If you’ve talked politics in person or online any time in the past few months, you’ve probably heard (or maybe even expressed) responses like these:
“I can’t believe you voted for…”
“How can you support someone like that?”
“You’re an idiot if you think that’s a good idea!”
“Restoring Conversations,”a series of workshops at Ascension and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, hopes to introduce effective ways to communicate between people and groups who disagree. One thing everyone agrees on: political discourse has seldom been so heated and emotional. With social media so prominent, strong opinions can become shouting matches or insult contests at the drop of a hat. Family dinners can turn into feuds and whole communities divide along ideological lines as tempers flare.
“During the campaign and after the election, we noticed that not only was our community strained and fearful, so was our church,” says Anne Brack, a Vestry member at A&HT who spearheaded the workshop. “People in our Wyoming neighborhood were experiencing hostile actions from their neighbors. We realized we were in a unique position to provide not only our church, but also our Greater Cincinnati community some leadership and skills on how to get along.”
To that end, “Restoring Conversations” will be led by Elaine Hansen, of Hansen Resource Development, who facilitates similar discussions and workshops in the corporate world. She will introduce more effective ways of having civil conversations, strengthening relationships, expanding perspectives and improving communication. Working in both large and small groups, attendees will learn and practice specific techniques of engaging in constructive and meaningful ways, using Peter Block’s “Community: The Structure of Belonging” as source material.
One thing the organizers stress is that the workshop is open to all beliefs and backgrounds; in fact, that’s the whole point. “Our relationships are strained because of the difficulty communicating online and in person,” says Margot Madison, one of the organizers. “But we can thrive on our differences if we work on it.”
“Restoring Conversations” will be held on six Saturdays: March 4, 11, and 18, and April 8, 15, and 22. It will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ascension and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 334 Burns Avenue in Wyoming. Attendance is free, with a suggested donation of $25 per person. Those interested can learn more or register at the church website, or on Eventbrite.
