Educators use a variety of strategies to ease difficult dialogues. Here are a few:
Student-generated guidelines. Some facilitators ask students to develop guidelines for difficult dialogues. In her classes, Libby Roderick, who directs the Difficult Dialogues Initiative at the University of Alaska Anchorage, separates students into groups, then instructs each group to list helpful and harmful behaviors they've seen in previous class discussions. She then compiles the positive ideas and works with the class to further refine the list. One guideline, for example, may be to treat everyone with respect. But Roderick points out that signs of respect differ from culture to culture: While for many, a direct gaze indicates respect, that is not the case for many indigenous people, who may view it as a form of aggression. The class discusses the issue and amends the guidelines accordingly.
The 10-minute survey. When a hot topic arises in class, Oklahoma State University professor Shelia Kennison, PhD, asks students to anonymously write down what they are thinking and feeling and to raise any questions they may have. She then summarizes the viewpoints and reads the summary back to the class. The exercise can be particularly useful for faculty who want to ease into difficult dialogues, Kennison says. Students, meanwhile, get the chance to hear a diversity of viewpoints from their peers.
The trash can exercise. The concept of privilege—that some people unconsciously enjoy status-related benefits that others do not—can be hard to accept if people are unfamiliar with the idea, says Evelyn Hunter, PhD, assistant professor at Auburn University. To illustrate privilege, she asks students to try and "dunk" a wadded piece of paper into a trash can at the front of the room. Not surprisingly, those in the front row have an easier time making shots than those in the middle rows, who in turn do better than kids in the back rows. It's a simple way to foster empathy for those with less advantage, graphically demonstrating to those in the back that if a goal seems too far away or unattainable, "at times it can feel like, ‘Why even try?'" Hunter says.
Modular debates. Another exercise that helps students see multiple viewpoints is modular debate, which Roderick uses to engage students in a given topic—say, whether some Alaskan federal lands should be opened for development.
Once a topic is selected, she assigns students to roles based on relevant stakeholders. In this case, it could be a person who's been out of work and needs a job, an indigenous person whose sacred land is under threat, and a policymaker who has to please her constituents. Students research the topic, come up with a position that represents their role, and defend their view. The floor is then opened up for class discussion. The exercise models the real-life complexities of policymaking and allows students to see, in a nonthreatening manner, how different views fare. Younger students in particular "often don't know what they think," Roderick says. "These debates move them toward a clearer sense of what they think without having to feel attacked, afraid or further polarized."—Tori DeAngelis
