Skills for Disagreeing Better – Dayton Workshop

This is a free Braver Angels workshop that teaches skills for communication across the political divide. In this polarized time, we lack basic understanding of why people on the other political side hold their beliefs. We don’t see them as they see themselves–their core values and central concerns–but instead as we choose to see them. We are tempted to regard our own side as principled and the other side as self-interested. And when we try to communicate across this gap, we often lack the skills for listening carefully, looking for common ground, and sharing our perspectives in ways that connect rather than create more misunderstanding. We can learn to disagree better in polarized times, which means accurately seeing where we differ and where we share common ground.

Goals of the workshop:

• More understanding of the values and concerns of people who differ from you politically
• Better skills for listening in a way the other person feels heard
• Better skills for sharing viewpoints in a way the other person might hear even if they disagree