Böcker utgivna av Dialogue Publications Ltd

This is the fifth book of a series recording the highlights of the international conferences held annually by the Academy of Professional Dialogue under the title The World Needs Dialogue! In 2022 the theme was Dialogue as Story. This refers to the subtle and unnoticed way people make sense of the things they encounter by forming them into a story. Discord between various versions results in fragmented thinking and counter-productive activity. Together checking and updating our stories is a primary function ofDialogue. Some 315 participants from 24 countries actively explored this in plenary presentations and break-out Participatory Dialogues in this online three-day event.

The third annual conference of the Academy of Professional Dialogue was held online for the first time, and in the Academy's Online Conference Centre specially created for the occasion. By holding sessions for four hours each day for five consecutive days, many more could be present than in previous conferences.This year's conference theme was Shaping the Profession. Dialogue as a profession is beginning to assume the form needed to encourage and enable different sectors to work more dialogically. We had substantial evidence of progress in this regard through the conference papers shared with participants beforehand and considered together at the conference. They featured Professional Dialogue work in Education (primary, secondary and adult), Corrections (UK and USA), Social Services (homelessness and care homes for the elderly and those with special needs) and Thinking (including what it takes to create a profession).

The Academy continues its steady progress with this volume of working papers that were considered at the second international conference in 2019. The proceeds of the previous year's inaugural annual conference were subtitled Gathering the Field. The current volume, Setting the Bearings, demonstrates the Academy's intention to provide ongoing developmental learning and professional affiliation for those working in this essential discipline. The accounts contained in this publication reveal the recent work of 13 Professional Dialogue Practitioners from Canada, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, UK and USA. As before, the papers were circulated prior to the conference to replace the typical presentational monologues, which freed up time for dialogues amongst the participants gathered. Authors were present throughout the full three days of the conference to rub shoulders with the other participants and learn from them too. You will find extracts from these conference sessions following the papers, and postscripts written by the authors to describe their own learning as a result of writing their paper and considering it with experienced colleagues.