Fundamentals of Productive Talk

Abstract

In contemporary America there are many forms of talk: passive, agonistic, consensual, persuasive, and so on. And there are many venues for talking: home, work, school, leisure sites of assembly (bar, sporting arena, coffee house), online, phones, etc. Talk defines our culture and our daily lives (an average person talks from six to twelve hours per day). Chapter 5 explores the social basis of talk by providing a review of the thinking about its nature and function. This includes an analysis of three forms of talk—dialogue, discussion, and debate—as they are understood through a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including, among others, learning science, behavioral psychology, conflict resolution, business communications, and religious practice. From these existing modalities, I glean techniques for listening, dialoguing, and debating as well as articulating ideas, feelings, and emotions—all elements of Arts Talk. The chapter continues with an analysis of the role that facilitation plays in producing productive dialogue and discussion. In my observation, the best audience-centered interpretive experiences are rooted in good facilitation. But here’s the key—the facilitator is an instrument dedicated to creating a hospitable learning environment, not an ego looking to be fulfilled. The facilitator does not make the meaning and give it to an audience. The facilitator establishes the environment and the tools for artists and the audience to make the meaning together, and then gets out of the way. David Bohm states that it is useful to have a facilitator to get the group going and to watch over and support the developing dialogue. But, ultimately, “his function is to work himself out of a job.”