This 3-hour workshop is for political conservatives who are surrounded by liberals in key areas of life like work, family, social circle, religion, or community.

Why?

The idea for the workshop came from conversations with individuals who said they are looking for safe and effective ways to communicate their conservative values and beliefs in environments where liberal ideas are assumed to be correct—and where conservative people may be seen as ignorant, misguided, or even immoral.  

Although there will be examples of the challenges you may face with liberals in your world, this will be a “no whining” zone.  We will focus on the question, “What can I do?” rather than “Aren’t they awful?”  

Goals

Learn new strategies for handling the challenge of being a political minority in a mostly liberal environment.
Develop new skills for communicating your conservative values and beliefs in a way that others might hear.
Feel more confident in conservative in environments where everyone else is trying to make you blue.

The Process

After a brief introduction and discussion of ground rules, attendees of workshops participate in four exercises:

Reflections Exercise – Reflect upon the four principles of communication: Respect, Speaking from the heart, Finding common values, Self-preservation. Reflect upon three expectations to abandon: Changing minds, that others will accept your definitions and that your communication skills will be reciprocated.

Reflections Exercise – Reflect upon the strategies for engaging: Set Boundaries, Focus on Specific Issues, Counteract Stereotypes,

LAPP Exercise – Learn about the skills: Listen, Acknowledge/Agree, Pivot, and Perspective. Practice applying these skills using a fictional scenario, in several rounds.

Handling Difficult Moments – Review skills for handling difficult moments in which one can become particularly triggered and practice using the following skills: Deflect, Push Back, or Hard Stop