A Recurring Theme

During Pope Francis' six day visit in the United States, a recurring theme emerged in his messages. The theme was his call for dialog. How exactly is dialog different from discussion? Which is more effective as a form of exchange of communication?

I discovered a great resource at the Co-Intelligence Institute.  http://www.co-intelligence.org/P-dialogue.html  Here, they note that most conversations are more like a ping pong game than true dialog. In conversations most "participants are hitting their very solid ideas and well-defended positions back and forth." 

Contrast that image with this: "Dialogue, in contrast, involves joining our thinking and feeling into a shared pool of meaning which continually flows and evolves, carrying us all into new, deeper levels of understanding none of us could have foreseen. Through dialogue "a new kind of mind begins to come into being," observed Bohm, "based on the development of common meaning... People are no longer primarily in opposition, nor can they be said to be interacting, rather they are participating in this pool of common meaning, which is capable of constant development and change."

What are the essential elements that can turn conversations into dialog? According to the Institute, dialog must include these five elements:

1. We talk about what's really important to us.
2. We really listen to each other. We see how thoroughly we can understand each other's views and experience.
3. We say what's true for us without making each other wrong.
4. We see what we can learn together by exploring things together.
5. We avoid monopolizing the conversation. We make sure everyone has a chance to speak.

We can answer the Pope's call to dialog. Try it now. I believe, as he did, that it is possible. Will you give it a shot?