For some, dialogue is a focused and intentional conversation, a space of civility and equality in which those who differ may listen and speak together. For others it is a way of being—mindful and creative relating.

The Virginia Department of Corrections demonstrates the most effective in-service care, and for the past five years, statistics on the number of inmates who return to crime have been the lowest in the country. According to those responsible, an important part of the success is that prison staff and inmates are trained in holding good conversations and showing understanding for each other.

For three days this week I had the pleasure of attending the first ‘The World Needs Dialogue’ conference, hosted at Roffey Park by the International Academy of Dialogue. The conference drew 80 people from around the world who have been working with dialogue in a variety of sectors, from healthcare, criminal justice, organisations and societies, some for many years. The wealth of experience, expertise, passion and warmth was a source of great inspiration and motivation that di

Many think they know what is true, but really do not. It is our unexamined assumptions that give us a false sense of confidence, leading to self-righteousness. The end result of a divided self is a divided society. We have to learn to see and integrate other points of view. 2020 laid bare in even more stark relief the differences in mindsets and belief systems as the tiniest form of life—a virus called Coronavirus-19—ground the world to a halt. In this century of awakening, w

Autism Dialogue is an inclusive, safe and confidential space that brings together members of the autism community including autistic people, parents, carers, practitioners and academics. Within the space there is an attempt to reach a common understanding and to experience everyone’s point of view fully, equally and nonjudgmentally. The application of David Bohm’s Professional Dialogue methodology allows multiple perspectives to co-exist in the same space of enquiry. This met

This article describes how a team of juvenile probation officers in Yamhill, Oregon changed its culture and co-created a practice model. A practice model is a shared set of integrated evidence-based practices that an agency believes will result in better public safety outcomes. The practice-based evidence of staff was combined with a new integration of evidence-based practices called COVE. COVE stands for Coaching Options that are Versatile and Effective. The paper describes

One of my aims with Autism Dialogue is, by giving equal voice to all, to influence those in power to change for the better.

Organizations have discovered the power of collaboration to increase knowledge sharing, speed up problem solving, create new knowledge, and spur innovation. But even having implement great technology, too many organizations are finding collaboration is not as robust as it needs to be.

Today, many management theorists and practitioners argue that organizations are attempting to move from one paradigm, or worldview, to another. Specifically, we’re shifting from the Newtonian approach (the inner circle in the diagram) – which served us so well during the Industrial Revolution – to what’s known as a quantum approach (the outer circle).