Navigating Difficult Conversations
Guidelines for Leading Campus Dialogue
Universities play a vital role in creating spaces where students, faculty and staff can connect meaningfully across differences.
Grounded in Soliya's rigorously evaluated approach to intergroup dialogue, these recommendations are intended to support educators and administrators in fostering conversations that are constructive and impactful.
Set shared goals and values
Before initiating the dialogue, identify the key goals and what you hope to achieve. Share your goals with the participants, connecting the core values of your institution to the purpose of the discussion, and ask participants to share their goals and values that will help foster a sense of ownership.
Engage participants at both intellectual & personal levels
Participants may be feeling a wide range of complex emotions. Create space for participants to articulate their emotions and their personal experiences to better understand how these shape their perspectives.
Assess participants’ readiness for dialogue
Consider whether your participants are ready to engage in these discussions and what conditions will allow for constructive engagement. Seek confidential input from key members to understand potential sources of tension or resistance from the intended group.
Create safety and trust
Choose a neutral, confidential space that provides both physical and psychological safety. Allow sufficient time for the dialogue, and ensure participants can express themselves without fear of judgement or rejection. Provide a list of mental health resources participants can access after the conversations.
Plan for sustained spaced engagement
Participants will benefit significantly from at least two or more spaced discussions. Create a plan to engage the participants over a sustained period to ensure they have adequate space to reflect, revisit and deepen their exploration of the issues.
Core Facilitation Concepts
-
Facilitators should focus primarily on guiding the process rather than driving content or sharing their perspectives. The learning should emerge from participants’ exchanges.
-
Create space for participants to share their views, explore how they understand current events, and engage with others’ perspectives, without seeking agreement.
-
Before jumping into difficult questions, start with an icebreaker that will help participants relate to one another on a human level and build connections amongst the group.
-
Welcome different perspectives, even controversial ones, so long as they do not advocate harm. Use open-ended questions to help participants explore these views deeply.
-
Begin the discussion by setting ground rules and norms that all participants agree to follow. Establishing shared ground rules at the beginning builds safety, ownership, accountability and trust.
-
If participation feels uneven or a difficult dynamic emerges (e.g. only some participants are speaking), name the pattern and invite the group to reflect on it together.
Establishing Ground Rules:
Establishing shared ground rules at the beginning builds safety, ownership, accountability and trust.
Ask participants: “What agreements should guide our discussion to help us communicate well?” and create a list of ground rules the group commits to practicing.
We recommend covering the following points:
Be respectful and attentive.
Speak openly and honestly.
Listen actively and engage with curiosity.
Speak from your own experiences, and avoid broad generalizations about others.
Disagree respectfully; critique ideas, not people.
Maintain confidentiality and respect each other's privacy.
Value each experience as unique, and avoid creating hierarchies or making comparisons.
Embrace learning together; expect discomfort, allow for mistakes and be mindful of their impact.
Practice the ouch rule; if a comment is hurtful, express that and explain its impact.
Download a printable version of the Campus Guide to Navigating Difficult Conversations, including a sample discussion guide developed by our expert practitioners on freedom of speech and political violence on campus:
