BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:The Art of Dialogue METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20251204T130000 DTEND:20260203T130000 DTSTAMP:20251204T130000 UID:2025/the-art-of-dialogue@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260429T202035 LOCATION: SUMMARY:The Art of Dialogue X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

How do you conduct a me aningful dialogue and how do you set up a good conversation structure ? In this three-part training series, you will learn about dialogical practice, facilitation and dialogue design.

Across healthcare and academia alike, we often talk about “dialogue”, but what doe s it truly mean to engage in one? How can we create the kind of meani ngful conversations that foster trust, mutual understanding, and shar ed learning across professional, disciplinary, and societal boundarie s?

The Art of Dialogue is a hands-on training series designed f or researchers, educators, and practitioners who want to bring a dial ogical mindset into their work, whether in patient engagement, interd isciplinary collaboration, or public communication of science. Each s ession combines experiential learning, reflection, and conceptual gro unding. Together, they form a full trajectory that moves from speakin g and listening, to facilitating dialogue between others, to designin g dialogical processes within complex environments such as healthcare , research, or education.

Why it matters
Di alogue is not a soft skill. It’s a scientific and ethical competenc e that enables collaboration across difference. For researchers, and health and life sciences professionals, it offers a powerful method t o navigate uncertainty, complexity, and moral tension in research and care.

Session 1 - Thursday 4 December 14:00-1 7:00 hr, VU Campus
The Art of Speaking and Listening: Prac ticing Dialogue

Focus: Interpersonal communication and the mindset of dialogue

What you’ll learn:
This session introduces the foundations of dialog ue as a distinct mode of communication, quite different from discussi on or debate. Participants explore how curiosity, suspension of judgm ent, and attentive listening shape the quality of conversation. Throu gh short exercises and case examples from healthcare and research, we practice slowing down the pace of exchange, making room for multiple perspectives, and identifying the subtle dynamics of trust and under standing in complex settings.

Session 2 – Mo nday 12 January 2026 14:00-17:00 hr VU Campus
The Art of F acilitation: Guiding Dialogues in Practice

Foc us: Facilitation skills and group dynamics
What y ou’ll learn:
Researchers often find themselves in the r ole of informal facilitators: leading meetings, reflection rounds, or interdisciplinary discussions. This session focuses on the craft of holding space for others. You’ll learn concrete facilitation techni ques to foster open and safe dialogue, manage tensions productively, and deal with emotions or power imbalances in group conversations. We ’ll draw on real-world cases where dialogue helped bridge professio nal silos, address ethical dilemmas, or rebuild trust after conflict.

Session 3 – Tuesday 3 February 2026 14:00-1 7:00 hr, VU Campus
The Art of Design: Creating Dialogical Processes

Focus: Designing dialogues that make a difference
What you’ll learn:
Th e final session turns to the strategic and creative work of dialogue design: how to craft a meaningful conversation architecture that serv es a purpose. For example, improving team reflection, exploring moral questions in care, or involving citizens in health research. Partici pants learn to think systemically about context, stakeholders, and de sired outcomes. Together, we explore various prototype sessions tailo red to participants’ own environments, preparing them to implement dialogue as a structured and sustainable practice.

DESCRIPTION: Across healthcare and academia alike, we often talk about “dialogue”, but what does it truly mean to engage in one? How ca n we create the kind of meaningful conversations that foster trust, m utual understanding, and shared learning across professional, discipl inary, and societal boundaries? The Art of Dialogue is a hands-on tra ining series designed for researchers, educators, and practitioners w ho want to bring a dialogical mindset into their work, whether in pat ient engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, or public communica tion of science. Each session combines experiential learning, reflect ion, and conceptual grounding. Together, they form a full trajectory that moves from speaking and listening, to facilitating dialogue betw een others, to designing dialogical processes within complex environm ents such as healthcare, research, or education. Why it matte rs
Dialogue is not a soft skill. It’s a scientific and ethical competence that enables collaboration across difference. For researchers, and health and life sciences professionals, it offers a powerful method to navigate uncertainty, complexity, and moral tensio n in research and care. Session 1 - Thursday 4 Decem ber 14:00-17:00 hr, VU Campus
The Art of Speaking and List ening: Practicing Dialogue Focus: Interpers onal communication and the mindset of dialogue What you’ll learn:
This session introduces the foundations of dialogu e as a distinct mode of communication, quite different from discussio n or debate. Participants explore how curiosity, suspension of judgme nt, and attentive listening shape the quality of conversation. Throug h short exercises and case examples from healthcare and research, we practice slowing down the pace of exchange, making room for multiple perspectives, and identifying the subtle dynamics of trust and unders tanding in complex settings. Session 2 – Monday 12 January 2026 14:00-17:00 hr VU Campus
The Art of Facilita tion: Guiding Dialogues in Practice Focus: Facilitation skills and group dynamics
What you’ll learn :
Researchers often find themselves in the role of inform al facilitators: leading meetings, reflection rounds, or interdiscipl inary discussions. This session focuses on the craft of holding space for others. You’ll learn concrete facilitation techniques to foste r open and safe dialogue, manage tensions productively, and deal with emotions or power imbalances in group conversations. We’ll draw on real-world cases where dialogue helped bridge professional silos, ad dress ethical dilemmas, or rebuild trust after conflict. Sess ion 3 – Tuesday 3 February 2026 14:00-17:00 hr, VU Campus< br>The Art of Design: Creating Dialogical Processes Focus: Designing dialogues that make a difference
What you’ll learn:
The final session turns to the strategic and creative work of dialogue design: how to craft a me aningful conversation architecture that serves a purpose. For example , improving team reflection, exploring moral questions in care, or in volving citizens in health research. Participants learn to think syst emically about context, stakeholders, and desired outcomes. Together, we explore various prototype sessions tailored to participants’ ow n environments, preparing them to implement dialogue as a structured and sustainable practice. How do you conduct a meaningful dialogue an d how do you set up a good conversation structure? In this three-part training series, you will learn about dialogical practice, facilitat ion and dialogue design. END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR