Conversation Topics
Our team members have diverse perspectives. We create Conversation Guides with the goal of making them welcoming to people across the political and cultural spectrum. We offer topic guides for over 100 different topics. Browse all our topics below, or browse by category in the left menu (desktop only).
Rapid Response Work
A disturbing number of people have suggested the results of the 2020 election cannot be trusted. The U.S. is the oldest democratic republic in the world, but democracy can’t function when we are unable to talk through our differences. If the American experiment is to survive, we must begin the work of domestic peace building.
Talking About Race
The motto of Living Room Conversations is respect, relate, connect. We know that in the pursuit of racial equity, individual conversations are not the final stop in the journey. Conversations can help us better understand individual bias and racism, as well as consider how racism is part of our systems and institutions. We have created this resource page in response to increased demand and desire to have conversations about race.
Topics A-Z
Browse all our Conversation Guides below from A-Z. Click the links to explore each Conversation Guide. You can also download a PDF of the conversation for your own use.
- 2020 Election – Concerns and Aspirations
- Abortion: For, Against, or Somewhere In Between
- Affordable Housing
- Alcohol
- Alone – Solitude or Isolation?
- America We Want To Be: Founding Aspirations
- American Creed
- American Culture: Melting pot or salad bowl or something else?
- The American Dream
- Anxiety and the Election
- Being White in the Anti-Racism Movement
- Black Women Answer the Call: A Dialogue for Black Women
- The Census, Redistricting and Gerrymandering
- Climate Change
- Communicating with Care
- Coronavirus – Acceptance: Loss and Grief in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Anger: Loss and Grief in the time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Bargaining: Loss and Grief in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Depression: Loss and Grief in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Finding Meaning: Loss and Grief in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Information in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Life in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus: Parenting in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Race in the Time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Religious Liberty in the time of Corona
- Coronavirus – Upcoming Election in the Time of Corona
- Create Your Own Topic
- Crony Capitalism
- Democracy, Extremism, and Outliers
- Denial: Loss and Grief in the Time of Corona
- Empathy
- Encountering Controversial Ideas in Higher Education
- Energy and the Environment
- Entertainment and Media: Created Culture or Following it?
- Environment and Pollution
- Faith Community: The Way Forward
- Faith in Politics
- News in the Modern World: Expectations vs. Reality
- Fellowship and Friendships, the Rotary 4-Way-Test
- Food
- Forgiveness
- Free Speech
- Free Speech, Fighting Words and Violence
- Free Speech, Hate Speech and Campus Life
- Freedom
- Friends and Family Guide
- The Future of Work
- Gangs
- Gender
- The Golden Rule in Politics
- Guaranteed National Income
- Guns and Responsibility
- Healing
- Healthcare
- History & Society
- Homelessness
- Hope
- Hunger and Health
- Immigration
- Impeachment
- Increasing Harmony and Prosperity
- Independent Candidates
- Legalized Marijuana
- Let’s Talk About Power in Relationships
- Listening Courageously
- Media and Polarization
- Men: Victims, Perpetrators and Allies
- Mental Health
- Mental Health, Addiction and Incarceration
- Money and Values
- Money in Politics
- More Curious, Less Furious
- Muslim Refugees and National Security
- Nuclear Weapons
- Opioid Addiction
- The Opportunity Gap
- Parenting: Protecting and Empowering Children
- Peace Building in the United States
- Polarization
- Police-Community Relations
- Political Dysfunction and Reform
- Political Peace Building
- Politically Correct and Healthy Communication
- Politics and Personal Relationships
- Politics: Can We Talk?
- Politics in Faith Communities
- The Politics of Immigration: Laws and Human Dignity
- Post Election: What’s Next?
- Privacy and Security
- Race and Ethnicity Conversation Series
- Race and Faith Communities
- Race and Incarceration
- Ranked Choice Voting
- Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure
- Refugee Families and Zero Tolerance
- Refugee Resettlement and the America We Are Becoming
- Relationships First
- Relationships over Politics: Connecting with Friends and Family
- Release and Recidivism
- Religious Freedom and Non-Discrimination
- Resilient Schools, Resilient Kids
- Righteousness and Relationships
- The Search for Purpose
- Social Equity
- Social Identity
- Status and Privilege
- Stewardship of Spirituality
- Student Debt
- Technology and Relationships
- Tolerance
- Tribalism 101: Next Door Strangers
- Trust
- Truth and Reconciliation
- To Vote or Not to Vote?
- The UMC Rift: Faithfulness in Divided Times
- United or Divided?
- Unity
- Unmasking- A Dialogue for Black Men
- Weave the Social Fabric
- Voting Rights
- What are American Values/Ideals?
- What is Essential
- Women and Political Leadership
- Women, Leadership, And Power
- Zero Tolerance
Create your own topic
We have over 100 topics, but maybe you can’t find one that appeals to you? You can build your own topic with these easy guidelines.
Tips to create your own :
- Work with your cohost to come up with several questions that satisfy you both.
- Be curious. What would you ask if you didn’t have an opinion or position?
- Examine what your own position is on the topic. Notice if you are framing questions that favor your viewpoint or disallow other viewpoints.
- How did you develop your own perspective? What question would bring that out?
- Beware of including trigger words in your questions, like climate change, anti-___, rights and control.
Need Support? Contact Us!
We'd love to support you in creating a new topic. Drop us a note and let us assist.
examples of Custom Conversations
Living Room Conversations has produced several custom conversations in partnership with civic and educational organizations. They are free to use; you can check them out below.
Community Energy Conversations
Community Energy Conversations creates an engaging and worthwhile activity for any community organization or set of interested individuals to bring community members together and encourage action for positive change. Click here to explore.
Campus Conversations
Campus Conversations is an adaptation of Living Room Conversations specifically for college students. The conversation is taken one step further by converting the conversations students hold into action. Click here to explore.