political guides
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polarized issues
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We care about elections because we can choose our leaders and our vote to reflect our better values. During an election season it’s easy to feel bombarded by political yard signs, social media posts, news stories, and campaign advertisements. We can get caught up in confirmation bias by only interacting with those who agree with us or choose to create opportunities to listen, connect, and build understanding across political differences. 

Living Room Conversations has all sorts of resources to help you have thoughtful conversations about politics.

The goal isn’t to change minds, but you most likely will develop a deeper understanding of your own views and some appreciation for views that are different than your own. We don’t have to agree on everything to care about one another and work together on challenges we face.

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This is a time for us to get uncomfortable and lean into the hard conversations to understand why people we care about see the world differently from us. We might be afraid, but we need to do it anyway.

LRC Participant of "Political Peace Building"

Political Guides

Note: When talking politics, engaging only with people who hold similar views can lead to further entrenchment of our own beliefs and more polarization. One way to create political balance is to invite a friend with differing politics to co-host the conversation. Each co-host can invite two friends. Consider finding a co-host with differing political beliefs and look to enhance your conversation with all kinds of differences – age, culture, political leaning, gender – what voices are you most interested to hear from? What voices might best enrich your conversation?

Building a Foundation

The Golden Rule in Politics

This guide explores a hope that if enough people follow this Golden Rule principle, it could generate the respect and kindness we so desperately need in our country.
read the guide

Politics, Can we Talk?

This isn’t a conversation about issues, but rather a discovery of the ways our knowledge of others’ political views impact how we decide who to relate to and at what depth we feel comfortable talking.
read the guide

Unity and Politics

This conversation explores the ways we approach and understand unity, particularly within a political context.
read the guide

Discussing Structures and Systems

Does my Vote Really Matter?

In this conversation, we talk about what leads us to choose to vote or to choose not to vote.
read the guide

Elections and Politics

This conversation is an opportunity to share and reflect on our perspectives; cutting through the noise to seek a more productive exchange about our values, differing viewpoints and hopes for the future.
read the guide

Voting in America

This conversation guide is designed to draw out our personal experiences voting in elections, how we’ve seen it change in our lifetimes, and our hopes moving forward.
read the guide

Digging In

Democracy Extremism and Outliers

Given the societal impulse to label anyone outside of the mainstream “extreme,” how can we better distinguish and then support outliers who are advancing worthy causes?
read the guide

Political Stereotypes

This conversation is designed to explore the assumptions and stereotypes we hold on to as well as those others might have about us.
read the guide

Public Officials and the Community

This conversation is an opportunity to explore shared values around how we want to treat public officials and what kind of relationship we expect or hope for.
read the guide

Living Room Conversations LIVE!

Want to watch a conversation before you try one out? We’ve got your back!

Money and Politics

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Election 2020: Moving Forward Together

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Polarized Issues

Political diversity is essential to some conversations, especially with polarized topics. We encourage you to take extra care to include people who hold different political views. Click through these great resources below including examples of conversations, articles, and news stories. Then, check out our conversation guides related to these topics.

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Relevant and Featured Guides:

Printables

Family passing holiday food around the table

Friends and Family Tip Sheet

This tip sheet can help you use Living Room Conversations skills to practice loving and connecting with your family, even when you have differing views on politics and more.

Partner Resources

We have partners that offer amazing resources that compliment our own. Check them out below!