Dialogue Trainings Info Card

We have created a series of workshops and training programs focused on improving the quality of human interactions. The underlying paradigm comes from the German-Jewish philosopher Martin Buber’s work, The Principles of Dialogue, which states: ”The only way to learn is through encounter“. The concept is that experiencing extraordinary and powerful emotions that are mentally challenging has a long lasting effect on participants and provides a learning opportunity for members of the business community.

Dialogue in the Dark takes place in a pitch-black environment, and Dialogue in Silence in a soundless space. The temporary loss of one sense slows us down, draws us inward and gets us in touch with our own core values. Each workshop’s activities provide an innovative and powerful tool for human resource development, improving social skills and emotional intelligence.

Dialogue in the Dark – Moving Beyond Sight

This sightless environment forces the participants to deal with the sudden withdrawal of a key sense: vision. As they rediscover their other senses, they also awaken to new aspects of personal power and perception. Listening and talking become vital, because in this environment those who don’t communicate cease to exist.

The participants will rely on blind instructors to guide them in complete darkness for two hours. They learn to dare, share and care, and will work out strategies to solve common tasks together. Communication and cooperation are the essential tools for success.

Participants are then escorted out of the darkness for an hour of reflection and debriefing on the transition from disempowerment to empowerment. They learn to use hidden senses more effectively and come to think twice about abilities and disabilities.

For further information, please visit the Dialogue in the Dark international web page.

Dialogue in Silence – Moving Beyond Speech

Here participants are invited into a world without sound or speech. Temporary deprivation of their usual means of conversation makes them aware of how they conceive of communication, as well as the limitations of expression and understanding. They learn to perceive more in the silence.

Vision and physical expression expand participants’ communication tools, thereby teaching them to communicate in a whole new way. Fuller comprehension of themselves and of others is a natural consequence of this process.

Parts of the workshop are held in complete silence. The participants are equipped with highly effective headsets to block all sound. They must listen with their eyes and communicate visually.

Deaf instructors share their strategies for communication and social interaction in a soundless world. The focus is less on how we express ourselves and more on how others understand us. This requires openness, empathy and concentration. As an outcome, participants are empowered to ask for feedback, question assumptions and verify that the message was understood as intended.

For further information, please visit the Dialogue in Silence international web page.

Dialogue Training Programmes

Dialogue Training Programmes bring a holistic approach to business education. They are based on experimental learning that uses the unpredictable mediums of darkness and silence. The trainers, themselves visually or hearing impaired, are experts in non-visual / sensory perception and create a learning atmosphere of authenticity, empathy and openness.

Trainees embark on a series of workshops in darkness or in silence to facilitate intra- and interpersonal growth, develop individual management behaviour and strengthen social bonds. The experience of total darkness or silence reveals a person’s emotional intelligence and social competence — after all, these are the skills that spring into action and quickly enhance each participant’s ability to engage in self-perception, survive and excel. Following the specially designed exercises, a unique debriefing and reflection allows participants to confront themselves, others and — most importantly — the unknown.

The workshops are aimed at bringing out characteristics that create a more collaborative and inclusive management style and help participants cope effectively in times of crises and uncertainty. Dialogue Training Programs foster social and emotional learning and can be an important contribution to personality development while enhancing human interaction and mutual understanding.

When you are interested in conducting a workshop or a training, please send us a request.