From The Daily Dialogue
From The Daily Dialogue
Broadcast of 3/2/98
Subject: [DailyDialogue #61] Statements
The discipline of team learning starts with "dialogue." The capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter into a genuine "thinking together." To the Greeks dia-logos meant a free-flowing meaning through a group, allowing the group to discover insights not attainable individually. - - Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline
One behavior that undermines dialogue in groups or partnerships is the self-sealing statement, or pronouncement. A pronouncement is a declaration accompanied by a tone of certainty. In contrast, an open-ended statement might be made in the declarative form, but with a tone, or a question that invites inquiry, investigation, or potential disagreement.
Example Self-Sealing Statement: "We've got to stop spending so much money on entertainment; that's all there is to it."
Example Open-Ended Statement: "We're presently spending $500 a month on entertainment. I'm thinking that this is the best area for us to cut our expenses. Do you have some thoughts on this?"
Experiment: Dialogue about your own personal tendencies toward pronouncements.
Affirmation: We are in a life-long-learning partnership.
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