Comprehend

Lead-in

  • Are you a quick learner?
  • What is your favourite field of interest?

Presentation

Pre

  • Do you like to give your opinion about things? Why?

Top Down

  • What is an appropriate title for this text? Read the text and find out!
  • There’s no need for talking.
  • If you care, be quiet.
  • Dialogue: The power of understanding
  • There’s no need for talking.
  • If you care, be quiet.
  • Dialogue: The power of understanding

The root of the word, dialogue, comes from two Greek words, dia, which means, “through;” and logos, which is usually translated, “word.”

William Isaacs, in his book, Dialogue, calls dialogue a “flow of meaning.” This flow of meaning occurs in the context of a relationship among the people gathered to talk. In ancient days, the Greeks used to gather in the polis to converse about current issues. This “talk” became the fountain from which their self governance flowed. Dialogue is the opposite of debate, a verbal “fight,” the goal of which is to win an argument by besting an opponent. The focus is on listening for flaws in the “opponent’s” argument rather than listening to understand something new or from a different perspective. Ego is typically at the center of this win-lose conversation.

Dialogue is also different from discussion, the “breaking apart” of issues, individuals or situations to gain agreement. Discussions tend to be fast-paced, persuasive conversations in which one person tries to convince the other of a point of view or solution. Ego, control and power over others are often at the forefront of this style of talking.

The first and most difficult task of dialogue involves parking the ego and listening with an open spirit. From this receptivity can come questions which lead to understanding.

• “What is it you see that I don’t?”
• “How do you see this differently and why?”
• “Please help me understand from your perspective.”

To ask these questions requires that one no longer need to have the best or last answer. Expanding one’s understanding becomes more important than being right or getting one’s point across. Dialogue is a communication skill essential to achieving a consensus decision. It is based on the idea that the IQ of the team can, potentially, be much higher than the IQ of the individuals. What keeps our thinking about an issue at a lower level is worrying about “defending” our position rather than attempting to explore meaning from another person’s viewpoint. The purpose of dialogue is to go beyond any one individual’s understanding.

When in dialogue, an issue or decision is capable of constant development and change. Dialogue is reserved for complex, difficult issues where it appears there are no easy answers. To learn this valuable team skill, we find it best to use a current business issue that is troubling the group and use dialogue to gather insights. The first step is to set aside time to learn to listen to and share differences in a different way. William Isaacs describes it as building a “container” strong enough and safe enough to hold our true differences. This is done over time by testing our ability to trust each other with those deeply held beliefs, which so often are not expressed. Making it truly safe to disagree respectfully and honestly on core issues is not easy. But as this happens, something very powerful begins to emerge within the group.

Bottom Up

  • True or False?
  1. Dialogue is the opposite of debate.
  2. Dialogue is not a team skill.
  3. William Fernandez, in his book, Dialogue, calls dialogue a “flow of meaning”.
  4. Dialogue is reserved for complex and difficult issues.
  5. If you work with a team, the IQ of the team can be much higher than the IQ of just one part of the team.
  1. Dialogue is the opposite of debate. True
  2. Dialogue is not a team skill. False
  3. William Fernandez, in his book, Dialogue, calls dialogue a “flow of meaning”. False
  4. Dialogue is reserved for complex and difficult issues. True
  5. If you work with a team, the IQ of the team can be much higher than the IQ of just one part of the team. True

Post

  • How important do you think dialogue is? Why? What is the difference between dialogue and debate?

Target Language

Understand

  • To figure something out
  • To know what someone means
  • To grasp something
  • To take a hint
  • To get (it / the idea / the message / the point / the picture)
  • To make sense of something

Misconceive

  • Can’t think/imagine/see (how, why…)
  • To be/go over someone’s head
  • Did not catch it

Controlled Practice

  • Match the beginning to the ending of the sentences. There is one example.

  1. My dress needs to have a…

  2. I tried to parallel…

  3. My room is now light blue…

  4. I went to Bahia by car and…

  5. I bought some band-aids…

(   ) I painted it last week!

(   ) in case someone gets hurt.

(   ) park but I hit the curb.

(1) stain removed.

(   ) I got lost because I don’t know how to use a map.

  1. My dress needs to have a…

  2. I tried to parallel…

  3. My room is now light blue…

  4. I went to Bahia by car and…

  5. I bought some band-aids…

(3) I painted it last week!

(5) in case someone gets hurt.

(2) park but I hit the curb.

(1) stain removed.

(4) I got lost because I don’t know how to use a map.

Freer Practice

  • Complete the sentences using words from the target language in their correct form. There is one example.

  1. I know what you mean! Yesterday he lied straight to my face.
  2. Can you help me? I was painting and the ink ____ my shirt!
  3. No one can ____ to me! I am a lie detector.
  4. You need to learn how to ____ a budget, otherwise, you won’t have money!
  5. The driving instructor tried to teach me how to ____ park but I ____ get it.
  1. I know what you mean! Yesterday he lied straight to my face.
  2. Can you help me? I was painting and the ink stained my shirt!
  3. No one can lie to me! I am a lie detector.
  4. You need to learn how to make a budget, otherwise, you won’t have money!
  5. The driving instructor tried to teach me how to parallel park but I didn’t get it.

Production

  • Using expressions from the Target Language, talk about the following:
    • Selfish people
    • Healthcare system
    • Interest rates
    • Life on the circus
    • Fax machine

Homework

Fill the gaps with the correct conjugation of the verbs in parentheses.

Example: I ____ to watch the latest Spider Man movie. (want) > I want to watch the latest Spider Man movie.

  1. Maggie can’t ____ well. (Drive)
  2. Jack can’t figure out how to ____ a hammer. (Handle)
  3. She ____ out how to paint the house yesterday. (Figure)
  4. Louis didn’t catch how to ____ a button. (Sew)
  5. Harvey ____ stains all the time. (Remove)
  1. Maggie can’t drive well.
  2. Jack can’t figure out how to handle a hammer.
  3. She figured out how to paint the house yesterday.
  4. Louis didn’t catch how to sew a button.
  5. Harvey removes stains all the time.

Put the sentences in the negative form.

Example: I want to watch the latest Spider Man movie. > I don’t want to watch the latest Spider Man movie.

  1. Katrina took a hint when I told her the news.
  2. Patricia knew what she meant yesterday.
  3. Scottie got the message loud and clear.
  4. You grasped the idea.
  5. Stan can imagine the situation.
  1. Katrina didn’t take a hint when I told her the news.
  2. Patricia didn’t know what she meant yesterday.
  3. Scottie didn’t get the message loud and clear.
  4. You didn’t grasp the idea.
  5. Stan can’t imagine the situation.

Choose the best option for each sentence.

Example: I never want to be mistaken for / by a punk. > I never want to be mistaken for a punk.

  1. You have to learn / learne how to use a map.
  2. We need more time to understand how to pant / paint the bedroom door.
  3. They asked me to remove a stain / stained.
  4. Ross figured out / off how to park his car.
  5. People usually can’t detect lies / lyes.
  1. You have to learn how to use a map.
  2. We need more time to understand how to paint the bedroom door.
  3. They asked me to remove a stain.
  4. Ross figured out how to park his car.
  5. People usually can’t detect lies.

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.

Example: Restaurant / I / everything / saw / out / Europe / the / figured / when / her / in > I figured everything out when I saw her in the restaurant.

  1. sometimes / My / can’t / boyfriend / the / hint. / take 
  2. lot / don’t / the / get / of / to / main / friends / point / when / explain / I / try / something. / mine / of / A 
  3. Do / think / you / you / got / idea? / the 
  4.  think? / Parallel / you / difficult / parking / is, / don’t
  5. I / guess / hammer / we’re / to / able / be / to / the / use / next / time. / going 
  1. My boyfriend can’t take the hint sometimes.
  2. A lot of friends of mine don’t get the main point when I try to explain something.
  3. Do you think you got the idea?
  4. Parallel parking is difficult, don’t you think?
  5. I guess we’re going to be able to use the hammer next time.

Complete the sentences using the target language.

Example: No one knows how to ____. > No one knows how to parallel park.

  1. I bought paint so you need to learn how to ____.
  2. He hit his finger with the ____.
  3. Be careful, look at the ____! You can’t miss the turn. 
  4. Does she know how to ____ park?
  5. I don’t mind if my shirt has a ____ on it. 
  1. I bought paint so you need to learn how to paint.
  2. He hit his finger with the hammer.
  3. Be careful, look at the map! You can’t miss the turn. 
  4. Does she know how to parallel park?
  5. I don’t mind if my shirt has a stain on it. 

Writing

Write a short text about things you understood using the target language.

Example: I got the idea when I read that scientific article about…