Fighting Backlash and Retrenchment Through Relationship Building (and Teaching Our Students How)

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Session Type: Lightning Sessions

Session Capacity: N/A

Location: Marriott St. Louis Grand

Room: Majestic A

Floor: Second Floor, Conference Plaza

As lawyers, we are trained and conditioned to debate, argue, advocate, and fight. What if we also teach our students to build relationships and develop personal connections across our differences? These relational values and skills play a crucial role not only in our students’ ability to serve their clients as lawyers, but also in their ability to serve as contributing members of an ever-increasingly divisive world. In this hands-on session, we will explore exercises and assignments that demonstrate to students the importance of appreciating and understanding different perspectives and teach students the necessary relationship-building skills to connect to those with different perspectives. We will share “ground rules” for classroom discussion, fold origami with a challenging twist, and explore the world beyond our worldview. We will also hear reflections from students who participated in the “World Beyond Your Worldview” exercise and discuss student feedback about the exercise (the good and the bad). Lastly, we’ll share additional engaging assignments and resources that invite students to test their communication and listening (and artistry) skills, help them work on building a habit of listening, and examine the expanse (or limitations) of their worldview.