Discussion is a cornerstone of academia. From classrooms to collaborations, throughout the hiring-tenure-promotion cycle, and embedded in nearly every aspect of shared governance, discussions serve to bring diverse ideas, experiences, and visions together to enlighten the way forward.

If only we could rely on discussions to be great...

While there is no one way to cultivate great discussions, there are meaningful and reliable ways to bring a group's shared attention to a common purpose. And when things go awry - as they inevitably will - it helps to understand what typically keeps us from setting things right again and what we can do to overcome those inhibitions.