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Rhonda Fitzgerald, Sustained Dialogue Institute
rhonda@sustaineddialogue.org
USING TOOLS FROM
SUSTAINED DIALOGUE IN
YOUR CONTEXT

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
What is Sustained Dialogue?
! Sustained Dialogue is an intergroup public peace process created
by US diplomat Dr. Hal Saunders from his experience negotiating
Middle East peace accords
! In 1999, students at Princeton entered into SD circles to
intentionally address entrenched campus conflicts around race and
ethnicity – “Diving In”
! Thus, SD is an intentional process used by parties to improve
challenging relationships and come to action in intergroup
conflicts – especially intergroup identity clashes
! Over four decades, it has been adapted to hundreds of
workplaces, campuses, state negotiations, and communities

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
What is Sustained Dialogue?
Conflict
Transformation/
Peacebuilding
Campus
Engagement/
Civic Action
Diversity,
Inclusion, and
Equity
Key SD Areas on Campus:
• Rank and Title Clashes
• Socioeconomic Divides
• Cultural Norms around Mental Health
• Racial and Ethnic Divides
• Faculty/Staff/Student Divides
• Religious Divides
• Gender Disparities
• Intergenerational Divides
• Ability
• Sexual Orientation
• Political Divides
• Police and student relations
• Domestic & international student
relations
• Lack of civility
`

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
2 Goals of Sustained Dialogue
1. Build (or re-build broken) relationships in
intergroup conflicts that affect the community
2. Address these real community issues through
Saunders’ systematic dialogue-to-action process

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
Defining Propositions
“Dialogue is a process of genuine interaction through
which human beings listen to each other deeply
enough to be changed by what they learn. Each
makes a serious effort to take other’s concerns into
their own picture, even when disagreement persists.
No participant gives up their identity, but each
recognizes enough of the other’s valid human claims
so that they will act differently toward the other.”
(Saunders, A Public Peace Process)

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
3 Defining Propositions
1. Dialogue is a distinctive way of communicating.
2. Unless dialogue is sustained, it is just a way of talking; it
is not a process that enables problem solving of
entrenched conflicts.
3. Sustained Dialogue’s defining characteristic is not only
that it is sustained over time, but also that it primarily,
explicitly, and systematically focuses on relationship.

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
4 Opportunities in Sustained
Dialogue
1. Groups can create a cumulative agenda (questions left
at the end of a meeting form the next agenda)
2. Groups can develop a common body of knowledge.
(Not just knowing other’s formal positions but
understanding why those positions meet the other’s
needs.)
3. Groups can learn to talk analytically together rather
than polemically.
4. Later, groups can learn to work and take action
together.

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What Are the 5 Stages of SD?
The SD process focuses on transforming relationships to design change in communities
Stage 1: WHO?
Stage 2: WHAT?
Stage 3: WHY?
Stage 4: HOW?
Stage 5: NOW!
Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
Relationship Model
“Focusing on the relationship itself
differs significantly from focusing
primarily on one group’s decision
about how to behave toward the
other group.”
-Hal Saunders

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
Five Elements of Relationship
1. Patterns of Interaction
2. Perceptions, Misperceptions, and
Stereotypes
3. Interests
4. Identity
5. Power

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
Practicing Dialogue Responses

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
1. Clarify: “Tell me more about what you mean when you
say…”
2. Change the conversation to experiences: “What
experiences from your life are important for helping us
understand what you’re sharing?”
3. Create Comfort for Chiming In: “How do others
react to what they just heard?”
4. Challenge with a credible counterpoint: “I’ve
heard another perspective… ”
Practicing Dialogue Responses

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
3 Case Studies of where Faculty have
become full partners with staff
1. St. John Fisher College: A team of students, faculty, and staff seek
to make the college more welcoming to all regardless of background
2. Case Western Reserve University: multi-level SD initiatives in grad
schools, among post-docs, in Social Work training, and Faculty/Staff
Initiative to bridge siloes.
3. University of Notre Dame: Classroom format in Philosophy “How do
we build our moral beliefs alongside others through real dialogue,
not just shape logical arguments for or against each other’s beliefs?”

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Sustained Dialogue Institute | www.SustainedDialogue.org
After participating in SD,
respondents are:
Significantly more likely to:
! Think critically about the experiences of others & how they can be improved
! Feel comfortable talking about their experiences & identities in front of a groups of their peers
! Try to better understand someone else’s views by imagining how an issue looks from their
perspective
! Examine the strengths & weaknesses of their own views on a topic or issue
! Raise awareness about local or campus issues
! Organize others to work on local or campus issues, as well as on state, national, or global
issues
! Have discussions with people who are different from them in terms of: Religious beliefs &
economic background
Significantly more able to:
! Resolve conflicts that involve bias, discrimination, and prejudice
! Lead a group where people from different backgrounds feel welcomed & included
! Explain the college climate towards diversity, issues that arise between students, & why issues
persist

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Q&A
What questions do you have?