A New Kind of Dialogue

The remarkable turnaround of one of the UK’s worst-performing prisons

Want to know how to completely transform a failing prison? In the year 2000 HM Prison Dorchester in England was at rock bottom - suffering from the worst culture the Chief Inspector of Prisons said he had ever seen, and dangerously low performance ratings. Conditions for prisoners were terrible and every intervention was met with resistance.  In the most challenging environments, Dialogue serves as a powerful tool to bring people together, create empowering relationships, and change. In a few short years, HMP Dorchester was completely transformed - reaching the highest levels of achievement and quality in the UK. This was the beginning of a larger journey transforming a number of prison systems in the UK and US. Telling the story of how they achieved it are co-founders of Dialogue Associates, Jane Ball and Peter Garrett, and former Governor of HMP Dorchester Steve Holland. In this episode you will learn: ➡︎ Why every member of an organisation needs to have ownership over its successes ➡︎ How to deal with cynicism when you’re starting a journey of radical change ➡︎ How prisoners were given a sense of purpose, despite overcrowding and poor conditions ➡︎ How a fish tank became an unlikely symbol of transformation and progress! Chapters: (0:00) Intro (2:37) How Steve came to Dorchester (6:12) First memories of the state of the prison before Dialogue (8:30) How the prison drastically changed over a few short years (12:16) A prison on the brink of closure - what changed? (16:30) The methods used to turn the prison around (19:19) Comply, perform, serve, shine (22:53) How to deal with cynical people inside an organisation (24:43) How to improve the resettlement journey (28:07) Why this story is still relevant If you found today's discussion inspiring, please leave a review, rate us five stars, and subscribe to never miss an episode. To find out more about Jane and Peter’s work, visit Dialogue Associates [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/]: https://www.dialogue-associates.com/ Buy Peter’s book, A New Kind of Dialogue: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104 [https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104]

How a US Department of Corrections came to lead the nation

The performance of a correctional system affects everyone. It affects the lives of those incarcerated or on probation, and it has a far reaching ripple effect throughout the community. The performance is measured by reoffending rates and public safety.  Virginia Department of Corrections became the best performing department of corrections in the US, with the lowest reoffending rate, after choosing to become a healing environment and introducing dialogue across the agency.  In 2010, in-coming Director Harold Clarke faced the same challenges many leaders find: fragmentation between organisational silos; a command and control culture; and poor understanding of the real purpose of corrections - rehabilitation. The intervention of Dialogue brought together leaders, staff, stakeholders and the men and women under their supervision in a way they had never seen before. The introduction of the Healing Environment concept reshaped the corrections system - leaving a lasting legacy of change. So how did they do it? Recalling their experiences are co-founders of Dialogue Associates Jane Ball and Peter Garrett, and former VADOC Director Harold Clarke. Together they tell the story of how the department came have the lowest recidivism rate in the nation for 2 years of 7 - cutting reoffending rate to just 17.6% in 2025. In this episode you will learn: ➡︎ How to change a command-and-control culture and establish a healing environment in any organisation ➡︎ How to spread Dialogue through an organisation - without costing a fortune. ➡︎ Why decision-making must be a collective process if you want to make real, lasting change. ➡︎ Why leaders need to practise what they preach and model the way for others to follow. Chapters: (0:00) Intro (0:56) Harold enters the Department of Corrections (5:44) Introducing the healing environment concept (8:40) The first foray into Dialogue (10:38) Why change starts from the leaders (17:00) Challenges of making change in a big State (22:34) The end of the Dialogue journey (31:56) Serving the Commonwealth of Virginia (34:48) Making a cultural shift with 13,000 people (39:34) Developing Dialogue practitioners (46:07) Is it costly to bring Dialogue into an organisation? (49:23) Dave Robinson - an integral part of the transformation (50:22) Learning teams (51:51) How to live Dialogue - and get beyond training (53:28) Why every voice has to matter (56:53) Reflecting on 6 years of Dialogue work (57:59) Working Dialogues (1:05:18) Closing thoughts If you found today's discussion inspiring, please leave a review, rate us five stars, and subscribe to never miss an episode. To find out more about Jane and Peter’s work, visit Dialogue Associates [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/]: https://www.dialogue-associates.com/ Buy Peter’s book, A New Kind of Dialogue: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104 [https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104]

How YOU Can Bring Dialogue Into Your Workplace - Improve Your Team and Organisation Now

Inspired by the message of A New Kind of Dialogue? Ready to bring Dialogue into your workplace - to heal the fractures in your team and organisation? Jane and Peter offer a solution that’s simple to use and could change the way you work forever. Moving beyond the messages of the book, this unexpected 11th episode serves as a bridge between the podcast and what’s next - a brand new course titled Dialogic Teamwork. With tips on how you can benefit from Dialogue in a team or on a wider organisational level, Jane and Peter explain why you should make an investment in Dialogue, and explore the benefits of their new self-managed solution. In this episode you will learn: * To identify how good your team is, really - and whether you could be doing better when it comes to enjoyment, engagement, trust and transparency. * Why Dialogic skills need to be held collectively, within the whole team. * How the Dialogic Teamwork course works; a self-managed, cost-effective, accessible programme designed for group learning. * The power of learning through actions and reflections. Highlights: (4:25) Hope in Dialogue (8:37) Changing organisations (15:22) Introducing Dialogic Teamwork (21:37) How good is your team, really? (29:50) How the DT programme works (35:48) Creating system wide change (39:57) The fundamentals of working through Dialogue (44:24) Get involved with Dialogic Teamwork About the Podcast: Your host is Jane Ball [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-ball-price/?originalSubdomain=uk], in conversation with Peter Garrett [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/our-directors]. Together, they unravel the true meaning of Dialogue, exploring how we are all interconnected and why mastering Dialogue can change the way we work and live our lives. If you found today's discussion inspiring, please leave a review, rate us five stars, and subscribe to never miss an episode. Connect with the Hosts: To sign up for the Dialogic Teamwork program, visit https://www.dialogicteamwork.com [https://www.dialogicteamwork.com] To find out more about Jane and Peter’s work, visit https://www.dialogue-associates.com/ [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/]  To buy Peter’s book, A New Kind of Dialogue, visit https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104 [https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104]. Also available as an eBook.

The World Needs Dialogue - Birth of the Academy of Professional Dialogue

Dialogue is not just a solution for organisations - they’re just the beginning. Dialogue could be, and is the answer to healing all of the world’s problems. The potential is vast and unending, but how to make it reach this wider consciousness? Delving into the final chapters of Peter’s book, we learn how Dialogue is now beginning to reach all corners of the globe, as its wider societal impact is furthered through the creation of the Academy of Professional Dialogue. And as the final episode of the series, Jane and Peter reflect on what they’ve each learned from recording this podcast and the many stories that have come up along the way. This is where it all ends. But don’t worry, the story continues. Stay tuned for what’s next from Jane and Peter. In this episode you will learn: * Why it was important to establish Dialogue as a profession, implementing accreditation, rather than simply creating a Dialogue network. * The most refined version of what Dialogue is, and how the academy defines the practice. * Why Dialogue requires long-term thinking, inner inquiry and thinking from the perspective of the whole. * Why the time is NOW for you to give Dialogue a go. Highlights: (4:14) Establishing a profession of Dialogue (9:32) What does the academy do? (14:09) A definition of Dialogue (22:10) The time has come (27:43) The need for Dialogue (30:19) A question from Thomas Kottner (33:33) Reflections on the podcast (40:14) Inner inquiries (44:10) Thinking from the perspective of the whole (49:43) I want to change the WORLD (53:26) An intimidating council meeting (55:12) The final question With this, and every episode, we invite you to reflect both on the stories being told, and also your own first-hand experiences that have guided you to this moment in your life. Special Guest: Thomas Kottner, experienced Executive Coach and Trustee of the Academy of Professional Dialogue. About the Podcast: Your host is Jane Ball [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-ball-price/?originalSubdomain=uk], in conversation with Peter Garrett [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/our-directors]. Together, they unravel the true meaning of Dialogue, exploring how we are all interconnected and why mastering Dialogue can change the way we work and live our lives. If you found today's discussion inspiring, please leave a review, rate us five stars, and subscribe to never miss an episode. Connect with the Hosts: To find out more about Jane and Peter’s work, visit Dialogue Associates [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/]. To buy Peter’s book, A New Kind of Dialogue, click the link here [https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104]. Also available as an eBook.

Rooting Out Fragmentation - Dialogue Becomes Whole

Everything Peter - and you - has learned about Dialogue now becomes whole. Here we see an integrated model develop, punctuated by four impactful theories which blend together everything from consciousness to how Dialogue makes change happen. Through compelling anecdotes and personal experiences, Peter then leads a discussion about the eight axioms of Dialogue, which draw on the narrative and learnings from the story so far. Principles like “nothing happens by chance” and “fragmentation is a generic problem in the world”.  In this episode you will learn: * What an integrated model is and why it’s important to pull together many practices and theories, like these, so each element becomes an echo of the other. * About each of the eight axioms of Dialogue and how they can be integrated into your way of thinking about the world. * That there is hope. We can heal all of the problems that exist in the world, by addressing the root cause - fragmentation. * What you need to know if you have come this far and want to become a Dialogue practitioner yourself! Highlights: (1:52) What is an “integrated model”? (5:05) The four theories of Dialogue (6:27) The Dialogic theory of the thing (11:14) The Dialogic theory of change (14:19) The Dialogic theory of practice (16:47) The Dialogic theory of the person (21:02) The 8 axioms of Dialogue (32:26) The Dialogic intention and the role of the practitioner (41:20) Learning the intentions (44:48) A question from Jim Tebbe With this, and every episode, we invite you to reflect both on the stories being told, and also your own first-hand experiences that have guided you to this moment in your life. Special Guest: Jim Tebbe, member of the professional standards and accreditation board of the Academy of Professional Dialogue. About the Podcast: Your host is Jane Ball [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-ball-price/?originalSubdomain=uk], in conversation with Peter Garrett [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/our-directors]. Together, they unravel the true meaning of Dialogue, exploring how we are all interconnected and why mastering Dialogue can change the way we work and live our lives. If you found today's discussion inspiring, please leave a review, rate us five stars, and subscribe to never miss an episode. Connect with the Hosts: To find out more about Jane and Peter’s work, visit Dialogue Associates [https://www.dialogue-associates.com/]. To buy Peter’s book, A New Kind of Dialogue, click the link here [https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-new-kind-of-dialogue/peter-garrett/9781739991104]. Also available as an eBook.