NLP helps you keep your holiday conversations civil

Updates


One of the traditions at NLP is helping people thoughtfully navigate the holidays by ensuring misinformation and conspiracy theories do not derail conversations or damage relationships. Below is an updated version of a post we’ve shared before, just in time for the holidays:

It’s certainly frustrating and discouraging when misinformation makes its way into a friendly conversation. But when it shows up on the menu for your holiday gathering, misinformation can spoil your appetite as well as your relationships with loved ones.

This holiday season, amid polarizing world events, conditions lend themselves to combative conversations and fractured friendships. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just like you’d prep the side dishes before guests arrive, you can get ready for engaging in civil and meaningful discourse — even with the family’s diehard conspiracy theorist — using the tips and tools NLP provides.

While every scenario is different, following some general best practices can help keep the conversation civil and make the interaction worthwhile. To begin, use the six tips outlined in our downloadable infographic How to speak up without starting a showdown as a guide. (Click here to download the PDF.) You can also share this fun video with your wider circle on social media:

@newslitproject Don’t let misinformation dominate the dinner table this holiday season. Here are a few tips for having productive conversations #Thanksgiving #Misinformation #NewsLiteracy ♬ original sound – News Literacy Project

Further boost your confidence for entering what are likely difficult discussions with four key strategies with four timeless tips from Get Smart About News, our free weekly newsletter for non-educators, which we also feature on our website. (Subscribe here so you can stay on top of trending news literacy topics and resources.)

Happy holidays!

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