A NEW KIND OF DIALOGUE: THE PODCAST
Understand the origins of Dialogic Teamwork™ from the Program Originators
Watch the trailer
Episode 1
What is Dialogue and where did it begin? Peter Garrett’s origins in Africa, journey to Europe and experience dropping out of society
From growing up in the wild African bush and learning about Stone Age people, to exciting journeys exploring large parts of the world, and leaving behind society to live in a mud hut, learn how the formative experiences of Peter Garrett shaped his approach to human connection, and the development of Dialogue.
In this first episode of A New Kind of Dialogue, Jane and Peter discuss the first three chapters of Peter’s book of the same name, reflecting on some of the major events and challenges in his early life, spanning diverse landscapes and cultures. Hear how these experiences served as an experiential foundation for the concept and practice of Dialogue - a way of healing society’s most pervasive issue, fragmentation.
Peter Garrett is interviewed by Jane Ball
About his first-hand experiences pioneering, guiding and shaping dialogue from his early days with David Bohm in the 1980’s to the formation of the Academy of Professional Dialogue with Jane and others in 2017. Their enquiry is infectious, so expect to find yourself reflecting on your own growth and development as you listen to the emerging story in the podcast.
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Episode 2
A New Dialogue unfolds: Peter journeys into spirituality, meets David Bohm and a new kind of Dialogue is born
From growing up in the wild African bush and learning about Stone Age people, to exciting journeys exploring large parts of the world, and leaving behind society to live in a mud hut, learn how the formative experiences of Peter Garrett shaped his approach to human connection, and the development of Dialogue.
In this first episode of A New Kind of Dialogue, Jane and Peter discuss the first three chapters of Peter’s book of the same name, reflecting on some of the major events and challenges in his early life, spanning diverse landscapes and cultures. Hear how these experiences served as an experiential foundation for the concept and practice of Dialogue - a way of healing society’s most pervasive issue, fragmentation.
Episode 3
Why we all NEED Dialogue: Peter immerses himself in Dialogue, meets Jiddu Krishnamurti and the Dalai Lama, and reflects on the death of David Bohm
Following the birth of a new kind of Dialogue, Peter swiftly finds himself immersed in it, realising the power it holds as an essential tool to heal the fragmentation that divides society. In this episode, Jane and Peter explore chapters seven and eight A New Kind of Dialogue.
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Discover how Peter began running a series of Dialogues all around the world, from the UK to Israel to Switzerland
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Hear the incredible story of an elderly woman who, mid Dialogue, pushed a piano into the room and started playing to ease the rising tensions
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Meet the fascinating people who helped develop Peter’s thinking around Dialogue, including Jiddu Krishnamurti, the Dalai Lama, Václav Havel and Patrick De Maré
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Hear Peter reflect on the death of his close friend and partner in Dialogue, David Bohm
Episode 4
Nine years in a maximum security prison: Dialogue takes Peter behind bars
Amid the tension of violence and power struggles, what started as a hotbed of complaints, swearing and anger, slowly turned into something much greater. Peter charts his journey into a maximum security prison where, over the course of nine years, Dialogue began to shift communication among prisoners and prison officers alike.
In this episode you will learn:
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How it is that Peter came to convene Dialogue groups at HMP Whitemoor following the death of David Bohm
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How Peter handled his first prison visits, from a briefing that felt like a scare tactic, to meeting “heavy duty” prisoners, to quelling rising tensions in the room
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About the role Jimmy Robinson played in the prison Dialogues - a man cleared of his wrongful sentence after 18 years in prison
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And how Dialogue is able to bring out the best in even the most fractured relationships
Episode 5
Hitmen, sex offenders and serial murderers: Transforming prisons through Dialogue
By this point in the story, Dialogue had become a firm fixture at HMP Whitemoor, and Peter was regularly convening sessions with some of the most violent criminals in the prison. Like an unexplored part of the world waiting to be travelled, Peter met all manner of people he’d have never otherwise encountered. Whether hitmen or rapists, the stakes were high and the challenges were many, but the value of Dialogue shone through, later taking Peter into HMP Long Lartin and Blakenhurst prisons too.
In this episode you will learn:
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About the challenges of working with such a wide range of incarcerated individuals
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About a standoff between Peter and a fearsome prisoner who turned up to a Dialogue in his underpants!
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About the profound impact of community Dialogue sessions, which placed people on parole together with other members of the community
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And how the violence of the prisoners in one prison wing was so feared, the door to the Dialogue room was taken off its hinges
Episode 6
Why organisations are fragmented, and how ‘radical openness’ can fix them
From prisons to the corporate world of organisations, the remit of Dialogue expands further as Peter looks to heal ‘a pervasive area of fragmentation’ in our society. First we canter through Peter’s fascinating history within organisations, beginning with his first day in school, right through to working as a builder’s merchant, a bank cleric, running his own businesses and becoming a consultant. All of this unpacking Peter’s many learnings that led him to bring Dialogue into the workplace - and in particular, within the BP offices in Grangemouth, Scotland.
In this episode you will learn:
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Why the disconnect between ‘Head Office’ and workers on the ground creates so much fragmentation within organisations
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That good managers support the development of their team members, even when it’s time for them to leave and find a new job
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The true meaning of work ‘culture’, and how to create healthy containers
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How Peter’s theory of ‘radical openness’ changed the game for many of BP’s businesses
Episode 7
ALL people are intelligent and compassionate, revealed through DIALOGUE
What exactly is Dialogue? Its applications have proven to be numerous and its impact undeniable. But until now we’ve not offered a structured definition. That doesn’t work so well in the world of business, where deadlines need to be met and budgets spent wisely. So, to get into organisations, the main source of fragmentation in our world, Peter gets to work codifying the practice he’s been developing all these years.
In this episode you will learn:
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That fragmentation doesn’t just exist within organisations, but that organisations are the main source of fragmentation in our society
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Why ‘check-ins' are an essential ingredient to meaningful Dialogue, and how to use them yourself
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The difference between the Dialogic ‘modes’ - monologue, debate, discussion, conversation, skilful conversation, Dialogue and Generative Dialogue
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About the Dialogic Principles and how the ‘process’ of Dialogue uncovers the roots of an organisation’s issues and problems
Episode 8
Finding a Common Understanding - Healing the Fragmentation
Dialogue has found a place in all types of organisations, from prisons to SMEs to multinational corporations. It has moved beyond single team interventions to something that impacts and changes whole systems. But how it does that depends on the type of system it’s being introduced into - open or closed reporting lines.
In this episode Peter shares examples of open and closed systems he’s worked with and explains the different ways Dialogue has addressed fragmentation in both. And he explores how you can most effectively open communication within an organisation by using Dialogue as a research methodology.
In this episode you will learn:
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About Peter’s theory of ‘two in agreement’ and what traits he looks for in the leaders and teams he works with
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How Dialogue can reposition a command and control style leadership
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About the gang and drug culture of Trinidad, and why Peter was asked to intervene
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How to turn Dialogue into research, so it can be converted into action
Episode 9
Rooting Out Fragmentation - Dialogue Becomes Whole
Everything Peter - and you - has learned about Dialogue now becomes whole. Here we see an integrated model develop, punctuated by four impactful theories which blend together everything from consciousness to how Dialogue makes change happen.
Through compelling anecdotes and personal experiences, Peter then leads a discussion about the eight axioms of Dialogue, which draw on the narrative and learnings from the story so far. Principles like “nothing happens by chance” and “fragmentation is a generic problem in the world”.
In this episode you will learn:
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What an integrated model is and why it’s important to pull together many practices and theories, like these, so each element becomes an echo of the other
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About each of the eight axioms of Dialogue and how they can be integrated into your way of thinking about the world
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That there is hope. We can heal all of the problems that exist in the world, by addressing the root cause - fragmentation
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What you need to know if you have come this far and want to become a Dialogue practitioner yourself
Episode 10
The World Needs Dialogue - Birth of the Academy of Professional Dialogue
Dialogue is not just a solution for organisations - they’re just the beginning. Dialogue could be, and is the answer to healing all of the world’s problems. The potential is vast and unending, but how to make it reach this wider consciousness?
Delving into the final chapters of Peter’s book, we learn how Dialogue is now beginning to reach all corners of the globe, as its wider societal impact is furthered through the creation of the Academy of Professional Dialogue. And as the final episode of the series, Jane and Peter reflect on what they’ve each learned from recording this podcast and the many stories that have come up along the way.
This is where it all ends. But don’t worry, the story continues. Stay tuned for what’s next from Jane and Peter.
In this episode you will learn:
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Why it was important to establish Dialogue as a profession, implementing accreditation, rather than simply creating a Dialogue network
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The most refined version of what Dialogue is, and how the academy defines the practice
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Why Dialogue requires long-term thinking, inner inquiry and thinking from the perspective of the whole
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Why the time is NOW for you to give Dialogue a go
Episode 11
How YOU Can Bring Dialogue Into Your Workplace - Improve Your Team and Organisation Now
Inspired by the message of A New Kind of Dialogue? Ready to bring Dialogue into your workplace - to heal the fractures in your team and organisation? Jane and Peter offer a solution that’s simple to use and could change the way you work forever.
Moving beyond the messages of the book, this unexpected 11th episode serves as a bridge between the podcast and what’s next - a brand new course titled Dialogic Teamwork. With tips on how you can benefit from Dialogue in a team or on a wider organisational level, Jane and Peter explain why you should make an investment in Dialogue, and explore the benefits of their new self-managed solution.
In this episode you will learn:
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To identify how good your team is, really - and whether you could be doing better when it comes to enjoyment, engagement, trust and transparency
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Why Dialogic skills need to be held collectively, within the whole team
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How the Dialogic Teamwork course works; a self-managed, cost-effective, accessible programme designed for group learning
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The power of learning through actions and reflections