Next Workshop: Managing Difficult Conversations with Constituents & Colleagues

Gain useful listening and speaking skills to help deal with disagreeing constituents & colleagues. Learn how to manage & defuse some of the tense & frustrating interactions often experienced in local government. The workshop is interactive & nonpartisan, appropriate for both local government elected or appointed officials & staff.

Register Here.

This series is designed to be interactive. Attendees must be on time and stay through the entirety of each workshop. 

About the Series

Divisiveness and partisanship have become increasingly prevalent in local government. Public servants from throughout the state are looking for tools to address this issue in a way that is authentic and effective. ILG recently embarked on a new partnership with Braver Angels, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.

Together, ILG and Braver Angels are co-hosting a new training series on Bridging Divides, which will offer some practical tips for local government leaders to better interact with the public and with colleagues to foster productive and respectful conversations. The training will be part of ILG’s Leading Local series, and will include at least three workshops covering topics such as:

• Communication Skills for Bridging the Divide - Learn techniques to speak with those you disagree with so you can be heard, listen to truly hear, strengthen relationships and find common ground.
• Depolarizing from Within - Recognize your inner polarizer and focus on affirming the value and humanity of the other side, even among people you agree with. Learn and practice skills to intervene in polarizing conversations without risking accusations of disloyalty or naiveté.
• Managing Difficult Conversations with Constituents and Colleagues– Gain listening and speaking skills within the framework of how to deal with disagreeing constituents and colleagues. Learn to manage and defuse tense and frustrating conversations.

This workshop series is hosted by ILG in partnership with Braver Angels

About Braver Angels

Braver Angels is an organization uniting Red and Blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America.

• As individuals, we try to understand the other side’s point of view, even if we don’t agree with it.
• In our communities, we engage those we disagree with, looking for common ground and ways to work together. 
• In politics, we support principles that bring us together rather than divide us.

Braver Angels activities include organizing community workshops, debates and local alliances, gathering annually to determine national priorities and convening Red, Blue and Other thought leaders to make new arguments and show better ways to disagree. Braver Angels recently launched a new Braver Politics initiative to enable elected officials, candidates and their staffs to develop skills for communicating across difference and build constructive relationships across the partisan divide. Learn more at https://braverangels.org/.

The training series is being offered free of charge, but space is limited and registration is required.

Previous Workshops

• Leading Local: Communication Skills for Bridging the Divide (May 11, 2022)
• Leading Local: Depolarizing from Within (June 8, 2022)

This Program is made possible by ILG Partners including The California Endowment