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Workshops and Facilitated Dialogues

Workshops and Facilitated Dialogues

As part of its Civil Discourse for Citizenship initiative, CEHV offers skill-building dialogue facilitation workshops and workshops on using the 4Cs of civil discourse to navigate difficult conversations. Additionally, CEHV staff are available to facilitate dialogue about important ethical issues. 

Our workshops and facilitated dialogue sessions are available for student programs, academic departments and non-departmental units, undergraduate student organizations, residence halls, groups of instructors, and anyone else interested in them. We embrace the opportunity to craft our workshops in response to the needs of members of our community. 

In 2023-24, CEHV held more than twenty tailored workshops for students, staff, and faculty. CEHV also facilitated several discussions on issues of concern to students, including the situation in Israel and Palestine. (To read about CEHV's approach to facilitating dialogue on this topic, please click here).

Dialogue Facilitation Workshops

CEHV's dialogue facilitation workshops train participants to initiate and manage conversations about challenging topics. Participants will come away from workshops with practical skills for working through sociopolitical polarization, addressing the social and emotional needs of others, and productively harness the potential of groups in order to ultimately achieve dialogue characterized by the 4Cs: be Curious, Charitable, Conscientious, and Constructive.

Civil Discourse Workshops

CEHV’s Civil Discourse workshops teach participants to use the 4Cs of civil discourse (be Curious, be Charitable, be Conscientious, be Constructive) to navigate difficult conversations or engage in vigorous, respectful discussions about various topics despite disagreement. Workshops are tailored to focus on applying the 4Cs in contexts relevant to the participants. 

Complementary: A detailed introduction to the 4Cs framework is available online through Scarlet Canvas (free, no OSU affiliation needed). To get the most out of the workshop, we suggest participants use this resource to become familiar with the 4Cs in advance. 

Facilitated Dialogue

Sometimes, it's valuable for groups of people to discuss matters of public concern while adhering to norms of civility and respect. Achieving this result is easier said than done, and the guidance of a trained dialogue facilitator can help. To read about one of our recent sessions for undergraduate students in a residence hall, please click here

Please reach out to Associate Director Aaron Yarmel (yarmel.2@osu.edu) or Civil Discourse for Citizenship Program Director Kathryn Joyce (joyce.173@osu.edu) if you are interested in learning more or scheduling a workshop or dialogue session.