Chicago Cultural Alliance Talking About Dialogue Toolkit Table of Contents Ø What Makes a Good Facilitator? Ø Planning the Dialogue o Planning Worksheet o Internal Agenda o Program Agenda Ø Introducing the Dialogue Ø Introducing Participants Ø Resources for Discussion o Using Images o Using Video o Asking Good Questions o Good Questions by Topic Ø Closing the Dialogue 1
What Makes a Good Facilitator? Finding a person to lead a community dialogue is challenging, yet finding the right person to lead a dialogue is even more so. What makes a potentially good facilitator? What qualities shall we look for when we are selecting the facilitator for the next dialogue? Genuine interest in the topic or question. Good discussion facilitators should be genuinely interested in the topic and the form of open discussion. Resist the temptation to bring a popular teacher or expert facilitator who is not interested in the form of community dialogue or the topic at hand. Time and availability A good dialogue requires considerable preparation time, so the facilitators should have both the time and the personal integrity to do the work thoroughly. Resist the temptation to cajole the perfect person to lead a community dialogue despite their protestations about lack of time. Curious and questioning Are the questions alive for the person? Are they curious about the topics and about others perspectives? Or are they more interested in giving their opinion? Committed Most of the work of a good dialogue happens in the planning. Is the person willing to spend the time to think through good questions and plan with others? Will they communicate along the way and make sure others are engaged? Are they committed to make it successful? And do they believe dialogue is important for their community 2
Planning Worksheet When you plan a dialogue with your groups, use this worksheet as a guideline to ensure that you have covered some of the basic elements. Introducing the dialogue - How will you describe this activity? What are the goals? What do you hope will occur during the discussion and as a result of it? (E.g., building community, raising awareness) Introducing Participants How will you ask the participants to introduce themselves? Expectations/Ground Rules - What will you ask of participants before the dialogue begins? What do they need to know and what will you ask of them? Opening Exercise What question or scenario will you ask people to consider? Will you use a small group activity, a go-around of the big group, or something else? Asking Questions What questions will you ask the audience to invite their thoughts and share their personal experience and feelings about the issues? Closing: How will you close the dialogue? What question(s) will you ask? Will you have the participants go around and answer a question aloud or silently write down their answers, or something else? 3
Developing an Internal Agenda Once you plan your dialogue, it s important to develop an internal agenda and circulate it among the host organizations. This agenda is for the people running and leading the dialogue. It should include a detailed timeline of the event along with a breakdown of different tasks with designated staff. This internal agenda is a guide to help everyone stay on track at the event. It also allows for flexibility if the event is proceeding great even though it s not following the internal agenda exactly, let go of the plan and let the discussion flow. EXAMPLE: Internal Agenda Immigration: Past and Present 6:00 6:15 pm People filter in, get food, and socialize 6:15 6:20 pm Welcome & Introduction of CCA, IAHC, CAMOC (Yao) 6:20 6:25 pm Introduction and overview of the event what we ll do in the next 1.5 hours and expectations (that we are not trying to solve a problem, but to have a meaningful discussion) (Tim) 6:25 6:30 pm Introduction of the participants As we go around, please tell us ONE word that comes to mind when you think about immigration. 6:30 6:40 pm IAHC and CAMOC immigration stories/presentations (Brendan & Anita) 6:40 7:35 pm Dialogue on the images Please turn to the person sit next to you and share with him or her why you chose the particular picture prior to the event. Then ask: What did you hear that surprised you? Or what was new to you? Other questions (Amy and Tim) 7:35 7:40 pm Video clip of Obama s speech in Ireland 7:40 7:45 pm Closing exercise: What is one question that was raised for you in this discussion and that you ll walk away with? 7:45 7:55 pm Closing of the event thank-you(s), announcement of future dialogues, evaluation forms 8:00 pm Adjourn 4
Developing a Program Agenda Develop a brief program agenda for the participants and hand them it out at the event. The agenda provides a brief outline of what s going to happen over the next two hours and lets people know what to do and expect. EXAMPLE: PROGRAM AGENDA Immigration: Past and Present Program Agenda 6:00 6:15 pm Enjoy the food and browse the photographs 6:15 6:20 pm Welcome & Introduction of CCA, IAHC, CAMOC 6:20 6:30 pm Overview of the dialogue this evening and participant introductions 6:30 6:40 pm IAHC and CAMOC immigration stories 6:40 7:45 pm Dialogue on immigration past and present 7:45 7:55 pm Closing of the event and announcement of future dialogues, evaluation forms 8:00 pm Adjourn 5
Introducing the Dialogue Before a dialogue begins, provide a brief introduction to help people get comfortable and know what to expect. This simple introduction is only an example, but it s important. It lets people know what to do, what to expect, and what is valued in the room. In short, they know how to participate. Don t forget to include it or people may feel confused or unsure about what you expect from them. EXAMPLE: Getting Started Today we re going to have a discussion about immigration. We re going to talk a little in small groups, then we re going to look at an image and a short video and ask you to share your experiences. We hope to hear everyone s voices. Our goal is not to debate the issue or solve the problem, but to hear everyone s perspectives and share our concerns and viewpoints. Set expectations/reminders or ground rules In most cases, all you need to do is set some simple expectations and let people know what you d like them to do during the discussion. Sometimes ground rules might be needed, if the topic is controversial and you are concerned that there might be conflict. In that case, asking people to suggest and agree to some ground rules might be a good idea. But in general a few simple reminders can help. SAMPLE: Expectations Get everyone talking would like everyone to talk, so if you tend to talk a lot-great, but think about listening to others as well. If you re normally quiet, that s ok too but challenge yourself to share a little. Hope people will disagree a good dialogue has many perspectives, so we hope you ll feel free to disagree. We just ask you to also be respectful and consider others perspectives. Use names try to use them and ask if you don t know them. No right or wrong answers Free flowing discussion we would like a free-flowing discussion where people openly share, but you can also raise your hand and we will make sure you are included. Not a debate or an attempt to solve the problem but a chance to share our stories, our viewpoints, and to hear the voices of others. 6
Introducing Participants Introductions can truly be one of the most important things you do. They invite people into the space, help them get comfortable talking, and let people get to know each other. If they include paired with a short opening question, they help connect people to the topic and to one another. For quiet participants who may be hesitant to speak, this opening introduction gives them an opportunity to share something right away. Before the dialogue or presentation begins, ask people to go around, introduce themselves, and then provide a brief answer to an opening question or prompt. EXAMPLE: Introductory Questions What is one thing you hope to gain from today s discussion? What brought you to today s discussion? On identity What is one thing that is important to your sense of identity? On elder care what is good about aging? Please name one thing. On family dynamics what is one unique tradition in your family? On community where do you live and does it feel like home to you? On health of body and mind what is a traditional home remedy that you have used? On immigration what is the one word that comes to mind when you think of immigration? On green practices: What is one word that comes to mind when you hear green practices? People can be uncomfortable talking in large groups, especially if they do not know each other. So use small group activities, in groups of two or three, to enable gradual discussion and get people comfortable talking with one another. EXAMPLE: Introductions in Pairs At an event hosted by the American Indian Center, facilitators using a deep listening activity. Each person was asked to find a person s/he did not know, and then tell the other person about themselves in 2 minutes, during which the other person could not speak at all. When the two minutes were up, they switched roles. Then, back in the large group, everyone went around and introduced the person they had talked with. This activity gave each participant a chance to talk with one another, but also required everyone to listen a good exercise for big talkers. 7
Using Images People tend to remember visual images and have an immediate reaction to them, art or photography, so images can be a great way to get people thinking and talking together. They can be used at the beginning of a dialogue in the middle or at the end as a way to close the discussion. You can use one or many together, or you can pair an image with a short reading or a video. Be creative the image is simply a tool to help people talk about the larger questions or issues they are to discuss. EXAMPLE: As An Introduction At a dialogue on elder care, the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture and the Japanese Historical Society of Chicago used images at the beginning of the dialogue as a way for participants to introduce themselves. Prior to the event, both hosts selected images of the elderly in their perspective communities and cultures (e.g. Lithuanian seniors relaxing on a farm, and a traditional Japanese style celebration of 60th birthday). They put the various pictures on a table, and instructed the participants to pick a picture that best resembled their idea of a senior who is well cared for. Later when participants introduced themselves, facilitators asked them to briefly share which picture they chose and why. EXAMPLE: Opening Activity At an event hosted by Chinese American Museum of Chicago and the Arab American Action Network, facilitators used images as an opening activity to break the ice and get people talking. Each organization selected 4-5 pictures from their organizations, each one featuring youth, parents, and parent-child dynamics in their own culture, and made 5 copies of each picture. On the table besides the photos, the hosts placed 3 questions related to these images. 1) What stands out to you? 2) What do you notice? 3) What appeals to you in the picture? After the self-introduction, participants were invited to share their pictures and their responses. EXAMPLE: During the Dialogue At a dialogue on immigration, the Irish American Heritage Center and Chinese American Museum of Chicago successfully used a set of images to help participants talk about immigration history and personal experience. Facilitators asked people to pick one picture that drew their attention, choosing from a collection of images many of them showing scenes of discrimination or exclusion. Later participants were asked to their picture and why they chose it, first with the person sitting next to them and then as a larger group. Questions included: Does this picture show anything that is still true for immigrants today? How do language barriers affect your life as an immigrant? 8
Using a Video Videos are flexible in their usage just as images are at a civic reflection discussion or a community dialogue. If you have a younger audience, videos could be extremely connecting and engaging, since it is the media they re more familiar with. Similar to every other object, a video could be used on its own, or be paired up with another object - text, image, or a museum exhibition item. There are many places where you can find videos. You could easily find one on Youtube, through Google Video, or use one of the videos in your museum collection! EXAMPLE: Talking Identity At the community dialogue centered on the topic of im/migration and identity, the host American Indian Center used a video as the major object of discussion with a diverse group of participants. AIC selected a video about an American Indian woman s upbringing in Chicago, her connections to the community, and her reflection of the forming of her identity. This video is part of their digital storytelling project, in which participants create videos to tell their personal stories. Follow up questions included: What stood out to you in the video? What caught your attention? How do you relate your own story to hers? What is similar or different? Things to remember when using a video: Check the audio system in advance to make sure everyone in the room can hear. Do you need speakers? Test it out. Prepare a transcript of the video if it contains a lot of information. Participants may find it challenging to remember everything said in a video, so it s helpful to offer them a transcript as reference 9
Asking Good Questions Good questions open discussions and help them go deep quickly. We recommend that you prepare a set of questions to draw upon as you lead the discussion. What would you like the participants to discuss about? What questions would draw more feedback than others? What questions could help revive a dying dialogue? Engage participants stories One type of questions that seldom fails is to invite participants to share their stories and experiences on a topic with the group. You could always start something more general and move on to inviting personal experiences. One great example we saw is at the dialogue on immigration. Here are three questions asked that generated a dialogue organically: EXAMPLE: Immigration o o o Is acculturation a priority for immigrants? Was it your priority? Were you affected by American culture when you first came to the U.S.? How does the language barrier affect immigrants life? How did it or still does it affect your life? Getting a dialogue going requires good questions. Keeping it going means asking good follow-up questions. SAMPLE: Follow-Up Questions o What do others think? o How do you connect this reading/image/video to you own experience? What is similar? What is different? o Does anyone see this issue differently? o How does this issue affect your own life? o Can you relate to what John or Jane just said? Is your experience different or the same? o How has this issue impacted your life positively/negatively? o What makes this issue challenging for you to discuss? o How has your own life or the life of your community been affected? o What question(s) does this image/reading/video/discussion raise for you? 10
Good Questions by Topic Changing Places: Identity, Community & Neighborhoods Where do you live? Does it feel like home to you? Why or why not? Where are you from? answer this question anyway you want. What was it like to answer this question? What, if anything, was difficult about it? Why do people ask this question so often? Think about the route that you most often take in your day-to-day life. What are some things that you notice along the way that make you proud of your neighborhood, community, or city? Is there anything that troubles or concerns you? Elder Care What, in your family, culture, community, does it mean to respect one s elders? What is your community like for elders? What s good about growing old in your neighborhood/community? What s challenging? Family Dynamics: Power & Identity Is cultural identity and assimilation a source of conflict in your family? How do different members of your family respond to cultural expectations? What does it mean to be a good son/daughter in your culture or community? What does it mean to be a good parent in your culture or community? How do you pass down cultural traditions to younger generations? Is this challenging? We re Still Here: Changing Definitions of Identity in Chicago Has your sense of who you are changed over the years? What triggered that change? What does it mean to you to be a Chicagoan? What do you think makes Chicago unique from other cities in the United States or across the world? Culture of Body and Mind - What traditional home remedies have you tried in your own household? - What self-care practices do you engage in to stay healthy both physically and mentally? Climate Change and Communities What climate changes have you noticed in your communities in recent years? Has the climate change impacted your daily life? Why or why not? 11
Green Practices and Green Spaces How comes to mind when you think of green practices? How do you see these practices in your own culture or community? What green practices, if any, do you adopt at home? How did you learn about them? How can we involve children, parents, and other family members in green practices? Is going green a priority in your life? Why or why not? What do you notice about trees, parks, and gardens in your community? Are they common or scarce? Are they an important part of your community? Immigration: Past to Present Is acculturation a priority for immigrants? Was it a priority for you? How did you relate to/interact with American culture when you first came to the U.S.? How do you relate to/interact with American culture today? How do language barriers impact your life as an immigrant? Public Safety, Public Spaces What makes you feel comfortable or uncomfortable in a public space? Where and when do you feel most safe in your community? Why do you think you feel safe there? What would help you feel safer in your community? Heritage and Eating Right for Today How does your heritage and traditional food choices affect your decisions about what you eat today? Have you had to alter your diet because of health concerns? If so, what changes have you made? Language and Identity What language(s) do you speak? How does language define or impact your life? How do you feel when you hear unfamiliar languages being spoken around you? How important is language to connecting with other people? How do you connect with someone who speaks a different language than you? 12
Closing the Dialogue When the dialogue approaches its ending, facilitators need to intentionally bring the dialogue to a close, to provide a sense of closure and a final chance of hearing each participant s thoughts. The go-around This method does what it says the facilitator asks a final question for participants to reflect, and each participant is asked to share their thoughts with the group. Go-round questions should not aim to wrap up the discussion with a tidy moral or a how-to question. On the contrary, the best goaround questions are those that will leave the discussion to resonate in the minds of the participants. Sample: Go-Round Questions What is ONE thing that you ll take away from this dialogue? Name ONE question that this discussion raised for you? What is one thing you will remember from this discussion? Written reflections When asking participants to share their final thoughts with the group, you might also ask participants to write down their answers. Once they have written something down, you could invite them to post their note cards to a kiosk before they leave. The writing exercise bring closure to the event, but it also gives host organizations a rich source of data on the dialogue to help inform planning for future events. SAMPLE: Written Reflections Please think for a minute what was useful (or interesting) about this dialogue? As you leave this dialogue, what is your question? Please write on the note cards one thing you will take away from this discussion, and one thing that you think is missing from the dialogue. EXAMPLE: Getting Creative At the dialogue on im/migration and identity hosted by American Indian Center and Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, close to the end of the event, each participant was handed a piece of paper, and was asked to write or draw whatever that best represents him/herself. The question is closely related to the topic, and the creative exercise stirred much excitement among the participants, many of whom remained engaged and talking to their neighbors about their drawings long after the event ends. 13
Important Things to Remember Ø Seating Arrangement Always sit in a circle where everyone is able to see and hear one another without too much distance in between. If a table has to be used, then use smaller tables to diminish the physical space between participants. Staff from host organizations should make an effort to sit separately themselves from one another, so participants are not just focusing on the facilitators. Ø Evaluation forms wait until the end End the dialogue with plenty of time 10-15 minutes - for people to fill the evaluation out. If it's handed out or mentioned too early, then people immediately begin filling it out - and as a result, stop listening and paying attention, especially during the closing exercise. If things are running late, then a staff member could be stationed at the exit to collect evaluation forms. Ø Q&A session use specific questions After your presentation, if your goal is to engage the group in a dialogue with one another, it is essential that you set the tone well and ask specific questions. Give people some guidance and focus the discussion. Don t just ask: Any questions? since then participants might feel like it s so general they do not know how to answer OR likely to ask questions that do not correspond with your priorities. So, if you just presented on green practices and would like to keep the conversation in focus, try start with any questions on the community garden / recycling, etc.? Ø Involvement of video taping and microphone The use of video taping and especially the passing around of microphones can, in general, be very intimidating for a group, especially if they are young people and potentially more selfconscious. At a dialogue, if a microphone is used, we could incorporate the microphone into an opening exercise to make participants feel more comfortable with it. For example, they could be asked to use the microphone and do something fun and spontaneous. If the event is video taped, host organizations need to find out the regulation around permission (consent form etc.). 14