Can We Talk? Exercises
Exercises can be used together or individually. There are five organizing units, color-coded below. See our Table of Contents for suggested flow.
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Unit 3 - Are We Listening?
Asking Different Kinds of Questions
To introduce students to different kinds of questions they can ask themselves and others – whether in class, with friends and family, or in different conversation settings. And to give them practice in using different kinds of questions.
Unit 4 - What's the Problem?
The Five Whys
To give students a helpful tool to identify the root problem beneath some frustration, dysfunction or obstacle that is bothering them, whether at an individual, family, social, community or societal level. And to share this wisdom: If you're working with a faulty grasp of the real problem, you're likely going to come up with faulty solutions.
Unit 4 - What's the Problem?
The Kitchen Table Question
This exercise can help participants make an important discovery: that "their" key issues are not the only ones worth caring about, and that other people may frame a shared issue in a way very different from their own.
Unit 4 - What's the Problem?
The Friend's Dilemma
To spark a conversation among students about the pros and cons of the community where they live, one which will reveal how people can view the same set of facts in multiple ways. To help them see that exploring multiple perspectives on a situation is a great way to gain insights and develop solutions.
Unit 5 - What Can We Do?
How to Handle a Difficult Conversation
To help student understand the underlying nature of difficult conversations, and to give them tools to turn difficult conversations into productive ones, and even into opportunities for learning.
