Step 5:
Seek partnerships across the aisle
There is a specific demographic that more frequently participates in dialogues on social and political issues — typically young, urban, better-educated, socially active people with liberal-leftist views.
But to achieve depolarization dialogues have to engage individuals with different experiences and varied perspectives. Ensuring diversity of dialogue groups will probably be your most significant challenge.
You need partners across the aisle
We have found that the most-effective way to broaden the reach of our dialogues was to invite other organizations to either partner in the whole program or co-host particular dialogues. Our foundation is rightly perceived as liberally-minded and we will never be fully trusted by conservative citizens, especially those without prior knowledge of our work. This is our blindspot. But we can widen our appeal by reaching out and inviting conservative organizations to participate in our work.
Begin by researching think-tanks and advocacies working specifically on the topics of your up-coming dialogues – for example immigration, family, security or national identity. They already have audiences that are interested in the conversation you are about to organize. Another group of valuable partners are associations which manage large communities of citizens – lay religious organizations, volunteer groups or professional organizations.
What hinders diversity among dialogue participants
Conservative perceptions:
Conservatives often do not perceive social divisions as a severe issue. Some view strong statements on polarization as creating a problem that doesn't exist, while others believe the narrative of a divided country is exaggerated.
Perceived liberal bias:
Dialogue organizations may be perceived as liberal-leftist, discouraging individuals with more radical conservative views. Building trust to overcome this natural skepticism may require additional time and communication effort.
Communication traps:
The language we use to talk about divisions and dialogue can unintentionally discourage certain groups from participation. Over-intellectualization or over-emotionality, coupled with a terminology drawn from the therapeutic culture, may distance those with different life experiences. For more on communication see Step 7: Be careful about communication.
How to start partnerships
Schedule meetings with organizations representing different worldviews from yours and invite them to partner in dialogues.
Be transparent about your intentions and the type of collaboration you invite your partners into.
Each dialogue creates valuable knowledge about how people experience social divisions. This knowledge can be valuable for your partners as they try to understand diverse perspectives on issues like security or immigration.
Invite partners to brainstorm dialogue topics with you. No one wants to join a project that is pre-decided by someone else and you will come up with better ideas together.
If a potential partner is uncertain about joining the project, invite them to participate in a dialogue. Experiencing it firsthand is often the most convincing way to engage someone in spreading the dialogue idea.