2. Approaching "Difficult" Conversations

Difficult conversations are an inescapable part of higher education. In any classroom you can expect to find a diversity of experiences, interests and knowledges. These all add to the richness of the learning experience.

As instructors, we can anticipate difficult conversations in our learning environments and strategically utilize these as teachable moments. Often it is the role of the instructor to guide students in exploring emotionally charged issues, but leading these discussions is a perennial challenge.

Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that we never fully know which issues will be “hot buttons” for our students. 

When learning how to respond in these challenging moments  being aware of your own identity as an instructor is key, a topic which will be explored further in this module. Knowing your values, beliefs, assumptions, and privileges and can help you to respond to difficult conversations.

“Know yourself. Know your biases, know what will push your buttons and what will cause your mind to stop. Every one of us has areas in which we are vulnerable to strong feelings. Knowing what those areas are in advance can diminish the element of surprise. This self-knowledge can enable you to devise in advance strategies for managing yourself and the class when such a moment arises. You will have thought about what you need to do in order to enable your mind to work again.”
-Lee Warren, “Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom Links to an external site.

In other instances there are topics that instantly and predictably engender strong and opposing feelings. These types of topics we understand to be "supercharged" in that they are reliably controversial and require careful preparation in order to approach them in discussions responsibly and effectively.

Both hot button moments and supercharged topics can be helped by preparing and laying the groundwork for effective and productive classroom  disucussions.

 

The content on this page is adapted from the following resources:

• Difficult dialogues Links to an external site. from by Centre for Teaching at Vanderbilt University
• Difficult conversations Links to an external site. by The Teaching Commons at Georgetown
• Managing Hot Moments Links to an external site. by the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University