Newsletter Articles
Permanent link for Michigan Listens on October 27, 2025
We’re doing things a bit differently this year. In lieu of the Center’s annual Civil Discourse Symposium, this Fall we are piloting a statewide storytelling program called Michigan Listens.
Michigan’s stories are vast, varied, and dynamic. Michigan Listens spotlights stories of Michiganders who represent a range of geographies; ideologies; identities; life experiences; and vocations and brings them together for an evening of storytelling.
As speakers share their stories, the audience listens deeply, remaining silent throughout the event. Without the distraction of talking or clapping, the listening of this event seeks to remind people of each other’s humanity.
After the storytelling, listeners and speakers share a family-style dinner together. As people share this meal and pass dishes between them, conversations about the impact of listening to each other as Michiganders round out the evening.
The limited audience for this initiative is being carefully curated to reflect the geographical regions of our state, the communities of our speakers, and the core intention of cultivating a space that centers listening over debate. For those who are interested in watching or hearing what is shared, we will be posting a recording of Michigan Listens shortly after the gathering.
* Michigan Listens is sponsored by the Talking Together: Strengthening Our Communities Through Conversation team (Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse; Kaufman Interfaith Institute; Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies; and WGVU Public Media) and is supported by GVSU’s Office of the President.
Posted by Elamin Gasim on Permanent link for Michigan Listens on October 27, 2025.
Permanent link for Conversation Corner | October 2025 on October 27, 2025
The Conversation Corner is a designated space in the newsletter for collective conversation. Let's be in conversation!
QUESTION: What if the other person doesn't listen, and they insist that they are right? Is it better to walk away or are there things to do to make the other person listen?
RESPONSE: Thank you for your question. When someone appears to not be listening, it is often because they do not feel heard, seen, or understood. It can be helpful to ask: "I wonder if you'd be willing to share a story that could help me better understand why this issue is so important to you?"
Once they have had an opportunity to share their thoughts more fully, they are more likely to hear what you have to say.
It is important to recognize that there is no way to "make" the other person listen. But in our work at the Center, we encourage using "I" statements. Speaking from one's own experience invites the other person to speak from their own experience also. Once the conversation is anchored in personal experience, there is more opportunity for storytelling and sharing and a more equal conversational exchange--with both talking and listening.
If you feel the need to exit the conversation, it can be helpful to clarify a time you both agree on for returning to the conversation. Allow time for emotions to settle, thoughts to be processed, words to be reflected upon. In this way, both people are granted space AND reassurance that the conversation will ultimately take place.
We look forward to your next question,
The Civil Discourse Team
Posted on Permanent link for Conversation Corner | October 2025 on October 27, 2025.
Permanent link for Class Visit | Recreational Therapy Students Explore the Power of Civil Discourse on October 21, 2025
The Center’s Civil Discourse Network features community and university-based members who support our mission to help GVSU students and area neighbors develop the skills to engage in respectful dialogue and problem-solving across differences. These skills are clearly relevant for students pursuing careers in Recreational Therapy. The need for comfort and confidence in building relationships with diverse clients and their families led Dawn DeVries to invite Network member Stan Greene to her Issues and Trends class for a conversation about civil discourse.
Students reflected on what civil discourse means to them and distinguished between the dialogue at the core of civil discourse compared to the culture of debate that prevails in so many settings. That dialogue seeks to create understanding rather than agreement. Active listening, recognizing a multitude of perspectives, seeking to build relationships, and overcoming the desire to “win” the conversation were a few of the concepts the class explored.
“I catch myself planning what I’m going to say next instead of listening to the person I’m talking with” was one of the honest admissions of things that get in the way of dialogue. And there was also the recognition that we’re not equally invested in all our interactions. Yes, there are barriers to practicing civil discourse. Having a supportive community of practice – and the cohort of Recreational Therapy students is such a community of practice – provides a forum for addressing those barriers, celebrating successes when they occur and establishing mutual accountability for continued growth.
As these future healing professionals prepare to enter diverse and
dynamic settings, principles of civil discourse will equip them to
employ both clinical excellence and conversation to help their clients
experience well-being. The communities in which they’ll live, work and
play will be richer because of their commitment to create mutual
understanding with, and a sense of belonging for, the people they encounter.
Contributed by: Stan Greene, Civil Discourse Network Member