Thursday, April 25, 2019

Dialogue Facilitation And Its Role In Conflict Resolution

By William Green


Above emotional and resentment inducing debates and meaningless, beating around the bush discussions, you have dialogues. However, bringing that about is something that is easier said than done. This is a case where you will have to allow yourself to see past the mundane. You will have to set the mood and bring about its actuality with dialogue facilitation.

There are many facets to dialogue. In fact, it is among the most general terms of all the general nouns out there. It may involve communication, it may involve exchange, discussion, discourse, small talk. It may be heartfelt, or else cursory, it can be serious or light.

Dialogue can be all about the exchange of opinions and perceptions. This puts a solution stamp on what are often called ivory tower decisions. No matter how universal and basic certain values are, putting oneself in other peoples shoes are not workable all the time. And being made to listen to them also exhorts one to raise his or her defenses and put up prejudices.

Lets juxtapose both with dialogue. Now, this one is more about broadening perspectives, and not limiting and delineating them. Of course, you may express some outstanding ambiguities, but it is with the intent of understanding others, rather than establishing your own superiority. The parties find common grounds of agreement and list with a view to understand and make a consensus. Its all about inviting inquiry and most especially, building relationships.

However, in just about any conversation, it seems like a matter of course to assume that a tad bit of intense feelings and sentiments are involved. That includes defensiveness, anger, resentments, righteousness, and just the need to not be in the wrong. This given outlines the importance of facilitation.

Successful communication is indispensable, and by indispensable, we mean irreplaceable, when it comes to resolving social and political issues. All things that need understanding and explaining incorporate its elements to a considerable extent. From corporate meetings to community gatherings to United Nations committee meetings, it is something that never goes amiss.

Really though, from the community, regional, national, to high level international relations, dialogues are requisite. It is crucial in conflict resolution. In fact, it is responsible for curbing events and happenings that can potentially turn violent. To curb these happenings, leaders and relevant stakeholders hold up meetings and conventions to state their perspectives and work out their differences.

This does not involve the curbing of ones sentiments and feelings. People are still given free rein to express their sadness, anger, and resentments. This is also effective and expressive in conveying the sincerity and intensity of feelings, experiences, and beliefs. It is the reception of these that should be accurately managed and controlled.

Making a conversation productive and constructive requires quite a lot of stage setting. It involves making the atmosphere and layout right. It requires the subtlety of knowing when to speak, when to deal, when to be mild, and when to be resolute. Most of all, it requires an open state of mind for those involved. Everyone must be willing participants in bringing about the desired objective.




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