Preparing for and Facilitating Difficult Conversations

A. Begin with Personal Reflection

Whether the conversation is planned or an issue is brought up in class, it’s important to consider your position, the characteristics of the class, the specific topic, the course content, and the learning goals before proceeding:

• Is this an emerging event, a longstanding issue, or something in between? How will that influence your approach to facilitating the discussion? For example, if the event is new and information is limited, you may decide to postpone any discussion until you learn more.
• What is your position and how will that affect your ability to facilitate the conversation? Is this something you feel comfortable discussing either professionally or personally?
• Does the topic have an obvious connection to the learning goals and the content of the course? In order for learning to take place, you’ll want to ensure that there is an obvious and explicit relationship between the issue and what students are expected to learn and do in the class.

^{(Adapted from MIT’s Addressing Difficult Events in the Classroom)}

• What is the best way to prepare this particular class for conversations about difficult topics? Class size, modality, and students’ level of experience should be taken into
  account as you prepare to facilitate the discussion.
• What strategies will you use to de-escalate? Identifying a conflict management approach that works for you and your students will help you calmly address any problems if and when they arise.

B. Course Design Considerations

Inclusive course design, strategies, and policies help students connect with the course content, the instructor, and their peers, which can prevent conflict during difficult conversations.

As you plan your course, consider the following:

• How do you build trust and establish rapport?
  • Consider ways that you can create positive connections between and with the students before any difficult conversations happen. Icebreakers, name tents, small group activities, and group projects will make it easier for you and your students to build relationships that are conducive to productive conversations.
• Do you offer alternatives to participation for students?
  • Alternatives, such as research or writing assignments that address the topic, can be offered to students who may struggle to engage in a conversation about something they are personally impacted by or worried about discussing openly

• Is there enough flexibility in your course calendar to handle the unexpected?
  • Ignoring an issue, rushing through a discussion, or ending before the class has time to fully process may leave students at a loss for what to think or feel. By determining in advance which activities or lectures could be delayed, shortened, or removed, you have the option to take the time you need to fully engage and handle the unexpected.
• How transparent are you about your rationale for certain decisions and approaches?
  • Transparency is the key to students’ understanding and buy-in. It’s good practice to share with students what the purpose and goals of activities and assignments are as well as the rationale for specific approaches to a discussion. If you plan to use a specific strategy to facilitate the conversation, share your reasoning with your students so they understand why you’re taking that approach.
• How do you acknowledge and support cognitive and emotional discomfort and difficulty?
  • Conversations about challenging topics can be uncomfortable or difficult for some students. When appropriate, situate this discomfort and difficulty in the process of learning to engage in productive public discourse and/or as an important step in becoming a professional in their chosen field. Take breaks during conversations to give students time to process their emotions and consider incorporating trauma-informed teaching strategies to support students’ learning.

C. Co-Create a Community Agreement

Co-created community agreements establish communication norms and facilitate student buy- in. They can also be referred to as needed if the conversation takes an undesirable turn or if there is interpersonal conflict. Use the first day of class (or week if online asynchronous), to create the agreement. You can ask students to engage in a structured activity or reflect, either in class, in writing, or both, on questions you provide.

Community Agreement Activity:

Step 1: Students individually reflect on the best and worst class discussions they’ve had about challenging topics or issues.

Step 2: Reflections are shared in pairs or small groups; ask students to propose 3-5 guidelines and their thoughts on how the class should hold itself accountable if it seems like the agreement isn’t being followed.

Step 3: The instructor reviews the students’ submissions and reports back on which are possible to adopt. If a guideline is not possible to adopt, such as “no one says anything offensive,” model productive dialogue and propose alternatives that are more realistic.

Step 4: Post the agreement and return to it regularly. Revise for clarification as needed.

Guiding Questions for Community Agreements

Another option is to give students prompting questions that will help generate guidelines for class discussion. Students can answer these questions in small groups or pairs and then share with the larger group.

• What does engagement look like?
• How do we solve problems together?
• How do we show care and respect for one another even when we disagree?
• How do we demonstrate professionalism?
• How do we respond to mistakes?
• How can we support those who are struggling?
• How do we set ourselves up to meet the objectives of the conversation and course?
• How will we respond if we’re feeling uncomfortable, provoked, or overwhelmed?

Their responses can then serve as the foundation for the community agreement.

^{(adapted from Northern Illinois University’s Building a Supportive and Collaborative Classroom)}

D. Locate Common Ground

Before any conversation happens, ask students to reflect on personal and shared values, identities, and goals. This helps them find common ground with their classmates, which can lead to better outcomes.

Reflection Prompts:

• What goals do you think you share with other members of the class?
• What aspects of your identity do you think you share with other members of the class?
• Reflect on your values. How will you demonstrate them in class while also making space for others to do the same?
• What can you do to have a positive impact on others?

Students can answer these questions individually and then share with the larger group.

E. Provide a Professional Framework for Conversations

Students may not have a great deal of experience engaging in conversations about difficult topics in professional or academic contexts. By providing a framework, you create a structure for the conversation and discourage problematic approaches. If possible, base the framework on foundational competencies, objectives, or outcomes for your program, college, or field.

Framework example based on the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) Foundational Competencies:

In preparation for careers in this field, we will discuss public health challenges with the following in mind:

• We will use appropriate qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform our discussions and research.
• We will evaluate policies for their impact on public health and equity.
• We will integrate perspectives from a variety of stakeholders, other sectors, and/or professions to promote and advance population health.

F. Practice Conversations about a Lower Stakes Issue

To better prepare students for the conversations we have in academic and professional contexts, start with a lower stakes issue.

Begin by asking prompting questions:

• What are the various perspectives on this issue?
• Why might someone react in a particular way to this issue?
• What perspectives are being excluded or have not been discussed yet?

• How might people who think Y perceive this issue?
• How would you navigate these differences in a professional context?

Invite the class to reflect on and debrief the conversation to consider what worked, what could have been done differently, and how well participants adhered to the community agreement, discussion goals, and/or the professional framework.

^{(adapted from UC Irvine’s Facilitating Challenging Discussions and Managing Pedagogical Wellness)}

G. Strategies for Online Asynchronous Discussions

While most of the strategies listed above can be adapted to various types of online discussions, the following are recommendations specifically for asynchronous courses:

• Offer a model using a real example from a previous class so students know what to aim for and what to avoid.
• Create smaller group discussions for particularly sensitive topics. If possible, curate the groups to ensure a productive conversation.
• Set clear expectations and goals for each discussion.

• Assign specific roles or stances to students such as first responder/facilitator, connector, or synthesizer to ensure that the conversation stays on track.
• Use a specific model for the discussion such as 3C+Q; replies must include a compliment, a comment, a connection, and a question, which asks students to think rather than react.
• Incorporate the community agreement guidelines into the rubric for evaluating posts. If students are held accountable in this way, then they are less likely to forget how to appropriately engage in online discussions.

^{(adapted from John Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering Discussions in Online Courses: Best Practices and Expectations)}

A. Begin by Explicitly Stating the Goal(s) of the Conversation

What is the purpose of the conversation? What do you hope students will get out of it, and how does it relate to the learning objectives for your course or the class session? The answers to the questions should shape your goals for the discussion, which can then be shared with students.

Sample Goals:

1. Listen actively and with empathy to the perspectives of others.
2. Locate common ground among multiple stakeholders.
3. Use appropriate terminology* for the audience and context.
4. Engage in thoughtful reflection on how to work with others regardless of personal stance.

^{*For certain topics, it may be helpful to provide students with or co-create a terminology guide to ensure that the conversation is appropriate and respectful for all participants.}

B. Incorporate Structured Activities

Giving students small assignments or activities to work on before or during a larger group discussion accomplishes two things: students can think about their responses before speaking, and students who are less likely to speak in front of the entire class have an opportunity to share their views with a smaller number of people.

Here are some activities you can use at any point in the discussion:

• Temperature checks
• Polls
• Reflective writing
• Minute papers
• Smaller group discussions
• Guided questions
• Think-Pair-Share
• Jigsaw

C. Ask Prompting Questions

The following prompting questions direct the conversation and help students focus on the externalities of the issue rather than react to the controversy:

• What are the various perspectives on this issue?
• Why might someone react in a particular way to this issue?

• What perspectives are being excluded or have not been discussed yet?
• How might people who think Y perceive this issue?
• How would you navigate these differences in a professional context?

^{(adapted from UC Irvine’s Facilitating Challenging Discussions and Managing Pedagogical Wellness)}

D. Engage in Dialogue, Not Debate

If productive and civil discourse is the goal, then it is important to remain curious and to engage the speaker in a dialogue, even if they say something you disagree with or find problematic. By investigating the issue and their feelings about it, the class is less likely to veer into polarizing or unproductive conversation. This strategy can be challenging for some students, which is why it’s important to share the rationale for this approach with the class in advance.

Use the following strategies to keep the conversation moving forward:

• Engage in active listening
  • Just to make sure I’m understanding you, you said X. Is that correct?
  • What makes this important to you?

• Ask probing questions about the idea, not the person
  • What are the assumptions underlying X?
  • What is the supporting evidence for X?
  • If those assumptions are true, then what would that mean for Y?
• Locate common ground
  • Where do our goals or values align on this?
  • What can we learn from one another?
• Emphasize meaning and purpose
  • How does this help us achieve the goal we have set?
  • Why do these conversations matter?

A. The PAUSE Method

The PAUSE method is a structured approach that helps get the class back on track by redirecting and refocusing if the conversation becomes heated or veers off topic.

• Pause the conversation to reset focus.
• Acknowledge perspectives by recognizing different viewpoints.
• Understand core issues by identifying and comprehending the main problems.

• Return to a structured discussion after reminding students about the community guidelines and goals of the conversation.
• Establish next steps so you have a plan for what actions need to be taken in the future.

Additionally, you can ask clarifying questions to uncover intent; allow students the space to opt out if needed; and encourage listening, not just responding.

B. Take a Step Back

Sometimes it can help to situate the issue in another context, such as the workplace or in the community. This approach encourages students to focus on discussion management, not on the issue itself. This can help students return to the discussion in a calmer, more measured fashion.

• Pause to acknowledge the difficulty of the conversations and the feelings it elicits.

• Ask students to imagine this conversation happening in a professional context.
  • Why does this conversation matter?
  • What are the goals of this conversation?
  • How would you approach it in this context?
• Reflect on how and why their recommendations could also work for class discussions.

C. De-escalating in Extreme Cases

If a student’s behavior crosses the line, you should address it immediately and calmly by doing the following:

• Wait for the student to finish and speak calmly
• Do not answer abusive or accusatory questions
• Explain limits and rules in an authoritative, firm, but respectful tone

^{(adapted from The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Verbal De-Escalation Techniques)}

• Empathize with feelings but not with behavior. Do not interpret or make assumptions about the student’s feelings
• Tap into the student’s cognitive mode — “Help me understand where you’re coming from.”
• Suggest alternative behaviors — take a break, reflect, meet after class

It’s important to follow-up with the student individually and, if needed, document any behaviors and concerns and share them with the appropriate administrators.

E. De-escalating in online asynchronous classes

Because discussions don’t happen in real time, your best bet is to ensure that the prompt, the rubric, and the community guidelines discourage problematic behaviors. Here are some additional steps you can take to direct conversations before or after they boil over →

• Look for signs of unease and respond to the post or message the student(s) privately.
• Respond to conflict as soon as possible, preferably using an informal approach.
• Ask the student(s) to take a break to cool off and reflect.
• Move the thread to a smaller group or one-on-one conversation.

Section IV: Debriefing

Debriefing is an opportunity for the class to reflect on the conversation, address lingering concerns, and plan for the future by:

• Discussing what went well and what didn’t
• Making recommendations for future conversations
• Considering changes to the community agreement
• Addressing misunderstandings or errors
• Apologizing*, if needed

^{*Apologizing, even for fairly minor mistakes or difficulties, is an important aspect of professional behavior and should include thoughts on how the matter will be handled differently moving forward.}

Debriefing strategies include:

• Asking students to share their thoughts about the conversation with you either in a reflection assignment or survey
• Summarizing the results and sharing with the class
• Providing a recap at the beginning or end of the next class or in a video for an online class
• Revising the community agreement if needed
• Following-up with individual students