“Polarization” is the polite word for it, but the fractured political world seems to reflect an ever-widening divide among us on the personal and professional level as well. Often, it boils down to: “What are they thinking? How can they possibly believe that?” Too often, the result is anger, frustration, wasted energy, paralyzing stalemates and lose-lose outcomes.
Course ID: EVERAGREE
Will We Ever Agree? The Ethics of Trust, Truth … and Tomorrow
Learning Objectives
This course is designed as an ethical “survival kit.” It addresses the rifts at the grass roots: in families, organizations and communities. And it makes suggestions – based on ancient and modern thinking – that might help you understand and heal the divisiveness by:
- Coping with unexpected change
- Prying open your perspective
- Moving closer together, if not agreeing
- Getting “unstuck” from the standoff of polarization.
Major Topics
This is an interactive (but not embarrassing) course with many creative exercises and videos. For example, we will be discussing:
- Seven key strategies to build trust in “post-truth” times
- Why the answer to “how?” is “yes”
- The seven different ways of “knowing”
- The “Wisdom Pattern” from order to disorder to reorder
- The “Third Way” beyond “fight” or “flight”
- How “fear-setting” can be as helpful as “goal-setting”
- The power of “yes…and…” thinking
- The usefulness of “Vent Diagrams”
- The advantages of consensus-building over majority rule
- Tools and resources to help overcome polarization
Who Should Attend
Leaders and others who want to get beyond the deadlock of polarization and onto a healthy, productive future for themselves and their organizations.
Fields of Study
Behavioral EthicsPrerequisites
Open mind