Successful dialogue requires honest and open sharing of views. It requires the courage to question existing assumptions and to say with integrity what others might not initially understand or find comfortable.

Courtesy means exercising consideration for others. Moderation means communicating with self-restraint and avoiding language and behaviors that would alienate, disempower, or hurt others.

Striving to comprehend fully and accurately what others have said before they draw conclusions helps mutual understanding to develop. Participants in dialogue avoid rushing to judgment. They ask questions that promote understanding. They guard themselves against assumptions, stereotypes, and biases that might keep them from understanding others.

Dialogue requires an environment that builds trust and empathy. People must trust that others will not attack, belittle, or judge them. Civility means that people see each other as equals worthy of respect and goodwill.

The purpose of dialogue is to create understanding, not to make a decision. Once mutual understanding develops, it can serve as a foundation for effective decision making, but only if participants are ready to explore common action steps or commitments.

Often dialogues focus on sensitive or personal topics, or participants will trust others enough to share information about themselves that they otherwise might not share. We expect participants not to disclose the names of other participants or what they have shared during a dialogue without their explicit permission to do so.