Methods enabling this constructive communication to take place include Appreciative Inquiry, Deliberative Communication, and Appreciative Dialogue. Bohm Dialogue.

They can each be seen as a form of positive enquiry, as opposed to the negative enquiry that is central to most problem-solving approaches. 

• Appreciative Inquiry rejects deficit-oriented thinking and embraces life-generating forces
• Deliberative Communication focuses on eliminating artificially imposed constraints
• Appreciative Dialogue offers a more empowering alternative to the commonly-used SWOT analysis

The power of these methods is in the learning opportunity they offer, leading to 

• New perspectives on the patterns underlying perceived problems
• A wider selection of solutions
• Consensus-building around prioritised solutions

Learning — about and through language-based expressions of beliefs, thoughts, and actions — emerges from relationships. Through their day-to-day interactions, people co-construct the organisations, communities, and societies they co-inhabit, thus forming and reinforcing beliefs and assumptions. The dialogue methods outlined here make it possible to challenge those beliefs and assumptions in a non-threatening environment. 

A conversation deficit

In a paper called ’Living Well on One Planet’, Mathis Wackernagel makes the point that we need much more discourse on the subject of sustainable development: ”We have a conversation deficit — the physical limiting factor is the regenerative capacity of the earth, but a societal limiting factor is the appetite for sustainability; it is essential to get people ‘hungry’, to build the appetite for sustainability, and the permission to make the decisions to work towards it.”

A related Basic Tool: Meaningful Conversation.