Step 1:
Gather a diverse team
Setting up a dialogue program requires teamwork, not only because of the amount of work that needs to be done but more importantly because of the different skills that you will have to tap into.
Dialogues are a group experience so they should also be designed and delivered by a group of people who incorporate more than one identity and perspective. To launch a dialogue program in your country you will need the following people:
Project Manager – this person might be you:) He or she will oversee the delivery of the dialogue program and should know how to plan and budget a project, hire people, distribute tasks, allocate resources and adjust the course of activities while keeping an eye on the big picture. The manager person should be experienced, as the project will require agility and learning on the go.
Communication Specialist – this person’s task is to make sure that people get to know about your dialogue. He or she will design how your target groups will be reached and prepare the messaging in different formats. The communication specialist should be a good writer and versed in social media platforms.
Social Scientist – you will depend on this person for identifying the target audiences to be invited to your dialogues and the topics you should cover. He or she should have scientific knowledge on the political make-up of your society, experience in field research and a willingness to apply research data to real-life situations.
Recruitment Specialist – this person will make sure that people actually show up at your dialogue. He or she will manage registrations, reach out to chosen participants, assure hospitality before and after the dialogue. An ease at talking to strangers is a prerequisite, together with attention to detail and GDPR rules. This role can be handled by a talented student of social sciences.
At least two facilitators – these people will conduct the dialogues, helping participants to talk across the aisle. He or she should be trained and experienced as a group facilitator, family mediator or cultural animator. Facilitating polarized groups is a demanding task, requiring not only conversation skills but also seeing one’s own political bias and sometimes professional supervision.
Clarify the purpose
At the beginning some of those roles might be combined but as your team grows you will need to clearly state your common goal. The purpose of dialogues is to offer people an opportunity that they rarely have in today’s societies: to talk to people who hold opposing views in a secure setting, experience ideological diversity and observe one’s own and others’ changing attitudes as community will emerge. It is not the purpose of dialogues to profess a particular ideology or change peoples’ views or values.
At the very least your team should display a diversity of:
Gender – yes, women are more versed in dialogue, but men should be part of the design if they are to join the conversation
Age – while younger participants are easier to attract, the older ones bring more perspective to the dialogues
Social status – big-city dwellers might be more talkative, but people living far from the capital see more of the country
Cognitive styles – professors are good at intellectual analysis, but craftsmen will bring pragmatic energy to the dialogues
Ideology – a team composed exclusively of left-wingers will not be credible when inviting right-wingers to a dialogue.