Structured Conversation
A structured conversation is a technique for the transfer of specific informational elements, typically through a collaborative conversation.
The traditional modalities of communicative expression taught to students, such as essay, journalism, even debate, do not provide proficiency or literacy for structured conversation. Nearly every conversation has informational goals which should be anticipated—or derived real-time—in order to convey relevant and meaningful information.
With the explosion of technology, the myriad of new industries, and the resulting growth of the English language, it is becoming of greater importance that future citizens and workforces appreciate the informational objectives of the conversations in which they engage, and communicate each informational element clearly, concisely and effectively.
Students need to learn the constructs and informational goals of collaborative conversation to more competently function in the enterprises to which they become employed, and for the conversations that will affect their personal lives—for example, as consumers of healthcare, technology, etc. Specifically, students should receive training and practice structured conversation in a variety of settings including as a patient seeking medical care, a consumer with a customer service problem, and as a participant in a business meeting with specific goals & objectives.
Action Plan:
Educational Institutions will need to undergo instructor training and provide student training to cultivate the concepts of structured conversation. Students should receive specific instruction in structured conversation affecting their personal lives—including as a patient seeking medical care, a consumer with a customer service problem, and in an enterprise business meeting with specific business objectives.
Educational content providers will be expected to provide standardized training to both educators and to students that meet industry quality standards with the goal of instilling proficiency and self-sufficiency in the subject matter. Educational materials should be fairly priced and free from overt marketing bias.