We are living in a world of diminished trust and increasing polarisation. When people are afraid of speaking for fear of saying the wrong thing, offending others or being attacked, the quality of our discourse diminishes and our ability to diagnose and hopefully heal our fractured world become fraught. We need to be able to have brave conversations about leadership, values and hope, and sit in rooms with people we disagree with.
Instead of living in fear, distrust and outrage, we must orient towards the goodness and openness within people to be able call each other towards truth and love. As Krista Tippett has noted, “We are fluent in the story of our time marked by catastrophe and dysfunction. That is real — but it’s not the whole story of us. There is also an ordinary and abundant unfolding of dignity and care and generosity, of social creativity and evolution and breakthrough. How to make that more vibrant, more visible, and more defining?”
The guidelines below are designed to help us hold discussions with dignity, generosity and creativity.
Open Dialogue: Small Giants Academy is dedicated to upholding the fundamental right to freedom of expression through open and respectful dialogue. We believe in creating spaces where individuals can engage in meaningful conversations, challenge ideas, and explore concepts without fear of censorship or being attacked. We recognise that the open exchange of ideas is crucial for intellectual growth, innovation, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Intellectual Diversity: Small Giants Academy values and actively promotes intellectual diversity within our learning community. We welcome a wide range of perspectives, opinions, and ideas, even if we do not agree with them. This fosters an atmosphere where individuals can appreciate alternative viewpoints and feel empowered to express themselves freely. In recognising the richness of a diverse learning community, we strive to ensure that all voices, regardless of background or perspective, are heard and respected. This does not include hateful comments, abuse or calls to violence.
Critical Thinking: Small Giants Academy emphasises the development of critical thinking skills as an essential component of education. We encourage students to question assumptions, analyse information rigorously, and engage in thoughtful and informed discussions. If you cannot see any rationale, substance, or morality in a viewpoint you oppose there's a good chance you do not understand it yet.
Respectful Disagreement: Small Giants Academy values and supports brave conversations—discussions that may be challenging but are essential for personal and intellectual growth. We believe in creating an environment where individuals can express unpopular or dissenting opinions without fear of retaliation. We acknowledge that disagreement is a natural part of intellectual discourse and expect individuals to express dissenting opinions in a manner that fosters understanding and constructive dialogue. Disagreement is not an excuse for being aggressive, mean or offensive and should be done with respect, intellectual humility and generosity of spirit.
Charitable Interpretation: Small Giants Academy employs the philosophical principle of charitable interpretation, interpreting a speaker's statements as an honest attempt to express their beliefs or a genuine inquiry about the beliefs of others. We do not assume the speaker is trying to lie, manipulate or offend, notwithstanding that the language they use might be clumsy or inappropriate. In the case of any argument, we try to assume the best of the person we disagree with.
A word on words - Words are one of the basic tools of communication – a tool designed for understanding each other. Some words have become weapons, used to purposely confuse, offend, manipulate or provoke someone. It is often difficult to know when a word is being used as a tool of communication or a weapon, and the difference is in the state of minds of the people involved. This makes genuine conversations, inquiry and debate a truly challenging activity in contexts that lack appropriate guidelines. The above principles offer a state of mind and series of practices that can help us navigate brave conversations and allow us to find empathy, beauty and maybe even truth wherever they might be hiding.
“He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them...he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
Bravely yours,
Danny
Brave Conversations Masterclass
Join us for a 2-hour masterclass with Danny Almagor, Founder of Small Giants and Tamsin Jones, Head of Programs and Mastery of Business and Empathy, where we delve into the essence of brave conversation and how we can apply it in our leadership to enhance the quality and depth of our discourse.
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