Skills for Bridging the Divide

There can be a lot of stress among family members and friends who are divided politically, and polarizing public conversation doesn’t help.

In this online workshop you will learn and practice skills for having respectful conversations that clarify differences, search for common ground, and affirm the importance of the relationship. This free workshop does the following:

• Provides knowledge about what it takes to have constructive, non-polarizing conversations between people who disagree politically
• Gives you the chance to practice these skills to have non-polarizing conversations
• Motivates you to have non-polarizing conversations with people in your social network

This is a two-part workshop:

• Part I consists of a 40-minute eLearning module to complete on your own before the workshop.
• Part II is a 2-hour interactive Zoom workshop where you will learn and practice skills for having non-polarizing conversations.

You will practice the listening and speaking skills with others of your own political persuasion—red or blue. “Reds” lean conservative and tend to vote Republican. “Blues” lean liberal and tend to vote Democratic. If you fall somewhere in the middle, you will be asked to choose a side for the purpose of practicing the skills.