#difficult dialogues

As we noted in our last post, political parties and citizens alike remain deeply divided on what might be done to reduce gun violence. There is however growing support for reducing that violence. Doing so will require more  substantive and civil dialogue that is sustained over time. In February we were selected by the National Institute for Civil Discourse to write an essay on how to navigate…

After the mass shooting in Newtown, communities around the nation began dialogues on what steps might be taken to reduce gun violence.  Some states have adopted new laws, and in others no resolution has been forthcoming.  As Congress returns next week to to take up the issue, political parties and citizens alike remain deeply divided on how to proceed.  Simple discussion of the issue can raise…

Sam Houston State University Race Class: Debate or Indoctrination?

A class being offered at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas created a serious controversy and has raised a question among many:  is the class a race-baiting attempt at indoctrination of students?  The school says no. What do you say? Two other media accounts on the school’s class were not quite correct, so the school hit them hard. The other two media claimed that honors students…

Phrasing

Among the questions asked by my students at the beginning of the semester were the following:  “how can you explore the space between two extremes” and “how can you teach the polarized combatants that the best solution may not be as simple as “yes” or “no”?” They had had ample experience with, and wanted to change the pattern of,  conversations that quickly degenerate from an exchange of views to…

One objection often made to using a sequenced series of engagement steps is that it “takes time.” Although it does take some additional planning time and energy, separating and sequencing different types of dialogue can save considerable time and energy over the long run. Each of the dialogues in our three session sequence on gun violence took less than two hours.   The first helped frame the…

Teaching the Navigation of Difficult Dialogues -3

Our final class forum was more deliberative. Participants were given a student-created discussion guide, modeled after the National Issues Forumtopic guides. This guide featured three “options” and asked the participants to consider the pros and cons, and tensions among each.  Again, the forum invitation emphasized that all were welcome.  It also reflected the universal concern with safety that…

Our second class discussion on developing a policy on guns in our hypothetical school district was a “world cafe” style facilitated meeting.  The facilitators laid the groundwork for productive dialogue from their initial invitation:

Please join your local School Board and fellow community members for a facilitated group discussion of the conceal and carry referendum that is currently before the…

Both policy-makers and the public can make wiser decisions if they think through an issue together. This means involving the public in some way

when defining an issue,

when thinking through what might be needed to fully understand that issue,

when identifying the options to discuss, and

when weighing those options.

Having a sequenced approach to public engagement helps to build both public…