Reasonate is a collaborative approach to productive dialogue that’s designed to identify, develop, and structure the application of key dialogue skills.
By representing the dialogue as an evolving network of claims written on sticky notes, Reasonate makes thinking more careful by slowing it down, eliminates the mental fatigue of needing to keep track of the issues in our head, and reduces negative emotions by focusing our attention on the reasoning rather than the people advancing it.
A quick video introduction to Reasonate
Reasonate instructions
Materials: Small sticky notes of three different colors—one color for questions, one color for “Pro” claims, and one color for “Con” claims. Pens. A reasonably large surface on which to place the sticky notes.
I) Preparing for the Dialogue
Three Steps to Prepare for the Dialogue
1. Agree upon a shared goal for the dialogue.
More about setting the goal.
- Because the goal belongs to both parties, they must both be able to acknowledge when it’s been accomplished. So it can’t be something like ‘make the other side look silly.’
- If the dialogue is held for fun or practice, the goal might be unrelated to the topic discussed, e.g., “Develop and practice a set of skills that will help us to have productive conversations.”
- If the dialogue is held to address a particular topic, the goal might be related to the topic discussed, e.g., “Decide where to go on vacation,” or “Understand what reasons people give for and against a particular policy.”
- The goal can evolve as the dialogue progresses.
A quick video about agreeing upon a goal.
2. Choose the question to be answered and the position to be discussed.
More about choosing the question and position.
- The question can be a pressing issue about which participants have strong, competing views, but it need not be. (The question will be written on a neutrally-colored sticky note.)
- The question can be revised as the dialogue progresses.
- The position will be an answer to the question. (The position will be written on a “pro-colored” sticky-note.)
- The position can be revised as the dialogue progresses.
A quick video about choosing the question and position.
A quick video about asking good questions.
3. Assign roles for the dialogue.
More about assigning roles.
- One participant or team (“PRO”) agrees to support the position and another participant or team (“CON”) agrees to oppose the position.
- PRO and CON receive sticky notes of different colors.
- Although you may be able to see both sides of an issue, for this activity, you’ll need to assume a stance and defend it. You’ll be able to change your mind and modify your view as you go along, but to get the most of this activity, do your best to defend a position before abandoning it.
A quick video about assigning roles.
II) Directions for the Dialogue
Three Parts of the Dialogue.
1. Starting the dialogue.
More about starting the dialogue.
- The first turn belongs to Pro, and will involve Pro
- writing the question to be answered on a neutrally-colored sticky note,
- writing the position under discussion on a “pro-colored” sticky note,
- placing that note below the question, and
- providing support for that position by making one or more Moves to Advance the Dialogue.
- Turns alternate between Pro and Con.
A quick video about starting the dialogue.
2. Continuing the dialogue.
More about continuing the dialogue.
- During a turn, a participant:
- Must respond to any Request to Improve the Dialogue
- Must make one or more Moves to Advance the Dialogue.
- May make one or more Requests to Improve the Dialogue.
- Participants may collaborate during a turn (e.g., Pro and Con might work together to bridge a gap or refine a claim).
- Participants may remove a line of reasoning from the board if that line of reasoning has been resolved (perhaps because it has “bottomed out” in basic agreements or disagreements).
A quick video about continuing the dialogue.
3. Ending the dialogue.
More about ending the dialogue.
- The dialogue ends when participants / teams agree that the original or amended goal of the dialogue has been achieved or pursued as far as possible.
- “Bonus points” are given for having modified one or more claims or questions, or for having identified more points of agreement than disagreement
A quick video about ending the dialogue.
III) Moves to Advance the Dialogue
Five Moves to Advance the Dialogue
1. Assert a claim / Ask a question.
More about asserting a claim / asking a question.
- A participant asserts a claim or asks a question by writing it on a sticky note.
- Each note should contain only one claim or question.
- Often, the only question on the board will be the first question, but participants can place follow-up questions below a claim if they wish. Answers will then be placed, as claims, below that question and subject to support and objection.
- Ideally, every claim will be related to a question on the board or to another claim on the board, but participants may place free-standing claims which can then be subject to discussion or included in the reasoning if other participants wish.
A quick video about asserting a claim and asking a question.
2. Support a claim.
More about supporting a claim.
- When a sticky note of one color is placed underneath a sticky note of the same color, the claim on the note below supports the claim on the note above it.
- TIP: To make sure that a claim is a supporting claim, ask, “If we accept this claim, would that give us reason to think that the claim above it is true?”
A quick video about supporting a claim.
3. Object to a claim.
More about objecting to a claim.
- When a sticky note of one color is placed underneath a sticky note of a different color, the claim on the note below objects to the claim on the note above it.
- TIP: To make sure that a claim is an objecting claim, ask, “If we accept this claim, would that give us reason to think that the claim above it is false?”
A quick video about objecting to a claim.
4. Bridge the gap between claims.
More about bridging the gap between claims.
- Placing a note side-by-side a note of the same color bridges the gap between that note and the note above it. This reveals the unstated assumption.
- When sticky notes are placed side-by-side, they work together to support the note above them (if the note above them is of the same color) or to object to the note above them (if the note above them is of different color).
- TIP: Bridging the gap is a powerful move because it can reveal unstated assumptions. But don’t go overboard. Try to avoid having more than two dependent reasons working together because that often makes things unnecessarily complex.
- TIP: If you want to advance two completely independent supporting or objecting claims, you can leave a gap between them. Should confusion arise, you can adopt the convention of writing a “+” on a claim that has a dependent claim next to it.
A quick video about bridging the gap between claims.
5. Revise a claim / question.
More about revising a claim / question.
- At any point, a participant can revise a claim they’ve made or question they’ve posed.
- TIP: If it starts to feel like the participants are talking past each other, check to see if you are interpreting one of the questions or claims on the board differently. If so, you can revise that question or claim.
A quick video about revising a claim or question.
Note: Moves can be combined during a single turn. This means that a participant may place more than one sticky note during a turn.
Why the icons are different colors.
- Blue icons are used for moves that are primarily concerned with making claims or posing questions.
- Orange icons are used for moves that are primarily concerned with the relationships between claims.
IV) Requests to improve the Dialogue
Five Requests to Improve the Dialogue
1. Refocus on the claims / questions.
More about refocusing on the claims / questions.
- If a participant thinks that another participant is objecting to a claim by focusing on individuals who assert the claim rather than the claim itself, they can request that the objection be retracted or reworded to focus on the claim.
- If a participant thinks that the dialogue is straying from the question at issue, the participant can request that it return to the question or that the question be revised.
A quick video about refocusing on the claims / questions.
2. Break down complex statements.
More about breaking down complex statements.
- If a participant notices that another participant wrote more than one claim on a sticky note, they can request that the content of that sticky note be divided over multiple notes.
- When one claim is divided into component claims, it’s likely that those claims will be related to each other as support (one claim placed beneath the other) or as bridges (the claims placed side-by-side).
A quick video about breaking down complex statements.
3. Bridge the gap between claims.
More about bridging the gap between claims.
- If a participant doesn’t see how one claim supports or objects to another claim, they can request that the other participant bridge the gap.
- TIP: If you want to object to a claim but realize that your objection doesn’t show that the claim is false, bridge the nearby gaps and see if your objection targets one of those claims.
A quick video about bridging the gap between claims.
4. Refine unclear claims / questions.
More about refining unclear claims / questions.
- If a participant finds a claim or question to be unclear, or thinks that another participant has misunderstood one of their claims or questions, they can request that the claim or question be refined.
A quick video about refining a claim / questions.
5. Fact check disputed claims.
More about fact checking disputed claims.
- If one participant thinks that a claim untrue, the participant can request that participants work collaboratively to identify the facts. If there is insufficient time to identify the facts, the participants will note that the facts need to be checked later.
- TIP: Some fact claims are empirical (e.g., “Over 30% of college students have used AI to generate an entire essay.”). Other fact claims are ethical (e.g., “It’s unethical for students to use AI to generate essays.”) Empirical fact claims are easier to check, but ethical facts claims are often where important disagreements lie.
- TIP: If Pro and Con agree to a claim, they can note that by putting a checkmark on it. If Pro and Con disagree about a claim, and have exhausted the reasons for or against it, they can put an “X” mark on it to indicate that it is a point of basic disagreement.
A quick video about fact checking a claim.
Why the icons are different colors.
- Blue icons are used for requests that are primarily concerned with claims or questions.
- Orange icons are used for requests that are primarily concerned with the relationships between claims.
- Green icons are used for requests that are primarily concerned with evaluating claims.
Productive Dialogue 