Navigating Difficult Conversations: Holiday Edition - Online

As families come together during the winter holidays, many wonder how to have difficult conversations regarding hot-button issues while preserving their relationships.

In this training, participants will hone their skills for engaging in — and facilitating—interactions and discussions intended to deepen our understanding of one another, especially ‘when things get tough.’ Participants will practice listening deeply and staying present through difficult conversations.

To better understand one another, we must first deepen an understanding of ourselves – our own beliefs, worldviews, values, opinions and attitudes.  The more we are self-aware – claiming both our strengths and limitations – and recognizing our opinions, triggers, and blind spots, the stronger our ability to enter into conversation with integrity and objectivity.  It requires genuine curiosity and a degree of humility to enter the world of others – whether as a partner in conversation or as a facilitator for others’ encounters around differences.

Interfaith Philadelphia’s experiences and history in interfaith engagement offer guidance, practices, and wisdom that can be applied to a wide range of dialogue-based encounters.  We have the potential to correct misunderstandings and heal divisions and conflicts that characterize far too many of our interactions and relationships and damage our shared democracy.

Facilitators:

Charmaine L. Green, D.Min., M.Div., M.S.

Bronwen Henry, Director of Curricular Innovation