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Dialogue, Debate, & Discussion

Dialogue aims for understanding between participants with different perspectives, while debate and discussion can become oppositional with participants trying to prove each other wrong. Dialogue seeks to find common ground and allow views to change, whereas debate and discussion involve defending one's initial position. Overall, dialogue is more collaborative and open-minded, seeking to improve all ideas through respectful exchange, whereas debate and discussion can become competitive and close-minded as participants focus on being right.

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730 views

Dialogue, Debate, & Discussion

Dialogue aims for understanding between participants with different perspectives, while debate and discussion can become oppositional with participants trying to prove each other wrong. Dialogue seeks to find common ground and allow views to change, whereas debate and discussion involve defending one's initial position. Overall, dialogue is more collaborative and open-minded, seeking to improve all ideas through respectful exchange, whereas debate and discussion can become competitive and close-minded as participants focus on being right.

Uploaded by

khaifie
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dialogue, Debate, & Discussion

What are the differences between and among


dialogue, debate, and discussion?

Dialogue Debate and/or Discussion


Dialogue is collaborative; cooperative; Debate is competitive and/or oppositional; two (or
multiple sides work toward a shared more) opposing sides try to prove each other wrong;
understanding sometimes Discussion can move in this direction as
well
In dialogue, one listens to understand, to make In debate, (and sometimes discussion) one listens to
meaning, and to find common ground find flaws, to spot differences, and to counter
arguments
Dialogue enlarges and possibly changes a Debate defends assumptions as truth; in discussions,
participant's point of view participants may tend to "dig in"
Dialogue creates an open-mined attitude; an Debate creates an close-minded attitude, a
openness to being wrong and an openness to determination to be right;
change
Discussion often tends to lead toward one "right"
answer
In dialogue, one submits one's best thinking, In debate, and often discussion, one submits one's
expecting that other people's reflections will best thinking and defends it against challenge to
help improve it rather than threaten it show that it is right
Dialogue calls for temporarily suspending of Debate, and sometimes discussion, calls for
one's beliefs investing wholeheartedly in one's beliefs
In dialogue, one searches for strengths in all In debate, and sometimes discussion, one searches
positions for weaknesses in the other positions
Dialogue respects all the other participants and Debate rebuts contrary positions and may belittle or
seeks not to alienate or offend deprecate other participants; a discussion gone awry
may end up this way as well
Dialogue assumes that many people have Debate assumes a single right answer that somebody
pieces of answers and that cooperation can already has
lead to a greater understanding
Dialogue remains open-ended Debate demands a conclusion
Dialogue is mutual inquiry; collective Discussion is individual opinions; individual
knowledge knowledge
Dialogue practices a product Debate and discussion produce products
Dialogue is divergent Debate, and often discussion, is convergent

Note:
The differences between and among dialogue, discussion, and debate should not
imply that dialogue is "good" and that discussion and debate are "bad." There are
certainly times when discussion and debate are useful instructional strategies. The
chart above is simply intended to articulate the differences.

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