Let’s Talk!

April 5, 2023

We completed our pilot project ‘Let’s Talk’ in the month of March 2023. Six participants met weekly virtually the first 3 weeks of March. The last week we met in person for a pizza dinner and to discuss ‘Money in Politics’. Our discussions are based on topics found on livingroomconversations.org

Please scroll below to see what subjects we discussed.

We plan to do another series in the Fall 2023. If you are interested in participating, please contact us at info@lwvuv.org.

We do this to find common ground, to find ways to live together agreeably, happily. Please consider participating!

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Background

Our first series will begin on Friday, Mar. 3, 2023 and will occur each Friday through Mar. 24th. All participants have been contacted and confirmed.

Please apply for the next series:

Read below, if you would like to participate in the future.

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A Living Room Conversations series has been adopted by LWVUV. The Communications Committee is now taking applications. See below.

As part of our pilot project, we will gather a small group of six people (two Republicans, two Democrats, and two Independents or Unaffiliated plus a moderator) to get together to discuss what they think about certain subjects for 90 minutes once a week for four weeks. The point is to listen to the other person with curiosity and understanding and without judgment. These conversations are not aimed at changing minds. It’s about listening to each other respectfully.

Informational Handout – Please give these out to your friends.
Conversation Agreements – Please read these basic agreements. If you can follow these agreements, you are a candidate for the program.
Key Principles and Best Practices – by the National Institute for Civil Discourse.

Subjects for the Pilot Project Weeks 1 through 4, March 3 – 24, 2023, and the associated forms.

• Week 1 • Relationships First • Feedback form • Online Feedback form
• Week 2 • The American Creed • Feedback form • Online Feedback form
• Week 3 • The Golden Rule of Politics • Feedback form • Online Feedback form
• Week 4 • Money in Politics • Feedback form • Online Feedback Form

Apply Here for future sessions:

When we receive your application, we will contact you about possible dates & times.

Thank you!

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8/26/22 Background

Last year we formed a Communications Committee that met throughout 2022 to discuss exactly how to address the polarization in our community. 

We believe that our emphasis should be fostering better communications in our community by listening to each other with respect and empathy, rather than blasting those who disagree with us or becoming partisan in the process. 

In past years we held ‘Listening’ workshops over the course of several months that taught us how to listen to inner selves, to become aware of our own body language, and to be able to talk about it respectfully and listen to each other with empathy and without judgement. Our focus came to be ‘Civil Discourse’, a familiar theme of the League of Women Voters. 

Because there are many online ‘Civil Discourse’ groups that have great expertise and experience, we chose to investigate the different options. We have studied a number of recommended programs and communication techniques. Under the umbrella of the National Institute for Civil Discourse, we found rich resources that include: Common Sense American, Engaging Differences, Golden Rule 2020, Divided We Fall, and the Next Generation. We also found other stimulating and provocative programs such as ListenFirst, and Living Room Conversations. 

We have chosen a project that is based on Living Room Conversations to start up as soon as possible. For our first attempt, we hope to gather a small group of people (two Republicans, two Democrats, and two Independents or Unaffiliated plus a moderator) to get together to discuss what they think about certain subjects once a week for 90 minutes via Zoom for four weeks. The point is to listen to the other person with curiosity and for understanding. It is not to change people’s minds. It’s about listening to each other.

The weekly subjects we have chosen for this pilot project are entitled and in the following order.

• Relationships First,  
• The American Creed, 
• The Golden Rules of Politics, and 
• Money in Politics.

If you are interested in participating in the pilot project or joining our Communications Committee, please contact us by emailing info@lwvuv.org or calling Robin Wisdom, LWV Umpqua Valley president, at 541-672-6982.