Yuliya Tychkivska. Are we ready for an open dialogue that will help solve socially significant problems?

Developing a culture of dialogue is not a matter of one day or even one year. It is a process of systemic transformation of society. Are we ready for an open dialogue? Definitely. Are we effectively using this tool in public life after 30 years of independence? Not always. In this context, there is not only black or white. We can mention both successful and unsuccessful practices. But dialogue has great potential as a tool for solving socially significant problems and developing a good life society in Ukraine.

It is crucial to understand that dialogue is impossible without the desire of each party to understand the other. It is not necessary to act according to the principle the loudest is the right one but to try to hear all sides, all participants. Not to prove that your position is the only correct, but to reach the most effective decision together. Do not look for the mote in someone’s eye, but appeal exclusively to the other person’s position and ideas instead of their personal qualities. If all these conditions are met, the dialogue will be an effective tool, if not – an imitation – more harmful than useful.

Role models are very important for society. If you see that the dialogue among people who make decisions in their fields gives results, you will start implementing this tool in your life. Aspen Institute Kyiv is a platform for leadership dialogue. Analyzing the experience gained by the participants of our seminars and programs, I can confidently say that Ukrainian leaders are ready for an open and honest discussion of important challenges and the search for answers to them. But now it is necessary to create the conditions for dialogue: an atmosphere of trust, mutual understanding, and an understandable and common value field for all. This is an important component of the Institute’s activity.

I do not believe in these kinds of the category “we are not ready for something” or “we do not understand something.” Our society has proven that it is capable of uniting, making decisions, and acting together. Therefore, the effective use of dialogue is exclusively a matter of systematic work, the improvement of relevant competencies, and social skills. Each of us is responsible for it. Expect nothing, blame nobody, do something — this is the actual motto that we should be guided by.

Yuliya Tychkivska’s comment was published in No. 5 of the Huxley magazine: https://bit.ly/3bcjrAU