They seek to instruct, inform, persuade, or convert. Discussion is also more formal than conversation, with tacit or explicit rules. If such protocol is violated, the participants run the risk of being cut off, silenced, or failed. Participants in discussion tend to speak from a particular point of view, usually trying to articulate and defend a given perspective, though with greater flexibility and openness than parties in a debate. Dialogue is not debate .
Debate is a zero-sum game.
If one side wins, the other side must lose. The goal in a debate is to win the verbal contest by persuading others, often without concern for the truth of the matter. The adversarial method frequently employed by lawyers is one familiar form of debate. The most important difference between dialogue and these other forms of oral exchange is its primary dedication to what is common or universal. Conversation often depends on the tastes and inclinations of the participants without an agenda or clear objective.