In support of the Provost’s Year of Discourse and Dialogue, the Faculty & Staff Development Program is offering a series of workshops to explore conversations that allow for both fact and opinion and the importance of civil discourse.
(New!) Be Civil, Be Civic: How to Agree and Disagree
Presenter: Calum Matheson, Chair and Associate Professor
Department of Communications
Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Location: Virtual
Who Should Attend: All faculty and staff
How do we support our views persuasively with both fact and opinion? How do we engage with people with whom we don’t agree? And how do we process the constant stream of information meant to persuade us, sorting out the good from the bad? This discussion will cover the basics of how to craft persuasive arguments, how to analyze those we hear, and how to reach the people who matter to us—even when we think they’re nuts.
(New!) Conflict as Catalyst
Presenter: Laura Ainsley, Manager, Leadership Development
Organization Development, Office of Human Resources
Date: Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Time: 1–2:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Who Should Attend: All faculty and staff
Even the healthiest dialogue sometimes results in conflict. This workshop explores how we can embrace conflict and use it as a catalyst for cultural change in an organization. Participants will learn mindsets for engaging with conflict productively and build skills to support conflict transformation in their areas.
(New!) The Importance of Civil Discourse
Presenter: Georgia Bedford, Visiting Lecturer of Communications
Department of Communications
Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Location: 342 Craig Hall, In-person
Who Should Attend: All faculty and staff
As F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Learning the fundamentals of debate builds that ability by forcing participants to see both sides of an issue. Debaters flex their analytical muscles, learning to find the weak points in opponents’ arguments. They learn to explain their ideas and assess different viewpoints, whether in a school or professional setting, during a political discussion, or through written publication.
This workshop presents a conversational exchange on the following elements of debate:
- The Essentials of a Good Argument
- The Importance of Civil Discourse
- Critical Thinking & Media Literacy
Discourse and Dialogue via LinkedIn Learning
The following courses can be accessed at no charge and at your convenience through your Pitt LinkedIn Learning account. To get started, log in to my.pitt.edu using your University username and password and search for "LinkedIn Learning" or navigate to LinkedIn Learning at Pitt. Once on LinkedIn Learning, search for the following Discourse and Dialogue courses:
- Having Powerful, Advanced Conversations
- Difficult Conversations About Politics at Work