Same family, different politics? Watch our webinar!
In the midst of a pandemic and following a divisive election, this holiday season may seem more fraught than most. Get ready to lead happier, healthier conversations with family and friends who have different political views through this webinar hosted in partnership with Living Room Conversations and BridgeUSA. Learn actionable tips for holding more constructive discussions on tough issues (even at family gatherings where emotional stakes are high). From listening first to addressing shared concerns, you’ll get practical strategies to become a “Common Grounder” and help bring light, not heat, to our nation’s civil discourse – starting at your own kitchen table.
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A Common Ground Webinar:
Ten Ways to Heal the Divide (And Talk Politics)
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About the Speakers
Joan Blades
Panelist
Joan Blades is a co-founder of Living Room Conversations, an open source effort to rebuild respectful discourse across ideological, cultural and party lines while embracing our shared values. Joan is also a co-founder of MomsRising.org and MoveOn.org. A mediator (attorney) by training and inclination, she is a nature lover, artist, and true believer in the power of citizens and our need to rebuild respectful civil discourse while embracing our core shared values. Joan lives in the California bay area.
Manu Meel
Panelist
Manu Meel is a sophomore studying political science at UC Berkeley. After the 2016 election, he co-founded BridgeUSA at Berkeley with the aim of alleviating polarization by bridging the partisan divide. Manu is currently working with the Chancellor’s office to facilitate free speech year and is leading the campus wide effort to unite the student body. In addition to his involvement in domestic politics, Manu is helping redefine counter insurgency policies at the Department of State in an effort to affect international politics.
Bruce Bond
Moderator
Bruce Bond is the Co-founder and CEO of Common Ground Committee, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering civil public discourse in politics. A 30-year veteran of the information technology industry, he has worked with numerous successful start-up firms and as an executive for the world-renowned analyst firm Gartner, where he guided initiatives in thought leadership and research. Mr. Bond is a graduate of Princeton University, where he was a national-class distance runner and earned a bachelor’s degree in Politics.
View All Common Ground Events
Living Room Conversations is a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 through a transpartisan partnership focused on revitalizing civil discourse through conversation. Its structured, intimate conversation formats developed with the help of dialogue experts empower everyday citizens to discuss important issues with friends of differing political affiliations and background, creating a safe space for a respectful and meaningful exchange of ideas that can identify areas of common ground and shared understanding. Learn more.
BridgeUSA believes that good governance starts with constructive political discussion. By working with America’s future leaders on college campuses and hosting on-campus events, BridgeUSA fosters spaces where a diverse range of ideas can engage one another through the practice of responsible discourse. Learn more.
About Common Ground Committee
Common Ground Committee (CGC) (commongroundcommittee.org) is a nonpartisan, citizen-led organization that inspires action on polarizing issues by bringing prominent leaders with opposing views together in public forums to find common ground. Since its founding in 2009, CGC has held 14 forums featuring panelists who have reached over 200 points of consensus. Panelists have included such notables as David Petraeus, Susan Rice, John Kerry, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Steele, Donna Brazile and Larry Kudlow, exploring issues ranging from race and income inequality to foreign policy. CGC is also responsible for the “Let’s Find Common Ground” podcast and the Common Ground Scorecard, which scores politicians and candidates for public office on their likelihood to find common ground with the opposite party. Free of political agenda and financial influence, CGC has a singular focus on bringing light, not heat, to public discourse.
