Page 309 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

Process

The process elements of the deliberative dialogue were critical in fostering the right kind

of Metasphere for open CC participation which resulted in an environment for candid and honest

conversation and discussion about race relations, local history, racism, bias and personal stories.

Forming a dialogue circle. The circle formation for promoting group interaction has long

been a technique used to support the act of gathering and collaborative interaction. Block (2008)

explained that community is built when we sit in circles, where there are windows, and the walls

have signs of life, when every voice can be equally heard and amplified, when we all are on one

level-and the chairs have wheels and swivel (p. 151). With the exception of swiveling seats, and

windows, Block’s (2008) depiction of the elements of a dialogue circle were present in each of the

locations used for hosting each of the four Albany Community Conversations on Implicit Bias.

For each CC event, attendees were welcomed into a meeting space either around tables or

in a circular seating arrangement. Circular seating arrangements promote a level of engagement

and connection that implies flow, interaction, transparency, and openness (Garant, 2000).

Isaacs (1999) observed that the circle has many symbolic roles in fostering dialogue, which

includes functioning as a leveler, allowing everyone to see and hear one another; and acting as a

lens and a focusing device —“things intensify in the circle, and one cannot predict what will

happen within it” (p. 249). The circular space is more intimate and allows face to face interaction.

With respect to the use of a circular seating arrangement for the Community Conversations,

the last of the four scheduled dialogue participants responded in an interview:

“I liked that we all sat in a circle and so we were looking at each other … When we are all

in a circle looking at each other you can talk directly to each other … It gives people that

290