id: talanoa-dialogue
title: Talanoa Dialogue
description: >-
  A Pacific Islander practice of inclusive, transparent dialogue without a
  rigid agenda, used for storytelling, decision-making, and reconciliation.
  Originating in Fijian, Tongan, and Samoan traditions, talanoa was
  formally adopted as the dialogue mode for the UN climate Talanoa
  Dialogue.
source: Fijian and Pacific Islander tradition / UNFCCC Talanoa Dialogue
source_url: https://unfccc.int/topics/talanoa-dialogue
tags: [pacific-islander, talanoa, dialogue, climate, indigenous]
forked_from: null
image: null
steps:
  - headline: Open with relationship
    description: >-
      The talanoa opens with participants sharing who they are and their
      connection to the matter, building relationship before business.
  - headline: Speak without hierarchy
    description: >-
      All participants speak as equals; there is no rigid turn order or
      precedence by rank. Stories, analysis, and feelings all belong.
  - headline: Stay transparent
    description: >-
      Participants speak openly, avoiding hidden agendas. The talanoa is
      built on the premise that transparency builds trust.
  - headline: Seek the collective good
    description: >-
      The dialogue moves toward what serves the collective — the
      community or the common challenge — rather than individual position.
  - headline: Close with shared understanding
    description: >-
      The talanoa closes when a shared understanding or direction has
      emerged, summarised collectively.
outcome: >-
  A shared understanding emerges through inclusive, transparent dialogue
  that honours relationship as much as outcome.
practice: >-
  Talanoa is not a debate to be won. If it becomes positional, it has
  broken. The host holds the relational tone, not the conclusion.