Structured Dialogues

For each dialogue, give participants a set of prompts. These are statements which typically begin with “Tell me…” They are not questions. Partners decide who will begin by delivering the prompts first and who will respond. You could describe the process as follows:

“Give your partner each prompt in turn. While he or she is responding, just listen. Please do not interrupt or interject your own thoughts. When she/he is/they are finished, respond with “Thank you” and give him/her/them the next direction. Give all of the prompts, then change roles. Try to repeat the sequence at least 2 times in each direction. When you are responding to a prompt, try to take the first thought that comes to mind, whatever it is, and try to keep your responses brief. Say what is essential, then stop.”

Repeating the process for a second or even third round allows partners to respond to each others’ thinking and potentially deepen and/or their ideas as they go. It may feel weird the first time doing it but the result is often very rewarding.

Once pairs have completed their dialogues, I strongly recommend offering everyone a way (i.e., class discussion, in writing, or voice thread) to reflect on the experience of the structured dialogue (not the content of their responses). Examples: What did you notice during the process? What was interesting? What did you find challenging?

Structured dialogues can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. You can set a time limit and remind partners to make sure that both of them get to respond to the prompts twice.