Civil Discourse, Part 2: How Deep Listening Eases Conflict (Non-CE)

Overview

Civil discourse asks us to listen not to what people say about us, but for the needs they’re trying to meet. Why do we get tangled up in their words? How do our own unmet needs interfere with our ability to hear others? Through deep listening, we can cease to react and instead offer presence which leads shared power for all. Using Nonviolent Communication as a foundational framework, this follow-up workshop uses role plays to help participants improve how they communicate for increased human connection and agency.

Objectives

Our ability to communicate as social workers is essential to leading social change efforts in our communities. Through this workshop, social workers will deepen their ability to:

1. Recognize why they may get tangled up in the hostile words of others.
   
2. Identify how unmet needs impede deep listening.
   
3. Speak with agency during conflict.
   
4. Listen with empathy and equanimity to others during conflict.
   

Registration and CE Information

• Register here for the Non-CE version.
• Please see the CE version if you need CEs
• The live webinar will be held May 8, 2026, from 12:00pm - 2:00pm
• Once registered, you will be able to access the course site to complete the Zoom registration to receive the link for the webinar.

Presenter: Dr. Phillip M. Wilder

Dr. Phillip M. Wilder is an associate professor of literacy at Clemson University where his research explores the intersection of language, identity and nonviolence. His current research investigates how youth in Tanzania, the Philippines and the United States practice nonviolent communication. Dr. Wilder views research as a tool for building consensus across stakeholders and engendering more humanizing policies and practices in communities.

With over two decades guiding and evaluating global community partnerships, Dr. Wilder is the Senior Advisor to Mwangaza Education for Partnership in Tanzania whose current Safe School Initiative works alongside educators, parents and community members to support the emotional and physical safety of over 12,000 Tanzanian youth. Dr. Wilder also serves as an advisor and moderator for the award-winning fellowship, the Student DREAMers Alliance, a youth leadership accelerator modeled after the Aspen Institute approach to values-based leadership development, which in 2018 was one of only six global programs recognized with the prestigious McNulty Catalyst Award. Dr. Wilder consults with a wide array of organizations and leads conscious communication efforts in communities because he believes in the power of human connection to transform our world.