How do you have healthy political conversations with relatives? The University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Link Center and citizens organization Braver Angels hosted a community workshop that focused on gaining skills in having constructive political conversations with family members.
Braver Angels workshop PowerPoint presents skills on how to have a healthy political conversation with family members.
Photo by Maddie Schaffer | The Promethean
When spending time with family this time of year, you can always guarantee hearing conversations about politics, or someone bringing up the topic. Although there may be differences in political views, it’s important to learn strategies on how to have constructive and respectful political conversations with relatives.
When asked what can affect a family’s political opinions, one anonymous participant had stated that some people have different life experiences from others.
Throughout the workshop, participants learned how to understand family differences and learn strategies for dealing with challenging family members. It also covered how to be a better engager, or a person who can have respectful conversations although there may be differences in views.
During the workshop, the Braver Angels speaker said, “They are our family so as we talk about them, we can laugh about some of the things, we may cringe about some of the things, but they’re human beings and people that are a part of our DNA and we want to respect that and be aware of that.”
The goal of the Family and Politics workshop is to learn how to acquire skills to have healthy conversations with families, as well as understanding how to work with family differences and the roles family members play in political conversations.
The workshop took place on Oct. 24 in the Great Room of the Yellowjacket Union. Braver Angels will be hosting another workshop on Nov. 21 titled as “Skills for Disagreeing Better.” More information about the workshop and the organization Braver Angels can be found at BraverAngels.org.
