Method guide · Progress through phases
Controlled dialogue
Check that two willing parties have received one another's words through three response stages, with an agreed observer and freedom to stop.
- People
- 3–3
- Base procedure time
- 60 minutes
- Recording
- No record
Purpose: Explore through dialogue; Build working relationships.
English guide
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How this method works
A dialogue method that relaxes two people's response rules in three stages to check whether each has received the other's contribution. First confirm both parties' voluntary consent, stopping, leaving, and external support, and appoint one observer. In the first stage, one person speaks one or two sentences, the other repeats the same words, and the speaker confirms whether they are correct. The second stage uses a summary confirmed by the speaker; the third responds to all points and concerns. At every stage, do not move to rebuttal until the contribution has been confirmed. The observer records no content and attends only to rules and safety. Do not use this where there is intimidation, abuse, risk of retaliation, or no secure freedom to refuse dialogue.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
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- Check consent, exit, and observer0–5 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Check. Participation: Two parties and one observer.
No record
- Repeat the other's one or two sentences in the same words5–20 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Repeat. Participation: Two parties and one observer.
No record
- Confirm the summary before responding20–35 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Summarise. Participation: Two parties and one observer.
No record
- Respond to every point35–50 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Respond. Participation: Two parties and one observer.
No record
- Close by checking only rules and safety50–60 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Close. Participation: Two parties and one observer.
No record
Facilitation steps
- For 5 minutes, confirm both people's voluntary consent, stopping and leaving, external support, and one observer.
- For 15 minutes, the parties take turns speaking briefly; the listener repeats the words exactly and responds after confirmation.
- For 15 minutes, the parties take turns speaking; the listener checks a summary with the speaker before responding.
- For 15 minutes, the parties take turns speaking and respond to all of the other's points and concerns.
- For 10 minutes, without recording content, the observer checks only adherence to stages, wishes to stop, and necessary support, then closes.
If something changes
If
Before starting or at any stage, either person asks to stop, leave, or sit separately.
Then
Stop the dialogue without asking for a reason, and let that person choose external support, another day, or ending.
If
There is even one instance of intimidation, a suggestion of retaliation, or a disclosure of abuse.
Then
Do not restart dialogue between the parties; connect to the safety lead and an external support service.
If
After two attempts at exact repetition or summary, the speaker still indicates that it is wrong.
Then
Do not move to the next stage. Hold the response until the listener can confirm the short wording corrected by the speaker.
Preparation
Materials
- One three-stage rule-card set per group of 3
- One observer stage sheet per group of 3, without recording speech content
Room and setup
- A place where both parties and the observer can sit with exit routes kept clear
Adjust for people and time
One session includes only the two parties who want dialogue and one observer whom both can choose: three people in total. Do not subdivide 4 or more people into groups within a single meeting. Only if another set of parties voluntarily wants this, run it independently in a different room, at a different time, and with a different observer. Do not share contributions, stage sheets, pairings, or completion status with other groups or everyone.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Require voluntary consent and freedom to refuse, stop, leave, or sit separately without giving a reason. Use a mutually selectable observer who records no speech content. Do not use this amid intimidation, abuse, retaliation risk, or inability to refuse. Do not restart party-to-party dialogue after the specified safety disclosure; connect to safety and external support. Keep all contributions, pairings, stage sheets, and completion status within the independent session.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Seeds for Change Facilitation Tools: Controlled dialogue
https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/tools
anti-copyright adaptation; changes made
- Conditions for applying anti-copyright
https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/resources
anti-copyright
Diagram, print, and video language
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Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.