Joan Blades: The Art of Conversation & Connection
Listen Now!
Joan Blades: The Art of Conversation & Connection
Listen Now!
Episode Overview
In this episode, we’re connecting with Joan Blades, the creator of Living Room Conversations. Joan is on a mission to rebuild respectful discourse across ideas, cultures, and party lines, while embracing our shared human values because when we care about each other, we find ways to meet each others’ core needs regardless of our beliefs. As co-founder of MomsRising.org and MoveOn.org, Joan has given people the space to come together and promote their shared values. She’s a nature lover, artist, and mom, and a true believer in the power of people respectfully coming together to connect over difficult conversations.
Listen on to find out six ways to have impactful conversations with people in your community, three core value questions that will help everyone get connected within minutes of sitting down together, and what Joan is working on, to be released later this year, called MisMatch, a program that brings together junior high and high school students across the country for powerful conversations. Don’t miss out on this inspiring conversation and opportunity for personal growth!
What we cover:
- Growing up in Berkeley in the 1960’s
- How personal relationships are the foundation of constructive and meaningful conversation
- The problem with classifying people as either politically left or right
- The importance of surrounding yourself with people who think differently than you
- The non-negotiable ground rules for having a successful conversation
- The importance of listening and letting people share their truths
- How nature plays a vital role in our connection with others and in our overall wellbeing
- And much more!
We all know that communication is essential to creating meaningful connections with others, so how do we have the difficult discussions that bring us closer? Joan’s format for effective conversation relies on recognizing what we have in common, what brings us together as people. Whether you’re having a discussion with your partner, your grandparents, or your arch-nemesis, remember that we can all find common ground and connectedness.
Social Wellness Challenge
Have the Digital Dialog Conversation!
This Living Room Conversation is all about how technology is impacting our connections. Take time to reflect on your relationship with technology because it really could be positive or negative.
Use the Digital Dialogue Conversation Guide to talk amongst a group about how technology is impacting you personally. To get even more out of this conversation, talk to people from other generations to learn how this relationship has changed.
Links
Lost Connections — Johann Hari
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative – Florence Williams
This Week’s Guest
Joan Blades
Joan Blades is a co-founder of Living Room Conversations, an open source effort to rebuild respectful discourse across ideological, cultural and party lines while embracing our core shared values. When we care about each other we work to find ways to meet each other’s core needs. She is also a co-founder of MomsRising.org  and MoveOn.org.   She is a co-author of The Custom-Fit Workplace, a handbook for transforming the way we work.  A mediator by training and inclination, Joan is a nature lover, artist, and a true believer in the power of citizens and our need to rebuild respectful civil discourse while embracing our core shared values.
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