Over the years, human beings have gotten by through the exchange of opinions and ideas through communication. Because communication occurred regardless of whether in a public or private environment, so it was referred to as a dialogue. However, dialogic communication can be defined as an approach to communication that focuses on promoting a dialogue between a speaker and their audience. This, in turn, ensures that mutual understanding and respect between both parties is guaranteed. In any situation where in which two or more people gather in order to converse, having the right attitude is critical, and this is especially true in dialogic communication.
As such, the following dialogic attitude is required to facilitate a true dialogue. Firstly, a true dialogue necessitates that participants are open-minded, ensuring that no conflicts might arise by thinking that an individual’s ideas are greater than others. During a dialogue, we should be ready to accept any criticism that may occur during the exchange. Through this, we are not only able to obtain new ideas but also improve our own, ensuring that we are able to respect our opponents regardless of their opinions (Valenzano et al., 2016, p. 56). Secondly, in any given dialogue, we should ensure that we maintain a high level of genuineness; this means that we should not only show respect to the other party, but we should also be true to ourselves, our ideals as well as our ideas. According to the book Communication Pathways, genuineness may be defined as being direct, honest, and straightforward regarding our beliefs and thoughts. Regardless of whether the other party is genuine, our dogma remains intact (Valenzano et al., 2016, p. 56).
Being able to be sensitive in any given dialogue is still considered a good attitude when in a debate or dialogue. By being sensitive to others’ feelings and accepting our human diversity, we can maintain a cordial relationship with others during our dialogues (Valenzano et al., 2016, p. 57). when undertaking any dialogue, we should ensure that we can agree with each other in a show of respect. By being agreeable, we recognize that the person is not the argument; thus, we don’t associate a person’s character or identity with a particular stance on an issue. Lastly, having ethical integrity is crucial in any dialogue. Having moral values that cannot be compromised is key in ensuring that a dialogues environment remains respectful (Valenzano et al., 2016, p. 58)
Most debaters have identified that having the correct attitude and behavior in a debate is vital as it ensures that the debate dialogue is carried out easily and without any complications. Taking into consideration the above information, we are going to look at the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and then former Vice-president Joe Biden, who at the time were both vying for the presidency. The debate was successful, despite the fact that the participants possessed some of the known dialogic behavior. As a moderator of the debate, Wallace possesses a dialogic behavior in which he asks clarifying questions to the participants. This can be seen through his statement, ” My first question to both of you tonight: Why are you right in the argument you make, and your opponent wrong, and where do you think a Justice Barrett would take the court” (Staff & TODAY, 2020).
Right at the beginning of the debate, both former President Trump and now President Joe Biden seemed to possess a non-agreeable stance concerning the issue of the appointment of Justice Barrett into office. At this stage, the former supports his stance by pointing out that the appointment was based not only on the people’s will but also on his presidential mandate (Staff & TODAY, 2020). The latter dismisses his claim saying that regardless of his views as the president, the nation had a law to be followed. Through this, we can observe a supportive behavior basis in which the former seeks to control and the latter a defensive behavior that aims towards a problem orientation.
Secondly, a lack of respect between the participants is seen during the debate when both of them interject as either part answers questions. As such, this violates the behavior essential to forming a good dialogue; each participant must allow his counterpart to complete his statement. This can be seen during the dialogue
“TRUMP: — Joe. The hundred million people are wrong. I don’t know where you got that number. The bigger problem that you have is that you’re going to extinguish 180 million people with their private health care —
BIDEN: That’s not true.”(Staff & TODAY, 2020).
Through this statement, we can see that former president Trump is a strategist who supports his statement, unlike his counterpart President Biden who jumps straight into a defensive manner with his statement. Through his response, we assume that the latter is spontaneous. (“Dialogic communication (Chapter 3),” n.d.)
As participants in any dialogic debate, owning up to your words is crucial as a debater. It is, however, for this reason that we consider the presidential debate a failure due to the fact that both of them, despite being leaders not only in their respective homes but also in the country, don’t seem to fathom the weight of their words. This can be seen when they throw insults around.
13:25 TRUMP: You just lost the left. You just lost the left. You agreed with Bernie Sanders on a plan.
13:31 BIDEN: Folks, do we know what this clown is doing? (Staff & TODAY, 2020)
Through these remarks, we can observe neutrality as a defensive behavior showcased by the latter. By insulting Trump, Biden shows a lack of empathy required to make up a successful dialogue. (“Dialogic communication (Chapter 3),” n.d.).
Throughout the debate, despite both debaters disrespecting each other, due to their respective ideologies, they both displayed a well-established debate. For most of the debate, they both give complete attention to each other as they both seem to answer each other’s questions. For this reason, superiority can be seen in debates where Trump alleges that there is a clear distinction between the rich and the poor because he pays more taxes than them.
In conclusion, political debates are an eye-opener in which participants try to demonstrate their grasp of their citizen’s conditions and a means by which those problems can be solved. Political debates are important in democratic societies as they provide a platform for diverse perspectives to be heard and exchange of ideas. However, the nature of these debates can sometimes be adversarial and unproductive, leading to the polarization of society rather than constructive dialogue. The ability to have open dialogues in society is crucial for exchanging ideas. Still, it can be hindered by various factors, such as a lack of critical thinking skills, confirmation bias, echo chambers, and misinformation. Individuals must have access to accurate and diverse information and engage in respectful dialogue to form informed opinions and contribute to a healthy political discourse.
References
Dialogic communication (Chapter 3). (n.d.). Quizlet. https://quizlet.com/234128346/dialogic-communication-chapter-3-flash-cards/
Staff, U. T., & TODAY, U. (2020, September 30). Read the full transcript from the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/30/presidential-debate-read-full-transcript-first-debate/3587462001/
Valenzano, J. M., Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, & Parcell, E. S. (2016). Communication pathways (2nd ed.). Fountainhead press.
