Why Dialogue Cannot be Made Mandatory

• In Event: Top Faculty Papers in Public Relations

Abstract

Dialogue is a form of communication that has long been valorized in theory and practice. In recent times, governments have begun to make the conduct of dialogue mandatory through legislation that requires organizations to undertake dialogue as part of the development approvals process. This paper considers what happens when dialogue takes place between organizations and stakeholders because it is mandated. The research concludes that mandatory dialogue (MD) is, in fact, a form of two-way communication differing from normative conceptualizations of dialogue in every characteristic. This leaves academics with two choices: Option 1 is to maintain that dialogue means one very specific form of two-way communication, and insist the label of ‘dialogue’ is applied only to that form. This would require changes to the education and training of practitioners. Alternatively, Option 2 is that we accept that the meaning of dialogue encompasses non-normative forms and develop new models and theories accordingly.

Author

• Anne B Lane, Queensland U of Technology