From 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm, a reception was held to kick of the Talking Together series and it included hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and remarks from President Mantella and Lisa Perhamus, both sharing what this initiative means for our community!

Starting at 4:30 p.m., the in-person workshop called How To Talk To Your Neighbor featured a training for university students, faculty, staff and community members on how to have conversations about important issues with people who believe, think, and vote differently than you.

This 2 hour training offered a framework for navigating difficult conversation, exploring the neuroscience and social science of polarity and divisiveness, offering both theory and interactive practice for having productive conversations that move towards listening and cooperation.  

This training was facilitated by One America Movement and it was the first event in the Talking Together series.