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Living Room Conversation: Talking to Strangers (In-Person)

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Estes Valley Library
Hondius Community Room
A growing number of studies from Toronto to Turkey have found that when people do make an effort to talk to strangers, it usually goes far better than they anticipated. Study participants report that they are much better at it than they predict, and the strangers they speak to are generally receptive, interesting, and interested.

That said, there are many norms that discourage people from talking to strangers. We worry that we’re not allowed to do it, that we’ll be rejected, that we won’t know what to say, or that the people will dislike us. The prospect of talking to someone from another group–be it racial, gender-based, ideological–can further heighten those anxieties, especially if we don’t have regular contact with members of that group

This conversation is inspired in part by themes found in Joe Keohane’s book The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Talking to Strangers in a Suspicious World.

For more about the topic and how we'll engage with each other, check out the Talking to Strangers Conversation Guide.

About Living Room Conversations

Living Room Conversations is a small group model for dialogue that facilitates connections between people. Come to the table to share your perspective, learn about the experiences of others and potentially leave with stronger connections and a shared sense of community. This interactive program is participatory in nature: attendees will be asked to engage with and contribute to the conversation. Optional: prepare ahead of time with the Conversation Guide mentioned above.

More about this program

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Registration is closed

Living Room Conversation: Talking to Strangers (On Zoom)

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
ZOOM
A growing number of studies from Toronto to Turkey have found that when people do make an effort to talk to strangers, it usually goes far better than they anticipated. Study participants report that they are much better at it than they predict, and the strangers they speak to are generally receptive, interesting, and interested.

That said, there are many norms that discourage people from talking to strangers. We worry that we’re not allowed to do it, that we’ll be rejected, that we won’t know what to say, or that the people will dislike us. The prospect of talking to someone from another group–be it racial, gender-based, ideological–can further heighten those anxieties, especially if we don’t have regular contact with members of that group

This conversation is inspired in part by themes found in Joe Keohane’s book The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Talking to Strangers in a Suspicious World.

For more about the topic and how we'll engage with each other, check out the Talking to Strangers Conversation Guide.

About Living Room Conversations

Living Room Conversations is a small group model for dialogue that facilitates connections between people. Come to the table to share your perspective, learn about the experiences of others and potentially leave with stronger connections and a shared sense of community. This interactive program is participatory in nature: attendees will be asked to engage with and contribute to the conversation. Optional: prepare ahead of time with the Conversation Guide mentioned above.

More about the program

Please enter an email address when registering so that you'll receive the Zoom meeting link. On submitting your registration, you'll receive an email with the meeting link and other information. We'll also email this information out roughly half an hour before the program. If you have trouble connecting to the meeting, please call the Library at 970-586-8116, and someone will assist you.

Also, we want everyone in the conversation to feel comfortable sharing, and an important prerequisite for that is getting to know the other conversation participants. We therefore ask that anyone who joins virtually keeps their video turned on throughout the conversation, and, for each section of the conversation, either contributes, or indicates to the group (verbally or via the chat function) that they would like to "pass" on that section. In other words, we ask the same level of participation from virtual participants that we ask of in-person participants. If you have any questions or concerns about these requirements, feel free to reach out to Eric White (contact information below) before the event.

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