Abstract
Dialogue is a prominent feature of much contemporary research and theory- building in public relations. This prominence could be associated with the rise of co-creational perspectives on the relationships between organizations and stakeholders, and the desire of scholars and practitioners to better understand the type of communication this requires. This chapter provides an overview of the concept of dialogue including its history, its implicit role within early public relations theories, its more recent emergence as a discrete concept, a discussion of its defining characteristics, and a review of relevant critiques. Using Kent and Taylor’s 2002 article as a guiding framework, dialogue is shown to be much more than two-way communication. The unique properties of dialogue are ideally suited to provide a foundation for the increasingly interactive and equitable forms of public relations that are emerging as we enter the third decade of the new millennium.
