Before participating in eight weeks of this fellowship, dialogue was merely something that intrigued me. I could distinguish between dialogue and debate, or dialogue and discussion, but I certainly would not have felt equipped to tackle emotionally-charged topics on my own. However, upon my completion of the Doyle Dialogue Fellows program, I feel a new sense of confidence when it comes to all things dialogue, whether that is characterizing, identifying, or engaging in it myself. One of the most important takeaways I gathered from our sessions was that the goal of dialogue is not merely agreement, but rather mutual understanding. Successful dialogue fosters empathy, reciprocity, and authenticity.
Prior to the Doyle Dialogue Fellows program, my understanding of dialogue was rather elementary: I knew techniques like active listening, eye contact, and receptivity. While these are effective ways to foster productive dialogue, I would have been less reluctant to center dialogue around more contentious subjects. One of the dialogue frameworks I found most valuable in deepening my facilitation skills was In Your Shoes™, as it demonstrates how empathy lies at the core of every polarizing topic, whether emotionally or politically charged. By repeating the words of my partner verbatim during our In Your Shoes™ activity—filler words and all—I truly felt more connected to her lived experiences and perspective. I also recall feeling deeply understood when I heard my own words being spoken out loud by someone else; a summary could have distorted what I was trying to convey in response to the dialogue prompt. Though we were not focused on a polarizing subject during this activity, it helped me to realize how, oftentimes, people simply want to be heard and understood. By internalizing this lesson, I hope to be able to productively engage across differences in future dialogues I find myself in, even if those initial differences seem insurmountable.
Furthermore, I found the demonstrating understanding framework to be highly influential in my ability to engage in fruitful dialogue. The idea of capturing someone as they wish to be seen is incredibly important, and it ties back into the notion of people wanting to be understood when sharing their beliefs with others. By searching for signposts of meaning while attempting to hit “bullseye” with other Doyle Dialogue Fellows, such as statements of identity, emphatic language, and metaphors, I was able to become more in tune with my peers’ standpoints as well as better understand my own positions. By asking reaffirming questions like “Did I get that correct?” while attempting to “hit the bullseye” of understanding, I aimed to demonstrate to my peers that I genuinely cared about explaining their beliefs in a sound, correct manner that resonates with their innermost values.
Looking to the future, I intend to continue my professional career in fields related to politics and public policy, where beliefs tend to be largely colored by identity and lived experience. There will be countless occasions where I may find myself disagreeing with my peers (both subtly and boldly), but I have found that the Doyle Dialogue Fellowship has significantly enhanced my ability to tackle disagreement and mitigate potential conflict that may arise. I will take my peers’ personal backgrounds and perspectives into account, and be empathetic in my understanding of how their own lives inform their political views. Overall, I am confident that the dialogue skills I have developed over the course of this semester will shape me into a better problem-solver, collaborator, and all-around individual within both my personal and professional communities.
Talia Arcasoy (SFS'29) is an undergraduate student in the School of Foreign Service. She plans to major in international politics with minors in religion, ethics, and world affairs and Turkish. She is passionate about human rights and social justice. On campus, Talia is involved with the Student Advocacy Office, The Hoya, and Georgetown-ACLU. She is a member of the 2026 Doyle Dialogue Fellows cohort.
