What

RealTalk@MIT is a community-based initiative for authentic and nuanced dialogue within the MIT community. Launched by the MIT Center for Constructive Communication (CCC), it aims to create a communication infrastructure using small group-facilitated conversations to encourage a culture of listening and dialogue within and across groups within the MIT community. Using technology developed at CCC, we create opportunities for listening across groups to foster a collective sense of shared understanding across experiences, differences, and divides leading to deeper connections and trusted relationships.

Why

We believe that hearing the humanity in others is necessary for our community to thrive. We believe that ancient wisdoms from facilitated dialogue and deep listening to sensemaking should be instilled in our communication spaces and practices. We believe that the most powerful technologies should be harnessed to support trustworthy human-to-human communication needs. We believe in co-design and decentralized control: anyone acting in good faith should be able to participate in creating and shaping their communication spaces. We believe in transparency of design: how decisions are made – whether by humans or AI – should be easy to understand. We seek to foster constructive communication at scale for community-powered understanding and change.

How

Groups of students, staff, and faculty in a department, lab, center, or other unit at MIT can invite, host, and (optionally) record small, in-person, or virtual dialogues with people in their community (typically 4-6 participants per group). During these conversations, they will invite a circle of trusted peers to share their experiences at MIT, hear the stories of others, and reflect on the connections, tensions, and commonalities that emerge. Stored in a private conversation collection, the recordings are governed by transparent data sharing and access policies under which each individual controls the visibility of their transcripts and voice recordings. Individuals and groups participating in these conversations may opt to use CCC’s voice anonymization system for increased privacy.

Who

RealTalk@MIT was launched by MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication (MIT CCC) with the support of the MIT Values Statement Committee and the Office of the Provost. 

In spring 2022, CCC launched a pilot effort with the Sloan School of Management, the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, the Media Lab, and the Undergraduate Association — to develop the system and test the use of conversations as a vehicle for improving decisions that improve the quality of life at MIT. Since then, Sloan and the Media Lab have developed the capacity to design, facilitate, and make sense of small-group conversation to address what needs to be celebrated and what causes friction? What needs to change? How might we imagine the future of MIT? 

Collaborators