The Courage to Converse
This is what courage sometimes feels like: standing on an unsupported ladder and reaching into the heavens. In other words, it’s beyond me. This is undoubtedly true of physical courage, of which I have very little, although I did get all my vaccinations. I am not one for braving the cold, the dangerous, or the difficult. I’m more of a cup of tea and a good book gal. And this is okay with me.
I long for moral courage, especially in today’s world, where it is so needed. Instead of walking away from someone with conflicting opinions, I want to have the courage to respond more honestly, listen carefully, and ask questions. Rarely do opportunities like this present themselves because most people I meet are not interested in having a dialogue once they discover we disagree. I sincerely wonder if we have lost the art of discourse. Rather than discuss, we agree to disagree and call it a day. And this works, but only so far. These kinds of conversations are not satisfying. They leave me feeling incomplete. Yes, we avoided conflict, and we also avoided each other. I want the courage not to avoid each other but to converse and to dialogue about difficult topics.
In our workshop, Navigating Challenging Conversations, participants are given opportunities to practice listening, reflecting, and reframing challenging conversations. They learn to recognize and connect shared values and discover common ground in difficult situations. They are given tools and time to practice navigating conversations. These are skills that, in today’s climate, we all need. You don’t get moral courage without taking some action, and this workshop guides participants safely into actions that provide insight, empathy, understanding, and dialogue.
So, if you want a deeper dive into conversations, check out our Navigating Challenging Conversations workshop. It has given me the courage to move forward and engage.
