Stacey Pearson-Wharton, Ph.D., gave an interactive presentation titled “Difficult Dialogue in a Divided World” at the CUB on Monday night.
During her talk, Pearson-Wharton shared valuable tools for engaging in authentic, healthy conversations about controversial or "scary" topics.
Pearson-Wharton is an educated consultant psychologist. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Norfolk State University, her Master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and her Ph.D. from Penn State University.
The presentation began with visual diagrams illustrating the concepts of perspective, followed by examples of challenging conversations designed to engage the audience and spark their interest in the topic.
Throughout the talk, Pearson-Wharton used real-world examples to help the college-aged audience relate to her points. She referenced Kendrick Lamar's diss track music video and his Super Bowl performance as examples of conflict and how not to handle it.
“You don’t need to say everything you think, just because you think it,” Pearson-Wharton advised. “In the process of having a difficult dialogue, I challenge you to listen twice as much as you speak, to achieve a shared understanding.”
She introduced her first main topic: the importance of shared understanding, illustrating it with a personal story about a real-life situation with a friend.
As Pearson-Wharton became vulnerable, several audience members took the opportunity to speak into the microphone, sharing their own struggles with achieving shared understanding in difficult conversations.
This natural segue led to the next topic: debate versus dialogue.
The audience remained engaged, asking Pearson-Wharton questions about their own experiences with tough conversations. In response, she explained: “When people want to debate, they’re not listening to learn. They’re listening to find flaws in the argument so they can make a counterargument.” She contrasted this with dialogue, which focuses on reaching a common understanding and finding a solution.
Pearson-Wharton emphasized that we have a choice in whom to engage in these kinds of conversations with, noting that not everyone is worth the time for debate or dialogue.
Wharton ended the evening by offering advice for fostering healthier conversations with those around us.
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