of a person fitting a certain profile. Ask them to role play their response to ideas generated in the discussion. Then ask them to shuffle the roles, and go through the exercise in a new role. Debrief by asking them how the differing roles changed their opinions.

What Rights Would You Give Up?
Here's a role-playing situation that requires students to think hard about their rights. The scenario is that since the country is under attack, the authorities have determined that we will have to forego a certain number of rights—say three—in light of the crisis. But which rights? Ask students to identify the rights Americans now have, and then singly or in groups come up with three that they are willing to forego. Probably during the discussion—and surely in the debriefing—they will come to see that it is very hard to "sever" rights. For example, when you give up the right to assemble, does the right to free speech have meaning?

Brainstorming
Ask students to brainstorm an issue related to the conversation you will be holding. For example, brainstorm "What is an American?"

Committee Hearing
Another way of having students think through the issues is to have them play the role of policy makers and those who seek to influence policy. Divide the class into two groups. One, amounting to about half the class, might, for instance, role play a congressional committee considering proposals for a new domestic security bill. Other members of the class might play the roles of persons invited to testify before the committee, ranging from civil libertarians to law enforcement officials. Students testifying could prepare a statement putting forth their group's position. Committee members could then question them about their proposals.

Student Forum
A variation on the committee hearing is the student forum. Organize students into groups of five to seven. One student will be the moderator of a student forum designed to explore one of the topics and issues in the conversation project. Each of the other students will take on the role of a person with a distinct point of view on the issue. These role plays will be based on character sketches developed by the teacher or by the students. These sketches should include the character's name, a specific viewpoint, background information about the character that supports the viewpoint, and a specific position to be adopted. Testimony and give and the give and take of discussion will be based on these characters.

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Note: The views expressed here have not been approved by the House of Delegates or the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association, and accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association.