Mediating Difficult Dialogues and Soliloquies

Respecting different backgrounds and experiences is essential for every classroom and department. But how do you prepare for difficult conversations or cultural normalcy changes? This blogpost will explore strategies and best practices for difficult academic conversations among colleagues through defining, limiting, planning, and navigating professional dialogues and soliloquies.

What are Difficult Dialogues and Soliloquies?

For this blog, we are focusing designating hot topic moments into two main areas of focus: difficult dialogues and soliloquies. Difficult dialogues can include conversations between a faculty member and colleagues that result in conflict or disagreements and providing feedback to one another. Difficult soliloquies can include presentations and lectures of topics that can be described as a hot-button issue.

How to limit the amount of difficult dialogues and soliloquies?

Whether in a one-on-one conversation or in a department meeting difficult topics will arise from curriculum changes to politics to salary projections. They can be both unavoidably triggered or inevitably expected. For soliloquies, a faculty member may have a presentation on a hot topic issue or is reporting a less than popular policy. The key to being able to handle both is to be prepared and knowledgeable in approaching the situation with care and with the intention of diffusing the situation. To achieve this, there are four steps that can aid in avoiding making a conversation into a difficult one:

1. Stay up to date with university news, policies, and current events. By ensuring that you are aware and knowledgeable, you can avoid misspeaking and causing unnecessary confusion. If you do not know the answer, be sure to state so upfront.
2. Stay calm and use respectful language, while clearly expressing professional intent. Respect should always be a priority for all parties involved.
3. Be aware of who your audience is or who you are conversing with. With any dialogue or presentation, there are different social expectations on appropriateness and respect depending on who you are speaking with. It is also important to never assume your audience’s life experiences or individual opinions.
4. Create an environment that is supportive, and community based. By creating an environment of amenable support, you can lessen any potential tensions or hurt feelings with the understanding that any and all language is not meant in ill-well.

How to plan for difficult dialogues and soliloquies?

When difficult conversations need to be had, it is always important to prepare ahead and determine the best course of action. Even in the most ideal scenarios, it is not possible nor feasible to expect and prepare for every response or reaction, but one can still prepare in order stay in control with facilitating the conversation. Preparing for this difficult dialogue can make the difference for creating acceptable outcomes and resolutions. The first step in planning is to determine potential outcomes. I recommend starting with three potential ones: an ideal resolution for you, a compromise for all parties, and an unacceptable outcome for you. Place these in a chart such as below:

Ideal Resolution	Potential Compromise	Unacceptable Outcome

For the second step, list some aspects of what each main scenario may look like. Now, review your compromise column. Be sure that your compromise is looking for a resolution and not falling into an unacceptable outcome. Is it a fair approach in mediating a situation or in providing common ground in a presentation? Does this compromise help avoid the unacceptable outcome?

Next, determine what talking points and language may lead to any of the three outcomes. Beware of using certain trigger words or phrases that could lead the conversation towards an unacceptable outcome. If possible, once you have created your outcomes, your talking points, and your list of words to avoid, reach-out to a friend, mentor, or experienced colleague for assistance in practicing the conversation. This will assist in allowing you the change to avoid becoming emotional and losing control of the situation, while receiving additional insight.

How to navigate difficult dialogues and soliloquies?

Finally, when it is time to begin that difficult dialogue or presentation, be sure that the scheduled time is convenient for all parties involved if possible. When beginning the conversation, be sure to focus on “I statements” instead of “you statements,” while framing the narrative as acknowledging feelings or the situation without blame. Be sure to give space for each party to share their input and perspective, while encouraging the language to fit within “I statements” and “you statements.” During the conversation, be sure that everyone remains respectful, while you facilitate the conversation in a manner that allows everyone a chance to speak.

Some useful strategies to incorporate can include:

• The Five Minute Rule: anyone who does not feel that their point-of-view is being heard has the chance to provide their perspective, while everyone else must listen for 5 minutes to everyone who shares that view point. Critics must remain quiet to provide the space for communication.
• The Fishbowl Exercise: If the conversation is comprised of multiple individuals rather than a one-on-one conversation, breaking individuals into smaller groups based on similar views. One viewpoint is brought into the middle of the group to share-out, while all critics silent. The groups then alternate. This allows empathy and space for all to be heard with their unique takes on a particular situation.

Final Thoughts

Looking at our own careers, it can be recognized that difficult conversations are a normal part of our professional experiences from the moment we are offered a new position, collaborate with colleagues, engage with diverse perspectives, to our research that may challenge preconceptions. Difficulty dialogues and soliloquies are an important facet of careers in higher education, where a lack of preparation and training can have negatively affect one’s career trajectory. However, this can be remedied through some mindful strategies and preparation. Regardless of whether your next difficult conversation is focused on your career or interpersonal communication, following any of the above strategies can provide you the chance to practice your skills in mediation, communication, and leadership.  

If you are interested learning more, please feel to reach-out to the Center for Faculty Excellence for future programming and resources!

 

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

 

Resources

Difficult Conversation Ahead? Be at Ease! (2023) Ombudsman and Mediation Services. United Nations. https://www.un.org/ombudsman/resources/tips/difficult-conversation

Difficult Dialogues. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/difficult-dialogues/#tools

Evola, Marianne. (2023). The Importance of Difficult Dialogues. Texas Tech University’s Office of Research & Innovation. Accessed November 27, 2023. https://www.depts.ttu.edu/research/integrity/RCR/sm-archive/difficultdialogue.php

Ruiz-Mesa, K., & Hunter, K. M. (2019). Best practices for facilitating difficult dialogues in the basic communication course. Journal of Communication Pedagogy, 2, 134-141. https://doi.org/10.31446/JCP.2019.23

Soisson, Annie. (2018). Seven Bricks to Lay the Foundation for Productive Difficult Dialogues. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/seven-bricks-to-lay-the-foundation-for-productive-difficult-dialogues/

 

Living Group Work Contracts

 

Living Group Work Contracts

Group work is an essential tool for students to reinforce new knowledge and to develop an array of skills—particularly soft skills—that can best prepare them across industries. Soft skills are essential for everyone because they are needed when collaborating with others, they are essential when creating an inclusive & equitable community, and it strengthens other more technical skill sets. As educators, we use our soft skills all the time. These skills include problem-solving, emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability, mindfulness, leadership, self-motivation, time management, etc. These skills are even more valuable when considering the number of future careers turning to automation, which has not been successful in automating most soft skills. Teaching these soft skills is not an easy task. For some courses, teachers build activities that can develop soft-skills into the curriculum with group work, group projects, and open discussions among peers about contemporary hot topics. Yet, there is a simple activity that every course or department can use. Living group contracts can help develop these soft-skills, while creating a classroom environment rooted in equity, inclusion, and responsibility.

What is a Living Group Work Contract?

You might be wondering, “What is a living group contract?” You might know it by a different name, such as, a community agreement, academic/classroom social contract, right and responsibilities document, and a participation agreement. It is an agreement between all parties involved on acceptable behavior, social etiquette, expectations, participatory roles, and on determining consequences when deliverables are not met. The National Equity Project defines it as “as a consensus on what every person in [a] group needs from each other and commits to each other in order to feel safe, supported, open, productive and trusting… so that we can do our best work, achieve our common vision, and serve our [students/families/constituents] well.” A living group work contract can be used for classroom etiquette, group projects, and verbalizing boundaries. The “living” portion means that additional rules or changes to the rules can be discussed as the semester progresses and as needs change. The scope of these contracts depends on the intended use. Below are a few different scenarios that may interest you.

For Creating Classroom Community and Equity in Discussions

A syllabus and student handbook should cover many of the hard and fast rules that your academic program requires. However, there are items beyond what a syllabus or handbook cover that should be discussed among all classroom participants. These missing items can include defining the intrinsic value of a course to a student, creating a sense of belonging in class, and best interpersonal practices during triggering or difficult topics. A living group contract can help students and instructors determine their academic and interpersonal interactions. This also gives a chance for students to advocate their essentials to help create a positive and inclusive learning environment. Their requests can range from emotional support to logistics. Students will appreciate feeling heard as it creates an equitable environment for all of them to engage.

From my own experience of using living group work contracts, I have had students express the following needs:

• A 5-minute grace period for attendance during inclement weather.

• Patience and empathy with discussions on triggering or sensitive subject material.

• Respectfully not speaking over others and patiently waiting to contribute during class.

• Requesting for lectures to be recorded.

• Flexible rules on using technology in the classroom.

For Establishing Aspirations and Roles with Group Work

For group work, this is an opportunity to empower both individuals and the collective by creating awareness of expectations and responsibilities. This is a feasible way to reframe the idea of a group being defined by rules into a group that aspires to an idealized deliverable and working arrangement. Each student is responsible to participate, while the entire group is culpable to motivate that participation. Students should find themselves to be more empowered to speak-up and advocate for their needs because they had spent the time developing this group agreement. In this scenario, the aspirations dictate the rules rather than the rules dictating the aspiration.  For example, a group may aspire to avoid a time crunch right before the deadline or for all of them to contribute equally. This would then lead to the question, “How can we achieve that?” Students would then create the agreements to support this aspiration. This change in thinking means that students are buying-in to participate as a group based on their wants instead of being dictated rules that they never had the opportunity to develop.

Establishing Professional Boundaries with Colleagues

Living group contracts are not just for your students! Many of the valuable outcomes from creating a living group work contract or a community agreement can be used towards faculty meetings and committees. Together, you and your colleagues can recognize that collectively you have a vast amount of expertise and want to best support your institution’s mission. This can be particularly important by ensuring that junior faculty, visiting lecturers, and adjunct faculty have the space to voice their unique insights, while respecting the experience of more senior faculty. They are also a great way to make meetings more equitable for faculty of underrepresented groups.

How to Implement a Living Group Work Contract

Before implementing a living group work contract, decide whether you are using one for the classroom environment, a specific project, or a committee. Once you know with whom you intend to develop a living group contract, remember to keep an open mind and be conscientious with your communication. Now, you can begin the process through these suggested steps:

• Frame the conversation for collective needs and commitments.

• Categorize the brainstorming into 3 categories:  agreements for aspirations, norms for behavior, and rules for enforceable boundaries. 

• Engage with everyone either verbally or through individual written lists.

• Mindfully listen with an open-mind, while respecting diversity.

• Provide a space of confidentiality that refrains from giving unsolicited advice.

• Create a living document that can be checked and reevaluated by the group incrementally over the semester or academic year.

In Conclusion

Living group contracts are a necessary step towards practicing equity in our classrooms and departments. They are the means to create a collective vision for students and faculty to strive in creating an inclusive classroom where everyone has the ability to contribute. If you are interested in implementing a living group work contract, let us know and reach-out to schedule a one-on-one consultation here at the Center for Faculty Excellence!

 

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

Reference List

“Developing Class Participation Agreements.” UMASS Amherst Center for Teaching & Learning. https://www.umass.edu/ctl/sites/default/files/Handout-Developing%20Class%20Participation%20Agreements.pdf .

“Developing Community Agreements.” National Equity Project. https://www.nationalequityproject.org/tools/developing-community-agreements.

Huang, Li-Shih. “Students Riding on Coattails during Group Work? Five Simple Ideas to Try.” Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/students-riding-coattails-group-work-five-simple-ideas-try/

“Making Group Contracts.” University of Waterloo Centre For Teaching Excellence. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/group-work/making-group-contracts.

Studio Be. “Community Agreements: Making Meetings Less Stressful.” Studio Be Mindfulness. https://www.studiobemindfulness.com/blog/community-agreements/.

 

 

 

Level the Playing Field by Reframing the Idea of "Weed-out" Courses

Choosing to attend college and their degree program can be one of the most important decisions for young adults that will dictate their options for careers, academic opportunities, professional development, future earnings, and social experiences. As of July 26^th 2022, 74.5% of all 18- and 19-year-olds are enrolled in a post-secondary school of any type (educationdata.org). According to educationdata.org, 42.8% of the Class of 2020 enrolled in a 4-year institution. This number can be explained as universities filtering-out students based on admissions thresholds and students self-selecting on whether to apply to a four-institution.

However, for many of these incoming students there is another process of sorting them from one another, known as “weeding-out” students, and it can be quite controversial. Some institutions pride themselves on demanding academics where they announce to new students, “Look to your left, and look to your right because one of you will not be here next semester.” Sometimes, it is discipline specific. Departments can have a culture that demarcates students into two categories resulting in high dropout rates: a few who are likely to excel in a specific subject area and a large portion who likely will struggle or fail. Often, this form of academic gatekeeping packages itself as a demanding introductory undergraduate course that measures aptitude in a specific discipline-area.

What is a weed-out course? And what is the academic culture surrounding them?

Informally known as “weed-out” courses, these undergraduate classes tend to be introductory courses and core courses for a major or subject-area. Often these classes have a large rate of students who do not  seek a degree in the same discipline-area. These courses stereotypically are associated with the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, other majors have their own version gatekeeping courses.  From my own experience, the music theory sequence is often utilized as a type of gatekeeping for the music major. Regardless of the subject matter, heavily demanding introductory courses known as “weed-out courses” discourage students who struggle with the subject matter, are overwhelmed by the time-commitment, and are frustrated by receiving low grades.

Who are we “weeding-out?”

It begs the question, “who are we “weeding-out?”” If our goal is to have an education that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), we must also recognize that the notion of “weeding out” students from majors can be highly problematic since it disproportionately affects first-generation students, women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups. These courses are still common for American colleges and universities despite the rising advancement of diversity and inclusion initiatives. In several studies, student performance and their parents’ education can be determining factors of whether a student continues in a STEM field, particularly for women and first-generation students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the 6-year graduation rate in 2016 was 60-percent for this group. Only 41-percent completed their programs within 4-years. These numbers are even lower for students in this group who identify as Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian/Alaska Native.

Leveling the playing field in the Classroom

If we are to champion DEI and academic excellence, while also encouraging student retention, then it is essential to change the mind-set of a demanding introductory courses from being a “weed-out” course to an opportunity for each student to have the chance to “level their playing field.” This means we actively provide the resources and support necessary for students to succeed. Within our courses, this can include assessing prior knowledge and skills, providing a list of institutional support services, defining expectations for participation, checking-in with our students, and training them to be self-sufficient through self-reflective practices.  

A first-step would be to assess your students’ prior knowledge and skills, so you, their academic advisors, and the university can proceed in providing a support system tailored to an individual student’s needs.  (For more information on diagnostic assessment, please read our previous blog post Assessing Your Students’ Prior Knowledge.) After that diagnostic assessment, it is essential to support students in a multi-faceted approach. Connect them with TWU’s institutional resources listed below, if appropriate.

• TWU Academic Advising
• TWU Get Coaching
• Write Site
• Science Learning Resource Center
• Dr. Don Edwards Mathematics & technology Success Center
• TWU Disability Services for Students
• TWU CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services)
• Pioneer Center for Student Excellence
• Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach
• TWU Career Connections
• Office of Student Life

In the classroom, you can support students by creating clear expectations, scaffolding your subject matter, promoting a sense of community, and developing a variety of formative assessments that can guide a student’s learning by allowing them to submit multiple drafts or revisions. Through well-thought formative assessments, you can guide your students’ learning and allow them to continue to grow. Finally, always make sure to check-in with your students to intervene early. If you begin to see a dip in grades, quality of work, or attendance, do not wait to follow-up. Early intervention is more effective and easier than to wait until the final weeks of the semester to course-correct. This is a chance to teach students how to overcome their academic challenges rather than allowing the difficulty to define and stunt their potential. 

Closing Thoughts

By intervening early on, an instructor can give a student the chance to continue and thrive in their major or career plan.

If you are interested in discussing more on classroom support for students, please feel free to reach out to the Center for Faculty Excellence!

Dayton L. Kinney, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, & Academic Excellence
Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)
Texas Woman’s University
Stoddard Hall – Room 305A
940.898.3427
dkinney@twu.edu

 

Reference List

Burdman, P. (2022). To Keep Students in STEM fields, Let’s Weed Out the Weed-Out Math Classes. Scientific American.

Cohen, A. (2021). Don’t let a college weed-out class ruin your career plans. Boston Herald.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Indicator 23: Postsecondary Graduation Rates. Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups.

Singh Chawla, D. (2020). Weed-out Classes in Sciences May be a State of Mind. New York Times.

Thompson, M. E. (2021). Who’s getting pulled in weed-out courses for STEM majors?. Brookings: Brown Center Chalkboard.

U.S. Department of Education. (2016). Key Data Highlights Focusing on Race and Ethnicity and Promising Practices. Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education.