Online introductory course program

The online course program consists of 2 X 5 introductory sessions of each 2 hours long. In the first series you will get to know what a (neo-)Socratic dialogue today is. Through several exercises, you’ll discover the typical features of the German-Dutch style.  In the second series of 5 (running after summer), you will practice and practice as a facilitator with direct feedback on your facilitation skills.

The sessions will all be run on Zoom with a maximum of 20 (international) participants. The language is English. After the introductory session, each session is followed by a small task to fulfill in between the sessions. The tasks do not take more than 15 minutes each.

Session 1  : introduction into Socratic dialogue

• Who was Socrates? The ‘light’ and the ‘heavy’ version on this ‘historical’ figure. What does it mean today?
• Short history of Socratic dialogue
• the Structure of a Socratic dialogue
• first experience with a Socratic dialogue ‘live’

Session 2 : Understanding a Socratic dialogue

• the elenctic and the protreptic movement
• understanding the five Socratic movements
• demonstration of a Socratic dialogue one-on-one
• exercise in facilitating

Session 3 : the Socratic style in questioning

• proper questioning and listening : exercises
• The Socratic style : being brief and to the point
• Questioning up – questioning down

Session 4 : Logic in a Socratic dialogue

• the Kantian background
• questioning the reasoning of somebody
• the importance of the experience in questioning assertions

Session 5 : leading a Socratic dialogue

• the basic attitudes of the leader
• the style of the craftsman
• efficient steering in questioning the client

What can you do with a Socratic dialogue?

A Socratic dialogue can be run in pairs, in a team or in a group. It is suitable for philosophical counselling with a client and as well for teams and groups who want to examine the value of influential conceptions of themselves and / or their organization in order to change or adapt them.

This examination is executed in a structured and careful way. The conversation itself allows a team to work on conversational abilities such as :

• • formulating clearly what one thinks
  • taking a standpoint
  • effective listening
  • summarizing
  • suspending judgments if necessary
  • asking the right questions

A Socratic conversation is an excellent way to help to change (conversational) unwanted habits in an organization.

Some examples of questions  I have dealt with in organisations :

• When do I stop helping the client? (dialogue with nurses)
• Do we work with love? (dialogue with staff of a Psychiatric clinic)
• When is a decision well-considered? (dialogue with judges)
• What’s the use of revenge? (dialogue with prisoners)
• Which values do we have in common? (dialogue in a big enterprise)

Results

For yourself as participant :

After an initial Socratic Dialogue :

• • • You listen better to yourself and to others
    • You can formulate confused feelings or thoughts of yourself or someone else in a clear, simple and precise way
    • You discover aspects of your conversational habits : (im)patience, (un)critical listening, monological tendencies, impulsivity,…
    • You learn to recognize alternative interpretations of the concepts you currently use
    • You gain insight into your own state of your mind
    • You learn to assess and evaluate your own thoughts and feelings
    • You appreciate doubt and ambivalence as a powerful source of new insights
    • You question the obviousness of judgments
    • You reinforce your sense of discernment: you learn to distinguish between feelings and judgments about those feelings, between “facts” and interpretations of facts etc.
    • You can adequately summarize a train of thoughts and seek consensus
    • You are allergic to uncareful ‘diagnostical’ thinking
    • You’re prone to think in questions instead of thinking in responses
    • You practise working together and thinking together
    • You practise strategic thinking and you can see the consequences of your choices

After several Socratic Dialogues :

• • • Your perception of a problem is more sensitive to details
    • You can formulate your statements in a correct way
    • You are able to accurately connect concrete observations to abstract concepts and vice versa
    • You master the art of suspending your judgments if necessary
    • You develop an inquisitive attitude towards statements of your colleagues and your clients
    • You can lead and participate in a dialogue
    • You think carefully and accurately in your everyday functioning
    • You trust in your own speech instead of relying on authorities

For your organization

• • • • The quality of the peer review improves
      • Your meetings are better and more efficient
      • the contact with colleagues or clients is deepened with a ‘Socratic’ way of thinking and acting
      • As a Socratic leader, you are the “midwife” of the mind of your employees : instead of thinking yourself, you make them think as much as possible and you increase their accountability.
      • You listen better and you formulate what you want to say more to the point.
      • You take nonsense away to make way for clear thoughts and decisions
      • You do not lead by more nonsense.