When Laura Chasin and colleagues founded the Public Conversations project in 1989, they preceded the group dialogue with dinner. They asked participants to introduce themselves without referencing their view on the polarized issue they were there to discuss. Participants found that that the experience of breaking bread without being able to pin a label on others raised their awareness of the stereotypes they held.
— Fostering dialogue across divides
Walking together can facilitate both the intra- and interpersonal pathways to conflict resolution. Walking supports psychological mechanisms for cooperation, reconciliation, and creativity. It signals to the body that we’re moving forward together.
— To resolve conflicts, get up and move
While building a 30-foot-long stone retaining wall by myself some years ago, I used to fantasize about bringing clients home to work on it with me. I did once take two conflicting department directors to the county fair and persuaded them to get on scary rides with me. My one rule: No discussing what divided them.
— The everyday activity that can set the stage for a less difficult conversation
What activity would you choose to precede, coincide with, or replace talking it out?
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