Courageous Conversations Flashcards
(20 cards)
Courageous conversations mean
- Being willing to consider other people thoughts and opinions on a topic, even if they differ from your own
- Being willing to have your opinions challenged and to be open to the sides of changing your perspectives
- Having a well-considered opinion on a topic
- Listening effectively and actively trying to understand alternative perspectives
- Having calm, engaging discussion without losing temper or shutting down
Brave conversations
Can be difficult to hold and requires courage and vulnerability. Important to be open to learning and to different perspectives, to be willing to have your viewpoint challenged
How to create a safe space for brave conversations so they can be productive
- Expect and accept non-closure
- Be okay with experiencing discomfort
- Suspend judgement
- Speak the truth
- Maintain confidentiality
- Stay engaged
- Listen to learn
When you experience a high emotional reaction (emotional flooding)
Your prefrontal cortex decreases in activity and your amygdala becomes overactive. Causing hormones adrenaline and cortisol to flood your body, with a flight, fight, freeze or fawn response kicking in
How to handle emotional flooding
- Acknowledge that you are feeling emotionally flooded
- Soothe yourself
- Take a break, and look inwardly at yourself and at what has triggered your emotional flooding
- Take a long time out
Strategies to support courageous conversations
- Understand our constitutional right to equality
- Engage in active listening
- Use tools to respond to strong emotions
- Finding comfort in discomfort
- Perspective taking and cognitive dissonance
- Critical thinking
- Cross-cultural communication
Listening
Critical skill to develop, helps you to better understand the meaning and context of what is being said. Key to having effective, brave conversations
SBLR Strategy to assist with active listening
- Stop
- Breathe
- Listen
- Respond
Tools to respond to strong emotions
- Reiterate, contemplate, respire and communicate
- Journalling
Reiterate, contemplate, respire and communicate
- Restate what you heard
- Think before you respond (count to 10 if you need to)
- Breathe and settle your emotions
- Speak with empathy and be thoughtful (focus on the topic not the person)
The concept of cognitive dissonance was
Introduced by psychologist Leon Festinger
Disagreeing
Is hard, manage disagreements with respect and care then your relationship does not need to be affected (contribute to building deeper connections)
How to handle disagreements effectively
- Seek to understand
- Listen and do not interrupt
- Take responsibility for your actions and feelings
- Be aware of your triggers
- Seek out similarities
- Use positive language
Intellectual humility
About developing respect for other people’s opinions and ideas different to yours, having the maturity to be open to changing your opinion on the matter
Key to engaging effectively in a courageous conversation
The ability to think critically
The objective of critical thinking
To ensure that your opinion is robust and well-informed
Social media
- Provides a platform for unedited opinions that may or may not be credible
- It is important to consider its credibility
It is important that we…
Develop the skills to understand, respect and work with others regardless of difference: it facilitates inclusivity, greater productivity and successful relationships
Tips for courageous conversations
- Avoid ‘you’ statements
- Focus on what is being said
- Reiterate what is being said
- Listen to understand
- Be aware of when it is time to wrap up a conversation
- Keep an open mind
- Do not go into the conversation on the defensive
- Contemplate
Tips for cross cultural communication
- Acknowledge the differences
- Develop awareness
- Do not be afraid to ask for help
