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Communities of Practice create ongoing opportunities for people to connect through conversation and build understanding. They happen in different contexts– from small businesses to city-wide initiatives. Regardless of the scale, adaptation, or funding, gathering for regular Living Room Conversations can have a big impact.

People gather around a table for conversation
Communities

Living Room Conversations are highly adaptable and can be used in a wide variety of settings. Read more below about some of the communities actively using Living Room Conversations!

Charleston County Public Library

Charleston County, SC

Librarian Emilie Hancock embedded Living Room Conversations into her programming after attending a webinar that presented various community dialogue formats. After looking at several options she chose LRC because it seemed to have the greatest potential and was a sustainable, “canned program”. Monthly conversations ranged from Guns to Healthcare and Race. Community members noticed the impact: “The pendulum has been swinging in  the hyper-partisan direction and it does a disservice to everyone. Living Room Conversations seemed to be  doing its part to swing the pendulum in the other direction and highly value listening.” Read more about libraries.

A Novel Experience bookstore

Zebulon, GA

This small business in a small town with a long-standing commitment to community started holding Living Room Conversations in 2018. The trust and credibility of the owners allowed for deep conversations around challenging topics. In one memorable conversation around guns the store owner asked how many people were carrying and 3 of the 11 participants took out their guns and placed them on the coffee table. There was a chuckle, followed by a meaningful conversation. In a town of 1,200 residents these conversations are making a difference: “We have learned to listen better, listen without anticipating the next thing. The word about Living Room Conversations is getting out: we are giving people a forum to learn about other people.

Mecklenburg Metropolitan Interfaith Network

Charlotte, NC

Each quarter, three different cohorts of 30 people meet for the group’s Open Tables project using the LRC conversation guides. Faith-based organizations represent one of the places where we socialize norms and this group has been working to build trust and understanding across religious, political, and racial differences. In addition to the conversations, they are planning a joint service project for the area and often meet one on one to deepen relationships within the group. Long-time LRC Faith Partner Linda Taylor highlights the value of conversations within congregations: “As a priest, spiritual director, and conflict coach, Living Room Conversations help me support faith communities in our sacred work of increasing understanding and building peace, one conversation at a time.” Read more about faith communities.

Collaboration

Estes Valley, CO

Since August 2020, community leaders from the Estes Valley Restorative Justice Partnership, in partnership with the local library, have organized regular Living Room Conversations with the hope “to build local capacity to engage in difficult issues more collaboratively and productively,” according to organizer Denise Lord. Over the years they have engaged hundreds of residents and created space for community members to explore important topics like police & community relations, guns and responsibility, mental health, and the future of work. Positive response led the Restorative Justice State Council to provide funding making the conversations more accessible with interpretation costs, stipends for participation, childcare and food.

Guides to Get Started
Building Community

Story & Skill Share

Join us for networking and collaboration opportunities. The Story & Skill Share is a monthly meeting that gives you a community of organizers and individuals that is passionate about bridging divides in their communities.
Email coordinator Annie to get involved

Host Certification

Those wanting to grow their practice or deep dive into the power of conversation can join our Online Host Certification Training Course. This course will bring you together with others from diverse backgrounds across the country to learn, share experiences, and grow together.
Click Here to Learn More

Talk to Connect: High Conflict to Healthy Conflict

October 25 - Join Living Room Conversations and Amanda Ripley, author of High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, for a Talk to Connect event! We will finish up with a Living Room Conversation on “High Conflict” with your fellow participants.
Click Here to Register
Testimonials