Stress is also straining personal relationships and civil discourse, well beyond concerns over future leadership and policy. Political divides are affecting friendships, family bonds, and workplace interactions, fueling tension and distance.
For this reason, Reframing the Conversation, a nonpartisan website and podcast series, offers resources for Americans to rediscover civil, effective, and respectful communication despite political disagreement. It will mend the ruptures of families and communities as they seek practical tools to keep engagement productive despite opinions dividing them.
Election seasons are always charged, but the level of polarization now is unprecedented,” says Dr. Jennifer Brubaker, founder of Reframing the Conversation and professor of Communication Studies. “The pressure to defend a position has left people feeling isolated from loved ones with different views. This isolation and anxiety are eroding relationships and communities.”.
Much of this collective anxiety lies in a concern for the future that is exacerbated by growing fissures. There is also a sense that the environment of judgment and hostility strains relationships and leads discussions into conflict easily. Politics often relates to personal values, causing civil discourse to dwindle and making it even more challenging to find common ground or compromise.
This season is not only about policy but intensely personal,” says Brubaker. Families feel tension at holiday gatherings, friends hesitate to share views, and some even cut ties over differences over politics. The lack of civil discourse has made them feel more disconnected from each other.
Reframing the Conversation is an arsenal of tools for transforming tense conversations into moments of connection. The website and podcast series offer techniques for active listening, empathetic communication, setting boundaries, and finding common ground. It covers ways to understand personal and family political beliefs, enhance media literacy, and communicate constructively. Brubaker also gives guidance for people who want to repair strained relationships.
“When the election is over, relationships will reflect how we have treated them now,” says Brubaker. “It is important that we learn how to speak the same language with whom we don’t agree and otherwise in order to not sever ties.”
Although the stakes for this election are high, divided relationships and isolated communities make it of even higher importance. It offers an array of tools for constructing healthier, more connected sorts of discussions to help shepherd people through the political discourse with respect and empathy-ways of reframing conversation about this election.
