When Dialoguing You Seek To …

When Debating You Try To…

·  Examine your assumptions

·  Prove that your assumptions are right

·  Question your beliefs

·  Critique their beliefs

·  Remain open to new ideas

·  Close your mind to new ideas

·  Temporarily suspend your beliefs

·  Become more and more sure of your beliefs

·  Expand and possibly change someone’s point of view

·   Prove to others and to yourself that you are right

·  Listen carefully to the other side in order to understand

·  Listen just to find weaknesses in the other side’s arguments

·  Look for areas of agreement

·  Look for differences

·  Find the strengths in the other side’s positions

·  Find the weaknesses in the other side’s positions

·  Avoid offending or alienating the other side

·  Belittle the other side to prove them wrong

·  Work with the "other side" to come to a new understanding

·  Work against the other side to prove them wrong

·  Put all good ideas together to come up with a workable solution

·  Convince them that your answer is the only answer

·  Find common ground

·  Win

·  Keep the discussion going

·  End the discussion by proving that you’re right