Facilitating Difficult Dialogues: Navigating Triggering Events
Facilitating authentic, constructive dialogue is a critical core competency for creating inclusive, socially just campus communities. Meetings, workshops and conversations about how to achieve inclusive excellence can become “difficult” when facilitators and participants feel “triggered” and experience intense, unexpected emotional reactions to the comments and actions of others.
If well-managed, triggering situations can result in greater understanding, communication, and connection. If mismanaged, however, our reactions may shut down the conversation and result in significant misunderstanding, damaged relationships, and long lasting unresolved conflict. Effectively navigating triggering moments is a critical multicultural competency for creating sustainable campus change.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the types of comments and actions that are common “triggers” for you
- Explore less productive reactions during discussions and workshops about creating inclusive campuses
- Learn how to use the Triggering Event Cycle as a tool to respond more effectively in the moment
- Explore the various intrapersonal roots that fuel your triggered reactions
- Identify and practice strategies to effectively navigate your triggered reactions
- Increase your ability to explore resistance and conflict, increase mutual understanding, and build productive collaborative partnerships
- Practice how to respond effectively when others feel triggered