Oksana Liutik conducted the “School of Dialogue” intensive for the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House
For the third time, the CEO of “Zminotvortsi” joined as a co-author of this intensive course, during which active young leaders explored the power of dialogue and interaction through facilitation.
Oksana shared the fundamental principles of building dialogue.
My task was to ensure that every participant felt safe, gained personal experience in group interaction, deepened their understanding of dialogue, and elevated their level of mentorship.
The dialogical approach is very close to me; I view it not only as a means of communication but also as a worldview. It's about creating a space of mutual understanding where everyone hears and feels each other. We aim to implement this at "Zminotvortsi", where a peer-to-peer approach is foundational and sessions are an interactive exchange between instructor and participant.
Values of dialogue*:
- trust
- openness
- honesty
- equality.
*Values of dialogue were taken from the facilitation handbook “The Art of Dialogue.”
Trust – the pursuit of creating safe communication; a readiness to speak, listen, and be heard.
When trust exists in communication, it’s easier to express opposing viewpoints.
Practical use:
Imagine that you, as a participant, attend a book presentation, training, or event hosted by “Zminotvortsi,” where you don’t know the organizers or other attendees.
If you go into this event with the prejudice that nothing interests you, that will likely be the case, as this mindset has already closed you off to new experiences.
However, if you try to trust the process (even if it’s unfamiliar) and the organizers who prepared the program for you, you may come away with unexpected insights.
Openness – the ability to understand other viewpoints and values and allow them to exist, even if you disagree.
Openness strengthens trust: communication based on questions and curiosity is a sign of openness and fosters trust in a conversation.
Practical use:
Continuing with our event scenario, imagine the organizer engages participants in discussion or group interaction.
Openness is the honest expression of your stance and willingness to hear what your partner says. It means not being afraid to voice your opinion, even if the majority holds a different view.
Honesty – being authentic in who you are; the ability to genuinely share your emotions, feelings, and thoughts.
Truth without compassion is cruelty. Be mindful of others’ feelings, but don’t forget your own.
Practical use:
Imagine the event has ended, and the organizers conduct a reflection with the participants, asking what you found most valuable from the meeting.
Honesty is consistency between your thoughts and words: openly sharing your feelings and expressing your true self.
Equality – a fundamental willingness to value everyone’s opinion, regardless of status, belief, ethnicity, orientation, etc.
People may differ in status and authority, but their opinions have the same right to be heard.
Practical use:
For example, it’s a losing stance if you approach the event from a lower position (because you’re “just a participant”) and place the instructor on a pedestal. Similarly, giving more weight to a supervisor’s opinion over your own diminishes equality. Equality values everyone’s input during interactions, whether casual conversation or problem-solving.