Participants listen in order to refute the other side s data and to expose faulty logic in their arguments. Questions are asked from a position of certainty. These questions are often rhetorical challenges or disguised statements. Participants listen to understand and gain insight into the beliefs and concerns of the others. Questions are asked from a position of curiosity.
Statements are predictable and offer little new information.
New information surfaces. Success requires simple impassioned statements. Success requires exploration of the complexities of the issue being discussed. Debates operate within the constraints of the dominant public discourse. Participants are encouraged to question the dominant public discourse, that is, to express fundamental needs that may or may not be reflected in the discourse and to explore various options for problem definition and resolution.