Part of the beauty we find in convening as Conversation for Civility practitioners is that we bring our knowledges together to recast thoughts previously put out into the ether. In our quest to diffuse the 5DDs widely and incorporate them into mass communication, we came to agree that a memorable acronym could boost and support our effort in enabling productive and inclusive conversation. The original five discussion disciplines (Integrity-Q, Integrity, Courtesy, Inclusion, and Translation) were remixed in our work with high school students and recast into the acronym IDEAS.
To make the 5DDs easier to remember we can use the acronym “IDEAS” (Inquire, Declare, Ennoble, Acknowledge, Summarize):
- INQUIRE: Are we asking genuine questions, or are they simply statements masquerading as questions? (“Inquire” is the same as Integrity-Q, which is about inquiring without presupposing.)
- DECLARE: Are people making statements with evidence, agency and voice? (“Declare” is the same as Integrity, which is about telling a story without a desire to manipulate. This is a true reflection of Bill Isaacs’ comment that “Dialogue is about meaning flowing through.”)
- ENNOBLE: Are you offering respect and well-deserved awe at others’ courage — courage to participate or just hold their space? (“Ennoble” is the same as Courtesy, which is about respecting and ennobling the other.)
- ACKNOWLEDGE: Are you recognizing people where they are, and/or inviting them in? (“Acknowledge” is the same as Inclusion, which is about acknowledgement, not coercion or turning away. Remember, Dialogue is about turning toward others.)
- SUMMARIZE: Are you catching the (sometime hidden) thread of the conversation? (“Summarize” is the same as Translation, which is about up-leveling, connecting the dots, and propelling the thoughts forward. We need good translators to catch people up, and welcome them into the conversation.)
Each of your moves in conversation is bolstered by a mindset — about yourself, the conversation’s purpose, and your inferences (correct or not!) about the intents of other participants. Your mindset is in your control, even while the conversation may be going off the rails. “You have to have sovereignty over your thinking,” exclaims Brene Brown, in a December 22, 2022 interview with Adam Grant, at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
We invite you to lean into that sovereignty over your thinking and participation — how you co-create IDEAS in Conversation for Civility. Together, le’ts make 2026 a year where you bring people together in co-creation. Let your conversations be a resilient platform for participants’ civility, creativity,and collaboration.
Please reach out if you would like to join the Conversation for Civility Network.