Level 0 — No communication: Both parties are talking at cross-purposes. One or both parties feel that communication is impossible. Dialogue is not happening, despite the talking.

Level 1 — Preexisting understanding: Both parties feel they are coming from the same place, and are able to communicate what they wish to say to the other. There are no barriers to communication, so understanding is flowing freely.

Level 2 — Barriers to understanding overcome: Both parties feel that they’ve reached a common understanding. One or both parties feel they have learned to understand from a different perspective. Barriers to communication have been overcome, and understanding is flowing freely.

Level 3 — Synesis discovered/created: Both parties realize that they are learning new ways to understand as they speak. There is an unmistakable sense that what is happening in the conversation could not have happened otherwise. The conversation is having itself through the participants. A shared understanding arises from the dialogue itself experienced by both parties as superior to their original understandings.