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Opportunities to Engage
E-COURSES
Short free eLearning course
DOCUMENTARY
50-minute documentary about 8 Democratic-leaning voters and 7 Republican-leaning voters
1:1 Dialogues
Opt into a 1:1 structured dialogue on one of five topic areas.
BRAVER WAY PODCAST
Host Mónica Guzmán is joined by guests from across the political spectrum
MPR’S TALKING SENSE
MPR is also partnering with Braver Angels and launched
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
Braver Angels offers many virtual workshops
E-COURSES
Improve your skills the from the comfort of your own home or office by taking a short free eLearning course offered by Braver Angels. These professional-level courses have been crafted by experts in communications and depolarization. They provide an effective and “safe” way to interact with people in difficult situations. These courses can be taken stand-alone, before a workshop, or after a workshop. Each course takes approximately 40 minutes to complete.
Skills for Bridging the Divide
This course will teach you how to communicate better with people who differ from you politically. There are two course options, one for “reds” and one for “blues.” By “red,” we mean someone who leans conservative or tends to vote for Republicans. By “blue,” we mean someone who leans liberal or tends to vote for Democrats. You are also welcome to take both courses if you like. The skills are the same but the examples are different. If you are an “other” who does not lead red or blue, please choose a side for the sake of practice.
Depolarizing Within
The Depolarizing Within Online Course is designed to foster skills to help you lessen the effects of polarization when you encounter them in your political conversations. Note that by “polarization,” we are not referring to healthy disagreements over issues or philosophy. We are talking about how we regard and talk about large groups of ordinary people on the other side of the political aisle. Take this workshop if you are interested in: 1. Becoming more aware of your own inner polarizer and finding ways to counteract that impulse. 2. Learning how to be critical without stereotyping, dismissing, ridiculing, or showing contempt. 3. Building skills for intervening in a constructive way in social conversations that veer into contempt and ridicule for people who hold other political views.
Families and Politics
The goals of this course are: 1. A deeper understanding of why family differences over politics are uniquely challenging. 2. Insight into the common roles that family members play when political conversations go badly. 3. Strategies and skills for dealing with family political differences in a constructive way.
Skills for Social Media
This course will teach you the knowledge and skills to avoid contributing to polarization on social media. It will also help you identify difficult situations and help you decide what strategy to use to either participate or disengage from them. You will learn tools to depolarize yourself and engage more constructively with those you disagree with on social media. It does not address the general climate or influence of social media in our country; it is only intended to influence the online behavior of people who take the course. The posts shared here are based on actual posts found on social media, and edited for instructional purposes.
Managing Difficult Conversations
Elected officials have always dealt with constituents and colleagues who disagree and sometimes become disagreeable. But with polarization and incivility rising everywhere, new skills are required for public leaders who want to survive in their job, enjoy it, and make a difference for their community. This workshop will equip you with practical tools you can use immediately when a constituent or colleague (of whatever political party) tells you how wrong you are and how you should change course. These skills can lower stress that comes from having difficult political conversations and help you feel more satisfied and more confident in your role as an elected official. At best, you will soften critics and find more common ground. Or at least you won’t add fuel to today’s epidemic of incivility.
DOCUMENTARY VIEWING + CAMPUS DISCUSSION
On September 17, 2024, 6-7:30pm in Escher Auditorium, Benedicta Arts Center (CSB), all are invited to a campus viewing of the Braver Angels Documentary: Reuniting America, followed by a 30 minute discussion lead by CSB and SJU’s Senior Diversity Officer Sandra Mitchell and Dr. Bill Doherty, co-founder of Braver Angels; professor emeritus, University of Minnesota, Family Social Science. No tickets nor RSVP required. Free and open to all.
Right before the documentary, from 5-6pm, don’t miss the festive community picnic! Free and open to all.
About the Braver Angels Documentary: Reuniting America is a 50-minute documentary about 8 Democratic-leaning voters and 7 Republican-leaning voters moving through a Braver Angels signature Red/Blue workshop in Waynesville, Ohio, from initial skepticism to more profound understanding and empathy. You’ll get an inside look at how a Democratic voter went from threatening to cut off relationships with Trump voters to becoming dear friends with one—and how a Republican voter moved from disdaining progressives to taking co-leadership with one in a movement that now spans the country. It was directed by four-time Emmy award-winner Jim Brown and produced by musician Peter Yarrow. [Note that Braver Angels was known as Better Angels until April 2020.] Free and available on YouTube.
1:1 Dialogues
Braver Angels offers a portal and process for engaging in a 1:1 dialogue with someone of different background to connect as people and as citizens who are concerned for their country. It involves two hour-long virtual or in-person conversations between two people using a structured conversation guide.
The goals? To simply better understand the experiences, feelings, and beliefs of the other person, discover any areas of commonality, and share ideas for how to bridge differences across our country.
Virtual conversations are set up by simply filling out a short form. At CSB+SJU, we are working to coordinate face-to-face dialogues between students, faculty, staff, administrators, monastics and local community members using the Braver Angels approach and guidelines. Check back here for more information soon.
Tell me more about the 1:1 dialogues:
- They emphasize storytelling, listening and learning.
- Both people say their piece. Neither is teaching the other or giving feedback about how to think or say things differently.
- Participants take turns answering a series of questions of increasing depth, with the other person listening without interrupting, then responding with what they learned about the other’s views and experiences, and seeing if there is something in common.
- Usually ends with both people coming up with action ideas to make a difference.
- After the structured conversations are over, participants often decide to continue talking to each other in unstructured conversations. This allows them to dig deeper into issues, ask the other’s opinion about current events, and keep up with their partner’s health, pets, children, grandchildren, hobbies, etc.
For Faculty, there is a 1:1 Dialogues course assignment opportunity: Braver Angels offers guidance for faculty who interested in assigning 1:1 Conversations to students. They have a 1-pager on how to get involved, and share reports college students wrote about their 1:1 Conversations.
The six types of 1:1 dialogues
1. The Golden Rule
Connecting people across one of our differences for a discussion about “The Golden Rule.”
The Challenge: Most people learn about The Golden Rule when they are young, oftentimes the version in the Bible: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Unfortunately, the mean-spiritedness, polarization and tribalism rampant in today’s society indicate that they have either forgotten about The Golden Rule, or practice it on a selective basis. The challenge is to help people realize how universal The Golden Rule is, to bring it front and center in their minds, and to encourage them to apply it across the board. A Tool to Address the Problem: The 1:1 Golden Rule structured conversation provides participants with insight into what The Golden Rule means to them and how they have succeeded in living by The Golden Rule in the past. It also has them identify areas in their lives where it’s been difficult to practice, and to come up with steps they might take to practice The Golden Rule in these difficult areas from now on. Finally, it asks them to think about people they disagree with on a public policy or social issue that they feel strongly about, or people who support a political leader they strongly oppose, and asks the participants how they would apply the Golden Rule to how they relate to these people.
2. Red/Blue
Connecting one conservative and one liberal/progressive to share what each believe and want for the country.
The Challenge: There is much rancor in our country between those leaning conservative (“red”) and those leaning liberal (“blue”). Often people congregate with those on their own side, experiencing little opportunity to interact on a respectful basis with those who see things differently. This can cause an “us” vs. “them” mentality with our tribe being the good guys, and those on the other side reduced to negative stereotypes. A Tool to Address the Problem: The Braver Angels 1:1 Red/Blue Conversation provides a structured experience that enables participants to see beyond the stereotypes, to express their views in a structured, respectful manner, and to better understand each other. They are encouraged to find common ground if it exists.
3. Rural/Urban
Connecting one rural or small-town dweller with one person from an urban or suburban area to better understand each other’s worlds.
The Problem: Rural and metro communities are moving farther apart economically, culturally, and politically. Their needs and priorities seem more at odds, and their commonalities harder to recognize. Stereotypes and misunderstanding threaten to replace mutual understanding and a sense of joint purpose as Americans. A Tool to Address the Problem: To help bridge this divide, Braver Angels, a nonprofit dedicated to “depolarizing America,” has designed a way for people from rural and urban communities to build relationships and find common ground on issues and policies that are important to them.
4. Conversation About Race, Ethnicity and Culture
Connecting two people from different racial, ethnic or cultural groups. The opportunity: This Braver Angels 1:1 conversation provides people of different racial, ethnic or cultural groups to have a different kind of conversation than usually occurs when we talk about race in this country. The process involves two 1-hour conversations (online or in person) between two people who identify with different racial, ethnic or cultural groups.
Goals: More understanding of the experiences, feelings, and beliefs of someone of a different racial ethnic, or cultural group. Discovering any areas of commonality in addition to differences Ideas for how we might make a difference for our nation and its children The process emphasizes storytelling, listening and learning rather than declaring or debating. Both people share and learn. Neither is teaching the other. The process ends with the opportunity to create an action plan for steps to take to create a better world for all of our children.
5. Conversation Across Generations
Connecting one person 18-30 years old with one person 61+ years old. The Challenge: Young adults and seniors can feel that they occupy different worlds—different Americas—in their cultural values, politics, and views about what the country needs going forward.
Goals: Stereotypes and misunderstanding can replace mutual understanding and a sense of joint purpose as Americans. A Tool to Address the Problem: To help better connect the generations, Braver Angels, a nonprofit dedicated to “depolarizing America,” has designed a way for young adults and seniors to build relationships and look for common ground on public policies and issues that are important to them. It takes the form of 1:1 conversations between people who self-identify as a young adult or a senior citizen. Using online technology and a structured process, the two participants have two 1-hour conversations at a time of their choosing.
6. Conversation about Israeli-Palestinian Relations
Conversation type 1 connects an Israeli-leaning person with a Palestinian-leaning one. Type 2 connects two Jewish people who disagree on Israeli government policy toward Palestinians.
A BRAVER WAY PODCAST
What’s better than a podcast that makes you think and gives you essential life skills? The Braver Way podcast is about how you – yes YOU – can disagree about politics without losing heart. We invite all members of the CSB and SJU community to listen to an episode by yourself, or together as a class assignment, at a staff retreat, while you have lunch with colleagues or peers, with your monastics Bothers or Sisters, as with a fellow group of alumnae/i.
Host Mónica Guzmán is joined by guests from across the political spectrum to unearth tools, insights, and messy real-life stories that can guide you over the divide in your everyday life. Whether you’re Red, Blue, or something entirely different, “A Braver Way” will help you hear and be heard by people who confound you. Episodes from 2023-2024 include:
- How to Fight Right
- Taking Your Pulse on the Election
- Daring to Disagree on Abortion
- What if the Election Years were Wonderful?
- Can we Fix what COVID Broke?
- How can we Cure our Social Blindness?
- How do we Bridge the Class Divide?
- How do you Handle Being “Triggered?”
- How can you Talk Politics in a Divided Family?
- How do you Bridge a Legacy of Pain?
- How did Lincoln Do It?
MPR’S TALKING SENSE + TOOL KITS
Founded at St. John’s University, Minnesota Public Radio is also partnering with Braver Angels with their “Talking Sense” series. Talking sense teaches all of us how to have hard conversations better. We invite all CSB and SJU community members to listen to Talking Sense episodes (available wherever you get your podcasts) and explore the Talking Sense online tool kits. All Talking Sense episodes are always free and available with one click.
What is MPR’s Talking Sense?
During what’s sure to be another contentious election year, MPR News is launching Talking Sense. It’s a yearlong reporting project that helps you navigate challenging political conversations in a way that’s aimed at preserving your relationships. To launch Talking Sense, MPR News has partnered with Braver Angels, a nonprofit that facilitates civil conversations between people on different ends of the political spectrum.
Together, we’ve created our online Talking Sense tool with videos about different communication styles, interactive prompts and responses on divisive topics, and tips on how to examine your own biases and stereotypes about “the other side.”
Finally, Talking Sense is a reporting thread throughout our 2024 election coverage. We’ve already traveled to Ely to learn how people there are developing new ways to talk about old divisions. And we’ve heard from a Minneapolis police officer and Minneapolis resident about a recent trip they took to the Legacy Museum, which explores the roots of slavery in America – and policing’s role in it. You can access all of this reporting and more on our Talking Sense home page.
Virtual Workshops
Braver Angels offers a full slate of free workshops that anyone can attend! And we hope many in the CSB and SJU community — including our alumnae/i around the world — will engage.
Workshop options include:
Red/Blue: A small, balanced group of Reds and Blues engage in exercises to help clarify disagreements, reduce stereotyped thinking and discover common values.
Depolarizing Within: Participants develop strategies for engaging in politics without demonizing the other side, and constructively intervene in conversations with like-minded peers.
Disagreeing Better: This workshop helps participants understand the values and concerns of those who differ from them politically, and it teaches essential skills for communicating across differences and finding common ground.
Common Ground: A small, balanced group of Reds and Blues dive deep on an issue to identify areas of common interest, discuss possible solutions and develop unanimously held Points of Agreements on values, concerns and policies.
Families and Politics: Family relationships are becoming casualties of our toxic polarized environment. If you want to preserve important family bonds while still being true to your values and political beliefs, this workshop is for you!
Public Policy and Race: The workshop also helps Conservatives and Liberals understand core values and principles of those who differ from them on public policy issues connected to race in America.
Taking a virtual workshop is a great option! Maybe you want to organize one for you and your alumnae/i friends? Or simply do on your own in the spirit of learning to disagree better.