OPEN DIALOGUE®
A Memoir of Immigration, Leadership, and Learning to Listen Before Acting
A personal story of immigration, responsibility, and the conversations that change how we understand one another. The experiences behind the method begin with a willingness to question your own first answer.
The practical appendix brings the approach together in seven practices, connecting reflection to action.
Available on Amazon
Paperback edition.
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As a young immigrant in Israel, Alex found an unexpected way to practice Hebrew.
FROM CHAPTER 2
OPEN DIALOGUE®
by Alex Toporovskiy
I still wanted to learn. One of my tools was a Casio watch.
I stood in the center of Kiryat Tivon and approached strangers with one question.
“What time is it?”
They answered. I stepped away and checked the number against my watch. Then I found someone else and asked again.
I might do it many times in one day and repeat the exercise for weeks. Some people must have noticed the watch and wondered why a boy who already knew the time kept asking. Nobody challenged me. The question gave me a conversation I could control. I knew what kind of answer was coming, and I could test whether I had understood without admitting that I was testing myself.
The first time I knew the answer before looking at my wrist, I felt a small victory.
Then I found another stranger.
Continue the story.
Paperback available on Amazon.
People. Perspective.
Possibilities. Action.
The book offers lived experience and reflection. The method offers a way to bring what you learn into your next conversation.