SNF Paideia Resources
Dialogue Resources
These resources have been developed by the SNF Paideia Program and are designed to be broadly relevant and applicable for many different dialogue contexts, topics, purposes, and populations. Our resources, like our program, do not mandate a singular model or goal for dialogic engagement. They do however reflect our core dialogue values of intentionality, curiosity, humility, and community.
SNF Paideia dialogue resources support anyone who is interested in participating in, facilitating, and/or planning effective dialogue. They honor a rich legacy of dialogue work by diverse practitioners and scholars within and beyond the United States.
These resources are always open-access! Feel free to make copies and to share resources with others. Download and print digital versions here. Our resources are also available in hard copy in a spiral-bound collection.
Please do not alter any of these documents, remove any attributions to named creators or contributors, sell any of these resources, or claim authorship over them.
We would love to hear from you about how you are using these resources! Please reach out to SNF Paideia Dialogue Director Sarah Ropp via email at sropp@upenn.edu with your feedback and suggestions for current and future resources, or to request a hard copy of the resource collection.
(Third edition, Fall 2026)
Download individual resources below or flip through the latest edition.
Building the Foundation for Dialogue
The absolute essentials for getting started
Building Community in Dialogue
Create a sense of community and trust through Practices that Support Belonging, including an in-depth guide to facilitating check-ins.
Curating the Environment
Design a space that is welcoming and inclusive.
Effective Norms
Establish accountability through meaningful community agreements.
The Art of the Dialogue Question Set
Craft questions that will lead to dialogue, not debate.
Reflection and Synthesis
Help participants process and make meaning of dialogue through a well-designed “exit ticket” activity.
Facilitating Effectively
Guidance for common facilitation challenges
Getting Everyone to Talk
Strategies for more democratic and inclusive engagement.
Making Space for Emotion
Strategies for honoring the whole person + helping facilitators and participants cope with the emotions that arise in dialogue.
Shame-Sensitive Dialogue
Strategies for liberating speech.
Trauma-Informed Facilitation
Creating a safer space for dialogue.
Managing Dialogue
Responding to Current Events
Addressing the urgent + impactful news of the day
When Emotions Run High
Dialogue Activities for Processing Current Events
2 activity guides inspired by the work of superstar educators Gloria González López and Sara K. Ahmed.
Resources FOR Participants
Interactive resources to help participants prepare for dialogue + engage with dialogue concepts
Getting Ready to Dialogue
A primer to promote reflection + provide concrete strategies and scripts ahead of engaging in dialogue.
Thinking About Harm
A glossary + discussion questions to help participants create a shared understanding.
Why Speech, Why Silence
Reflections on why we choose to speak up and why we stay silent.
Practicing Presence
A set of mindfulness exercises to help participants cope with dialogue.
Beyond Understanding
Other ways to practice listening.
Metaphors Not to Live By
Two deeply ingrained, ubiquitous conceptual systems in contemporary English (war + domination and the marketplace) and questions to think and talk about in your classroom or on your own.
Radio Paideia Spotify channel
A series of playlists facilitators can use to enhance and guide dialogue through music. Click “FOLLOW.”
Dialogue Event Planning
Interconnected resources to help facilitators plan effective dialogue programming
Essential Elements for Dialogue Planning
A snapshot summary of the major elements to consider and plan for when conceiving a dialogue event or workshop.
Dialogue Event Plan
Capturing your programming intentions.
The WHY: Defining a Purpose for Dialogue
Determining the kind of conversation you want to have, and what you hope participants will feel, know, or do as a result of it.
The WHAT: Objectives for Dialogue
Identifying the concrete, scaffolded actions that participants will take towards the realization of your purpose.
The WHO: Participants and Partners for Dialogue
Envisioning your ideal participants, recruiting and preparing them, and considering other partners you may bring in.
The HOW: Formats and Modes for Dialogue
Choosing structures that make sense for your purpose and your participants.
The HOW-TO: Dialogue Cafe
An informal drop-in gathering space for unstructured conversation and connection. Dialoguecafe welcomes the whole person with a “come as you are” ethos, allowing for communitybuilding and rest without the pressure to perform, network, or produce.
The HOW-TO: Walking Dialogue
A conversation carried out while in motion. Walking dialogues provide an opportunity toground dialogue topics in the built or natural environment, with benefits that are both somatic(anxiety relief) and relational (connection between participants as well as to place).
The HOW-TO: Crafts-Based Dialogue
A multimodal conversation in which participants converse while doing hands-on artactivities. Crafts-based dialogue creates a comfortable, inclusive space for deeper or morevulnerable conversation by reducing awkward silences and keeping the hands busy.
The HOW-TO: Slow Dialogue
An asynchronous, virtual, video format for extended, in-depth dialogue on a specified topic between 2-3 participants. Slow dialogue combines the in-person benefits of hearing someone’s voice, seeing their face, and reading their body language with the asynchronous benefits of time to process, reflect, and decide how to respond.
The HOW-TO: Story Sharing
A dialogue format structured around the sharing of personal narratives related to a topic.Sharing stories grounds discussion of abstract concepts in lived human experience andhighlights both the diversity in how participants relate to the topic and the common threads.
The HOW-TO: Reading Group
An interdisciplinary conversation (in person or online) in which participants respond together to a common text (or film, artwork, album, etc). A reading group creates belongingthrough dialogue with + about a cultural or scholarly object and its central themes/questions.
The HOW-TO: "Interactivated" Speaker Event
An event focused on a single speaker, or a pair/panel of speakers, but which includes dialogic, reflective, and interactive elements beyond a traditional Q&A format. An interactivated speaker event engages participants on a deeper level to make meaning of what they are hearing.