corsus completes argumentation training to deal with challenging communication situations
On 14 June, the corsus team was able to take time out for argumentation training under the direction of Martin Heyer, Phasen.Weise GbR. In view of the shift to the right in politics and society, the one-day workshop ‘Standing upright in the headwind’ took place in order to be prepared for encounters with inhuman or climate change denying positions.
corsus supports projects, teams and organisations in sustainability processes, decision-making and implementation. We design and moderate processes, dialogues and events for local authorities and companies. Challenging communication situations can arise during the moderation of workshops or public participation. We have collected some of these in the one-day seminar (see photo).
Collection of challenging communication situations (in German)
Based on argumentation models, Martin Heyer explained basic communication techniques and gave numerous examples. The corsus team members do not want to fall silent in the face of homophobic statements or statements denying the climate crisis, but want to remain capable of speaking. The aim is to take a stand without stopping the process in question. It is important not to overestimate your own effectiveness and to pursue a realistic communication goal.
The basis for taking a clear stance against verbal attacks is a personal narrative. This comprises the story that a person or organisation tells about themselves or how they are perceived by others. A personal narrative helps to reach people, because trust requires an offer of identification. Our counterpart should know what values corsus stands for and whether there are any points of contact. The inner attitude plays a major role here and it is important to avoid labelling or pigeonholing.
Especially when confronted with homophobia or racist statements, for example, it is advisable to prepare ‘pocket phrases’ and react in a level-headed manner. This requires analysing the situation and recognising emotions. No arguments will help against phrases of vertical communication. The aim here is not to argue, but to take a stand.
corsus values treating people with respect and as equals. That is why we advocate a fair world in which the well-being of all individuals and communities can be realised and in which the diversity of life on planet Earth is preserved. The argumentation training has laid a solid foundation for this. We would like to thank Martin Heyer for the workshop and are already working on implementing the numerous impulses.
corsus GmbH
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