We do not lack platforms to communicate or venues to hold political debates, but we seem to sorely miss the time and space to think together. Whether with friends, neighbors or people from different cultural or religious groups, we rarely take the time to explore our basic assumptions and perceptions. Such explorations, however, allow us to better understand ourselves and each other before making our choices or acting on them.

This book is dedicated to the spirit of dialogue. To cultivate it, the author invites us to take up six invitations:

• Accept that we are all related

• Listen with one's whole being

• Suspend assumptions

• Question with warmth and curiosity

• Honour the power of words and of silence

• Co-create new meaning

  Marie-Ève Marchand holds her doctorate in adult education, and her research has focused on group dialogue as a means of develop- ing the reflective capacity of adults. A specialist in organizational dialogue with experience as a senior executive in the Public Service of Canada, she has also been an Associate Professor in the Department of Management at Laval University. She is a therapist, a graduate of Toronto's Gestalt Institute and a member of the international organization The Academy of Professional Dialogue.