The Little Book of Dialogue for Difficult Subjects: A Practical, Hands-On Guide

by Lisa Schirch, David Campt

Who can't recall an uncomfortable moment at a holiday gathering when conversation turned divisively to religion, politics, or current events? Or a time in a public meeting when tensions boiled over among attendees?

Authors Schirch and Campt present a transforming and freshly hopeful approach to handling tension-filled topics using principles of dialogue. For conversations around the table, in the boardroom, within the community, or across the globe, "Dialogue allows people in conflict to listen to each other, affirm their common ground, and explore their differences in a safe environment."

This Little Book Covers:
* Dialogue vs. debate
* Inviting people to a dialogue process
* Key dialogue facilitation skills
* When to use dialogue
* Moving from dialogue to action
* Assessing dialogue effectiveness

Schirch has worked on conflict prevention and peace-building projects in more than 20 countries. Campt has focused on racial reconciliation and large-scale dialogue events in American cities. Many of the skills and the case studies they offer in this book come from their own wide experiences.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, College

92 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Donald B.]

Dialogue for Difficult Subjects is a book written by Lisa Schirch and David Campt. It is a practical book that teaches the act of traversing through difficult conversation and tension filled topics using principles of dialogue. Dialogue allows people to actively listen to each other, affirm their common ground and explore differences in a safe environment. It is particularly recommended for parties in conflict.

[J.]

Straight forward, to the point, concise, finished quickly for school.

[Izzy Senechal]

Read for grad school. Short, simple, sweet.

[Greg]

This is a nice concise manual on conducting a good dialogue. All the important principles are covered and references are provided for further reading if you're looking for specifics. Definitely recommend as a good introduction.

[Scott Hughes]

Very handy introduction into organizing and facilitating dialogue whether for small or large gatherings. Very practical with some great charts that can be used for guidelines in dialogue. Additionally, though short and easy to read the book covers a lot of important ground.