Better Angels co-founder Bill Doherty, in a talk to students and faculty at the University of Minnesota in Rochester, teaches and demonstrates how to talk with people who differ from you politically and how to depolarize conversations so that they can be more productive and less damaging to relationships.
‘Braver Angels really helped me to see the humanity in people from the other side’: One high schooler’s journey to better political conversations
06/18/2026
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A native of Boulder, Colorado, Mia didn’t know many Trump supporters—and she was nervous to engage with them. “I was like, ‘Don’t they hate women? Don’t they hate black people?’” she said. “That was my initial belief because that’s what I had heard about people who voted for Trump.” But she quickly realized she was wrong. During the first Braver Lens session, Mia was able to connect with conservatives in the group and recognize their points of commonality. “When we met, they showed their pictures, and explained their life stories, and I was able to see where our values overlap,” she said.
1 thought on “Skills for Communicating Across the Political Divide”
I live in southeastern Massachusetts. As are so many of us, I am struggling with the challenges of speaking and finding common ground with people whose political views and beliefs are so different from mine. Does your organization conduct any kind of educational seminars, workshops, gatherings of any type to help with this challenge? Do you have materials or recommended readings or curricula or anything that could help? I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks very much.