Facilitation of intergroup dialogues may include a blend of traditional group facilitation practices, transformative models of conflict exploration and social justice education, and collaborative group work models for supporting individual empowerment and community building. It is important to have facilitators work closely with a group of consultants who assist them with agenda planning and educational design. In many programs, professional support is provided by faculty, student affairs professionals, or advanced graduate students. Without well-trained facilitators, attempts to initiate difficult dialogues across race, gender, sexual orientation and other group differences are likely to become volatile, unsafe, and potentially destructive. Intergroup dialogues allow students to challenge misconceptions, biases and stereotypes.
Students also develop an awareness of themselves as members of a social identity group.
They examine the impact of social identities such as gender, race, or sexual orientation upon status in society. In this process, students from dominant social groups often struggle with the idea that their social group membership grants unearned privileges not available to members of subordinated social groups. On the other hand, although students from subordinate groups are generally more aware of the impact of social group membership on their identities and status in society, they become more aware of the complexities of social identity and group relationships as they engage in substantial dialogue with peers similar to and different from themselves. Students also develop a more positive approach to exploring difficult and potentially conflictual topics. Once students learn to move beyond their initial caution and anxiety about conflict, they develop skills that enable them to intervene to keep the dialogue going, even when it gets difficult.