How to Talk To Your Enemies: Words to Turn Interpersonal Conflict into Peace

We live in a time of social and interpersonal conflict unprecedented since the upheavals of the sixties—and perhaps even since the Civil War. Dialogues around race and gender are often exploding into the most vicious (and unproductive) flame wars. Evolving social roles, astonishing political turmoil, the rise of “cancel culture,” and the necessity of difficult conversations leave people wondering what to say—at the workplace, in social and civic groups, and around the family dinner table. The secret of How to Talk to Your Enemies is that there are actually specific things you can say to get the dialogue off on the right foot, toward mutual understanding. During the session, we learn what to say when: You’ve had a boundary crossed, or crossed one yourself; handling hot-button political differences and moral conflicts; you’ve been sexually harassed, or a target of a microaggression; you’re called a racist or sexist, and don’t know why; and expressing empathy and understanding.