
Books & Papers
Reflecting on Dialogue Facilitation - Kati Tikkamäki and Mirja Hämäläinen
Kati Tikkamäki and Mirja Hämäläinen
Most conference papers are written first, discussed after. Kati Tikkamäki and Mirja Hämäläinen reversed the order, inviting practitioners to reflect together, then writing up what emerged. The jewel: helping participants find authority in themselves, not the facilitator.
Most conference papers are written first, then discussed. Kati Tikkamäki and Mirja Hämäläinen reversed this: they invited practitioners to reflect on dialogue facilitation at the 2019 Academy conference, then continued through three Zoom meetings, and only then wrote up what emerged. The paper documents that collective inquiry, including questions about power in the room, whether silence counts as participation, and what happens when strong emotions derail conversation. One participant offered what the authors call "the jewel of the dialogue": "I try not to be the authority myself as a facilitator but help the participants to find the authority in themselves." The authors don't pretend to objectivity; they acknowledge their interpretations are inevitable and present their different perspectives rather than forcing consensus. The paper also describes Mirja's university course "Dialogue: Constructive Talk at Work", a two-credit course at Tampere University based directly on Bohm, Factor and Garrett's original proposal.
Format
Paper
Category
Books & Papers
Topics
Facilitation and practice
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