The Braver Angels Fairfax Alliance held a conversation circle on a summary of Braver Angels tools and resources on communicating following the Braver Angels Way. Moderator Theo Brown compiled key messages from different BA programs to distill key messages and provide guidance on how to dig deeper in areas of personal interest. The discussion covered three basic topics for interacting in a potentially heated conversation: things to keep in mind, things not to do, and things to do. The conversation included open dialogue among the group in the conversation circle as well as some short pairings to practice skills in a 1:1 setting.
The event prompted good questions and answers, with a few notable recurring themes:
The distinction between dialogue and debate was highlighted. Many participants noted the challenge of listening deeply without trying to formulate a response. Listening is far more important to a dialogue driven by curiosity and a desire for greater understanding (as contrasted with most debate formats where the objective is to score rhetorical points).
How to practice “disagreeing accurately” when a conversation partner doesn’t share that objective. Sometimes asking clarifying questions about facts and sources can lead to common ground on at least part of the disagreement. (The blog post for the April 2026 meeting on addressing misinformation and assessing what’s meant by “truth” has more insight on engaging with information sources.)
The statement that “none of us are not worth talking to” is not inconsistent with the idea that sometimes one has to walk away from a conversation when both participants don’t share an interest in open and exploratory dialogue.
The value of recognizing that “between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response” (variously attributed to Viktor Frankl and Steven Covey) and being fully in the moment to utilize that space consciously. Tips such as repeating back what was last said to you (or asking your conversation partner for clarification) are helpful to increase the size of that space for acting with intention.
“What to do” and “what not to do” actions include avoiding words that are known to be tendentious, avoiding stereotypes and assumptions, and showing anger. Suggestions for engaging in ‘courageous conversations’ include establishing some ground rules such as taking turns, and starting by exploring values each side holds that inform political views.
Several participants noted that the idea of “courageous citizenship” and “holding America together” carries a higher purpose regarding national unity and being mindful of that purpose can be helpful during dialogue.
Braver Angels members also interested in AI can practice their depolarization conversation skills using the Depolarization Dōjō - Braver Angels, where you select the avatar you want to practice with from several political subcategories based on Pew Trust surveys. The materials presented are also pulled from several free self-paced, online courses that are free to all regardless of membership status: Take an eCourse - Braver Angels