Perspectives Course

Constructive Dialogue Institute  

Perspectives is a blended learning program supplied for all campus affiliates which equips you with practical skills to engage in dialogue across lines of difference.

Perspective’s core principles

  • Let go of winning
    • Enter conversations with curiosity and the goal to understand
  • Get curious
    • Ask questions that invite others to share something meaningful
  • Share stories
    • Share a story about why an issue matters to you or how it affects you
  • Navigate conflict with purpose
    • Be aware of your fight/flight response and pause if needed before responding
  • Find what’s shared
    • Finding similarities can help you move forward together, even in disagreement

Perspectives Lessons (from the Constructive Dialogue Institute website):

  • Lesson 1 (“The Divided Mind”)covers foundational concepts from psychology about how we process information, cognitive biases we are prone to, and how this can lead to disagreements.
  • Lesson 2 (“Us and Them”) explores the psychology of where our differences in values and worldviews come from. It offers frameworks for better understanding opposing views.
  • Lesson 3 (“Get Curious”) teaches the first two CDI principles of constructive dialogue: let go of winning and get curious.
  • Lesson 4 (“Storytelling”) describes how to put CDI’s third principle of constructive dialogue into practice – share stories.
  • Lesson 5 (“Navigating Conflict”) introduces students to the fourth principle of constructive dialogue – navigate conflict with purpose – as a way to help move forward when tension arises.
  • Lesson 6 (“Moving Forward Together”) explains the importance of the fifth principle for constructive dialogue: find what’s shared.