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Civility Caucus
The Minnesota Legislative Civility Caucus is chaired by two legislators from each body, one Republican and one Democrat. Current chairs are Representatives Kristin Robbins and Sandra Feist, and Senators Zack Duckworth and Grant Hauschild.
The Civility Caucus has hosted a wide variety of relationship building and professional development activities. Their activities are coordinated by the Minnesota Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution
The Civility Caucus Charter
The Civility Caucus Membership Form
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Activities
These activities are do-it-yourself activities for Minnesota legislators can initiate and implement on their own. They provide opportunities for building relationships with fellow legislators and your constituents, and for skill development.
Based on past Civility Caucus programs, the handbook is designed to answer the question: ‘How do we put what we have learned into practice?’ It includes quick tips for conflict resolution and negotiation, for having conversations on difficult topics with people you disagree with, and on improving your listening skills.
The program is designed to give legislators an opportunity to 1) connect with each other in a fun, relaxed environment, and 2) learn more about our great state. Legislators travel to each other’s district to see first-hand the people and places that their colleague represents.
“Dinner for Six” gives legislators an opportunity to reconnect with each other and meet with others for the first time in a fun, relaxed environment, have interesting discussions and truly get to know each other - not discuss policy! The purpose is not to change anyone’s mind about anything but rather to build the relationships that are the heart of getting anything done, including and maybe especially passing legislation.
Braver Angels Legislator Programs
University of Minnesota Professor Bill Doherty, a co-founder of the nationally renowned Braver Angels organization, has presented to the Civility Caucus and has numerous workshops available for legislators to participate in or host (Depolarizing Within; Red/Blue Bridging Political Divides; Families and Politics; and more). Bill has adapted two new programs for the Minnesota Civility Caucus:
Connect Minnesota 1:1 Conversations Between Rural and Urban Minnesotans (PDF) - Designed as a way for Minnesota legislators from rural and urban communities to join in conversation to increase their mutual understanding and identify obscured commonalities and common ground on issues and policies that are important to them. The program is comprised of two virtual meetings.
With Malice Towards None (PDF) - A civic event taking place November 4, 2020 to help America heal from election divisiveness and develop next steps for depolarization and addressing our common challenges . Braver Angles is seeking elected officials to host and/or participate in these gatherings.
For more information or to participate in these programs and workshops, contact Bill Doherty at bill@braverangels.org.
Braver Angels Minnesota Programs
Braver Angels National Programs
A Living Room Conversation is a simple way to bridge divides. It is a conversational model developed by communication experts in order to facilitate respect between people despite their differences, and even identify areas of common ground and shared understanding. Participants use one of 100 conversation guides available on their website to discuss topics that can otherwise be tense to talk about with friends, strangers, and even loved ones of differing backgrounds and political persuasions. Legislators could join or host a conversation!
A non-partisan organization to promote healthy and civil political debate. NICD is devoted to the principles that people with different values and political preferences can discuss their differences in a civil and productive manner. Legislators can join the National Network of State Legislators, learn how to Engage Differences, take the Golden Rule Pledge; and view videos by Katie Couric and others about how to overcome differences.
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Things to Read
What is the level of polarization?
Arthur Brooks ‘Our Culture of Contempt’
Arthur Brooks argues that the problem in America today is not incivility or intolerance. It is contempt – which is far worse. In this article he shows us why this is a problem and what we can do about it.
Arthur Brooks ‘Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America From The Culture Of Contempt’
In his book 'Love Your Enemies,' NY Times bestselling author and former president of the American Enterprise Institute Arthur C. Brooks shows that abuse and outrage are not the right formula for lasting success. Brooks blends cutting-edge behavioral research, ancient wisdom, and a decade of experience of experience leading one of America’s top policy think tanks in a work that offers a better way to lead based on bridging divides and mending relationships. Love Your Enemies offers a clear strategy for victory for a new generation of leaders.
Divisiveness and Collaboration in American Public Life 2019
This report examines how Americans view divisiveness and partisan divides and offers a number of solutions to build a more collaborative society, despite our social and political differences. One finding: Both Republicans and Democrats indicate that they could imagine finding common ground with about half of those who identify with the opposing party. Republicans and Democrats also see about a quarter of those in their own party as so extreme they could not imagine finding common ground with them.
The Perception Gap - How False Impressions are Pulling Americans Apart (PDF)
This report by Public Agenda provides insights into the ways in which opposing partisan groups perceive each other.. While this research reveals disturbing trends, the overall message is positive: Americans often have more in common than they believe. Those with the greatest levels of hostility towards their political opponents typically understand them the least. These insights are intended not just to describe a problem, but to inform efforts to improve understanding between opposing partisan groups.
Why are we polarized?
Pew Research: Politically Polarized Era
Partisanship continues to be the dividing line in the American public’s political attitudes, far surpassing differences by age, race and ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, religious affiliation or other factors. Yet there are substantial divisions within both parties on fundamental political values, views of current issues and the severity of the problems facing the nation.
Lilliana Mason 'Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity'
In her book 'Uncivil Agreement,' Lilliana Mason looks at the growing social gulf across racial, religious, and cultural lines, which have recently come to divide neatly between the two major political parties. Mason argues that group identifications have changed the way we think and feel about ourselves and our opponents.
What can we do about it?
Depolarizing the American Mind (PDF)
This paper focuses on helping voters think beyond two polarized sides of contemporary politics. It is suggested that these future Left and Right positions will increasingly exert a pull over current liberal and conservative positions, ultimately providing opportunities for new agendas and proposals to emerge that are more integrative and less reflective of the polarized status quo.
Roger Fisher and William L. Ury 'Getting to Yes'
This book offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. The best selling book offers readers a straight- forward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal, professional, and political disputes without getting angry-or getting taken.
A House Divided
Every American is affected by the divisions and outrage that prevent us from making progress on urgent problems. This guide is designed to help people deliberate together about how we should approach the issues. This issue guide presents three options for deliberation about difficult problems for which there are no perfect solutions. Each option offers advantages as well as risks. And each reflects different ways of understanding what is at stake, forcing us to think about what matters most to us.
State Legislative Policymaking in an Age of Political Polarization
This report from the National Conference of State Legislatures summarizes the results of a study of political polarization in state legislatures and its effects on policymaking. It lists factors that legislators believe mitigate the effects of polarization on policymaking, and those that make it worse. The research produced a number of useful ideas for state legislators on how to function as effective policymakers under conditions of political polarization.
What are people doing about it?
The Civility Caucus Handbook from Minnesota Legislators (PDF)
Based on past Civility Caucus programs, the handbook is designed to answer the question: ‘How do we put what we have learned into practice?’ It includes quick tips for conflict resolution and negotiation, for having conversations on difficult topics with people you disagree with, and on improving your listening skills.
Congressional Bipartisan Committee Ideas
A bipartisan committee has ideas to make Congress more bipartisan, including encouraging civility and bipartisanship. The Select Committee introduced House Resolution 756 to implement the 29 bipartisan recommendations that passed out of the Select Committee.
Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus Beginning in 2017, the Problem Solvers Caucus became an independent member-driven group in Congress, comprised of representatives from across the country – equally divided between Democrats and Republicans – committed to finding common ground on many of the key issues facing the nation.
National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) NICD believes the American people will be our saving grace. We are less divided than we seem and hungrier for a more constructive approach to politics. In addition to inspiring and organizing everyday Americans, the NICD strategy is designed to encourage elected leaders to put country ahead of partisanship. NICD also has a group of interesting videos. (link to https://www.facebook.com/pg/NationalInstituteForCivilDiscourse/videos/
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Get Involved
Minnesota
Listen First Project
The Listen First Project leads a collaborative movement of over 350 organizations (link to https://www.listenfirstproject.org/listen-first-coalition ) to heal America by building relationships and bridging divides. They transform division and contempt into connection and understanding and interpersonal bridge building.
Community Mediation Minnesota (CMM)
CMM is a network of certified community dispute resolution centers with skilled volunteer mediators ready to help Minnesotans caught in disputes with their neighbors, family, or community at low or no cost. They are a resource for constituent or community. They also offer volunteering and training opportunities.
Dispute Resolution Institute
The Dispute Resolution Institute at Mitchell Hamline Law School is consistently ranked in the top 5 dispute resolution programs by U.S. News and World Report. For legislators interested in improving their conflict resolution, negotiation or communication skills there are non-degree, condensed courses, and certificate programs offered year round, including the summer.
Mediation Center
The Mediation Center is a recognized leader in conflict resolution training, offering mediation, arbitration, facilitation and negotiation training open to the public and tailored training for groups. They also have expertise in public conflicts and are often called on for helping with difficult public issues.
Minnesota Legislative Society
Founded in 1996, Minnesota Legislative Society is a strictly non-partisan nonprofit organization for current and former Minnesota state and federal legislators. The organization hosts events and provides opportunities to network and to continue public service.
National
Bridge Alliance
The Bridge Alliance is a coalition of over 100 organizations working together as active stewards of our democratic republic. Bridge Alliance members commit to four principals: Collaboration, Citizen Voice, Solutions-focused and Open-minded. You can get involved in a variety of organizations who have an interest in promoting respectful, civil discourse.
Depolarization Project
The Depolarization Project exists to help people listen, learn and lead through researching what works (and what doesn’t), providing training courses to businesses, students and community groups and encouraging leaders to open up to changing their own mind. They have a free podcast and also provide research findings.
Institute for Cultural Evolution
The Institute for Cultural Evolution is a nonprofit think tank whose mission is to foster political evolution in America. Their primary focus is overcoming hyper-partisan polarization. You can take a ‘political polarization test’, a ‘worldview test’, and find other interesting information on their website.
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
The NCSL represents the legislatures in the states, territories and commonwealths of the U.S. Its mission is to advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures. NCSL has conferences, trainings, publications and relevant research and information for legislators.
Current and past legislators gathered for a Civility Caucus planning meeting before the 2019 session.