Theme 2: Dialogue

In this theme, we discuss what is dialogue and how can you examine your own dialogue skills, see with gratitude where you are already good at and what areas in you interaction you could develop further.

"Recognition of facts is the beginning of all wisdom"

J.K. Paasikivi

This quote from the former president of Finland is known to many people and can certainly also be signed most. In order to recognize the facts, they must first be acknowledged. We acknowledge facts for different reasons in different ways and offer our own truths as solutions to common goals. If dialogue as a term were to be summed up briefly, we would say that it is a means of structuring these different "identifications" and forming a consensus based on them.

Dialogue is the art of thinking together. It is a way of interacting rather than a collection of technical means. On our course, the purpose is to break down dialogue into understandable smaller concepts, with the help of which everyone can reflect the interaction on themselves. Dialogue works when everyone commits to it. It does not have, and cannot have, precise rules or instructions. Good dialogue can look different between different teams.

Determining the correct answers is not straightforward in the construction industry. The right solutions are most definitely based on researched information. It has not been possible to clarify all the phenomena affecting right solutions. For example, there is no consensus on the effect of moisture damage on health and the right ways to repair or leave it unrepaired. One's own powerful knowledge of experience easily ignores researched knowledge, and "recognition" may arise through experience and come into conflict with someone else's experience or knowledge. Sometimes there is a situation at hand where information related to solving a particular issue is missing from the working group. Then the search for the right solution threatens to become a competition of correct guesses. Values ​​also guide our opinions. Sometimes there is no one right solution. Then different values ​​guide our minds in different directions.

A good interaction culture promotes an atmosphere of trust. Special situations where you should pay attention to good interaction are giving and receiving feedback and negotiation. The feedback touches each of us personally. It's good to be able to give and receive it while focusing on the issue, keeping positive development in mind. Negotiation is often about reconciling opposing interests. Good interaction skills help here substantially.

Please, watch the short video on four dialogical elements. Write in the chat area, in which of the four areas you are strong at? Is there anything you could develop in your dialogical skills?

Elements of dialogue