In the mindful dialogue you will engage in mindful listening. First let’s go over what mindful listening is.
We give our whole attention to the other person.
We listen closely without speaking or interrupting.
We do not give advice or make comments about what the other person is sharing.
At the end, we thank the other person for sharing with us.
Now let’s go over what the mindful dialogue is.
First you will write down some thoughts. This is free writing. You can just jot down some notes and you do not need to write in complete sentences. No one will read what you have written. The purpose of the writing is just to help you start the thinking process for the mindful dialogue.
Next you will form pairs. Decide who in your pair will be the questioner and who will be the respondent. When I ring the bell, the questioner will politely ask the first question. The respondent will answer. If at any time you do not wish to answer the question that was asked, then feel free to answer the question that you wish they had asked. If there is time, then questioner will move on to the second question and then the third question. You will have about 90 seconds for this.
When I ring the bell again, I will ask you to switch roles. The person who answered will now pose the first question to his or her partner and will listen mindfully. If there is time, you will move on to the next question when the person finishes answering the first question. Again you will have 90 seconds.