In the lead up to the 2024 presidential election, a Rotary district in California aimed to foster a culture of dialogue and civil discourse within communities and clubs across its district. 

 

My team hosted a dialogue for leaders of local Rotary clubs with a focus on shared values, reflective listening, and equal share of voice for every participant.

 

By facilitating meaningful conversation guided by questions such as: “Do you feel safe expressing your point of view? Or when was a time you felt heard or not heard on an issue that’s important to you,” participants gained understanding into how unique social, cultural, and economic factors impact people in different ways on a common issue. The dialogue also shone light on people’s shared values, even if they expressed different points of view.

 

The district is hosting more dialogues on civil discourse and training Rotarians and community members to become dialogue facilitators, to grow local leadership skills and host more conversations that reduce conflict and enable civil discourse in more communities.