When working in an interdisciplinary team, the importance of dialogue and communication is key. Dialogue questions assumptions and discusses and re-evaluates them.
Dialogue assumes that there are many corrects answers, many people have pieces of it, and that combining them creates much more satisfying and effective solutions. As Colleen Cuddy (2026) notes, we need to explicitly try to understand each others world views, discipline and preferences.
The four corners activity
A series of statements are presented, and the participants position themselves in one of four corners of the room. The participants chooses the corner that best matches their viewpoint. The four corners of the room has one of the instructions below:
AGREE - DISAGREE - EITHER/OR - UNSURE
It is important to highlight that there is more than one valid perspective, and the goal of the activity is to better understand the diversity of perspectives in the room, rather than finding the one correct answer.
After each statement, participants move to the corner that best reflects their current viewpoint. We then explore why they have chosen that position, how they interpret the statement, and the assumptions and experiences that shape their perspectives. The goal is not to reach agreement, but to engage in an open and exploratory dialogue that deepens mutual understanding. It is perfectly acceptable to change position during the shared reflections.
Adjustments to fit your context
The statements can be tailored to fit a wide range of contexts and participant groups. INTED has tested out the activity at NorRen phd summer school, for PhD candidates. The dialogue prompts were centered on themes related to the green transition. Read more about it here
We have also tested it out in our Interdisciplinary Facilitatorprogram, where the statements were more aimed at facilitation skills. Some of the statements were:
The most important skill as a facilitator is asking questions
Groups that spend time getting to know one another perform better
If you want to learn more about dialogue in interdisciplinary education, and participate in a Four corner activity, join our event!