Oakland University event promotes civil conversations

From political leadership, we sometimes hear promotions of civil conversations.

But civil conversations don’t necessarily mean just being kind to one another. Rather, when we promote civil conversations, we’re trying to encourage a sense of curiosity, openness and humility — particularly with those whom you disagree.

The Civility Project will host a Civility Day event on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at Oakland University in Rochester. The event will feature a series of panel discussions, led by founders and journalists Nolan Finley and Detroit Today’s own Stephen Henderson, as well as experts and politicians, to give individuals a chance to immerse in civility-building.

“The key is that respect and understanding. We don’t get personal with it, and we don’t assign negative qualities to each other — make assumptions about each other — because of our disagreements.” — Nolan Finley, The Detroit News editor.

Listen: How to promote civility in political disagreements.

Guests

Nolan Finley is the conservative editorial page editor of The Detroit News. He says one of the guiding principles of the Civility Project is that people come to viewpoints in similar ways.

“The key is that respect and understanding. We don’t get personal with it, and we don’t assign negative qualities to each other — make assumptions about each other — because of our disagreements,” says Finley.

David Dulio is a professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University. He says college campuses are great spaces to promote civility within hard conversations.

“My goal with the Center for Civic Engagement is to make Oakland University known as a convener of conversations about issues of public importance, but to do so in a way that’s civil and respectful, which fits right into the Civility Project,” says Dulio.