Open Dialogue

“Open Dialogue” is an experimental form of a conversation based on the pioneering work of David Bohm. He noticed that people can enter into a deeper understanding of each other, when they honestly express what is on their mind and when they listen with undivided attention.

According to Bohm people engaging in dialogue are able to tap into a tacit meaning that we all share and that enables us to come to a deeper understanding of things and each other. Bohm never proposed any specific techniques or methods to conduct such an open dialogue as that would be a contradiction in term. He believed in the collective power of the participants which acts in a self correcting manner, provided all people come together in a genuine spirit of openness with a desire to connect. Open Dialogues are not announced with a theme or subject. The dialogue starts with a period of silence to allow the theme to emerge from among the participants.