skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hegseth could lead troops who'd face getting fired for actions he's done in the past; Strong Santa Ana winds return for SoCal; Southeast Asian refugees in MA fear deportation, seek Biden pardon; RSV rise puts Indiana hospitals on alert; CT lawmakers urged to focus on LGBTQ+ legislation.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Special Counsel's report says Donald Trump would have been convicted for election interference. Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth faces harsh questioning from Senate Democrats, and law enforcement will be increased for next week's inauguration.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

"Drill, baby, drill" is a tough sell for oil and gas companies in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, rising sea levels create struggles for Washington's coastal communities, and more folks than ever are taking advantage of America's great outdoors.

Group Explores Ways to Have Difficult Conversations in Divisive Times

play audio
Play

Friday, April 28, 2023   

At a time when it's easy to find something to disagree about, whether it's politics or social issues, one organization is working to help others have more productive conversations about divisive topics.

Henry McHenry, founder of the group Meetings of Opposites, said the key to getting people to listen to one another is changing the arena of conversation, to allow them to bridge the gaps between opposing viewpoints.

"Civilizations, societies, are organized around their dominant conversations," he said, "and it is important in a divisive time to get a grip on the dominant conversation that runs our lives."

McHenry, who lives in Virginia, said he'll bring his 2 1/2-hour session anywhere in the United States at no charge. He said Meetings of Opposites is about more than changing the arena and tone of conversation. It's also about exploring different ways of perceiving the world. The training uses visual perception as a tool to show how two people can look at the same thing and see something completely different.

Meetings of Opposites also emphasizes the importance of empathy in communication. Rather than attempting to change someone's viewpoint on a topic, McHenry is a proponent of what is often referred to as "active listening" - paying full attention to what they're saying instead of thinking about how you'll counter it or judging the speaker. He said this encourages better two-way communication.

"So, the arena changes from 'us against them' to 'we for each other,'" he said. "And once you've experienced 'we for each other,' you probably don't want to go back to 'us against them.'"

In an Ipsos/Public Agenda survey in 2019, half of Americans said they think the nation will become "more destructive" in dealing with disagreements in the next 10 years.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to a survey by the Veganuary organization, 81% of participants who took the survey maintained a dramatic reduction in their animal product consumption after six months. (Iuliia Metkalova/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Coll…


Social Issues

play sound

In 2019, Colorado lawmakers set goals for cutting climate pollution by at least half by the year 2030, and by 90% by 2050 - compared with 2005 levels…

Social Issues

play sound

Southeast Asian refugees at risk of deportation in Massachusetts are asking President Biden to pardon them before he leaves office. Deportations …


The majority of land owned by faith-based organizations is in southwest and southern Virginia. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Virginia has a housing shortage of more than 200,000 units, and one legislative effort backed by a coalition of faith-based groups is trying to fill …

Social Issues

play sound

The Department of the Interior recently announced the largest single investment in local parks in the communities across the country and two Maryland …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service C…

Social Issues

play sound

Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community want Connecticut lawmakers to consider bills that would help address a variety of this community's needs. They …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021