Civil Discourse: Becoming a Better Conversation Partner, Part 2: The Freedom to Listen

Episode Topic: The Freedom to Listen

Beyond recognizing the inherent importance of public discourse to democracy, a reckoning must be made that listening itself constitutes discourse as much as does speech — that in formulations such as free expression, the incessant equation of speech with discourse, conversation and discussion, obscures the fact that there is no speaking without listening. To listen is to participate in politics, to cooperate with diverse others, and to bend one’s ear in order to listen. In this historical moment, at a time of ceaseless violence and rising authoritarianism, speech without listening is increasingly dangerous. Without actual listening, the ability for engaged deliberation erodes and our capacity to discern a common good disappears. How do we get there from here?

Featured Speakers: 

• Amanda G. McKendree, Associate Teaching Professor of Management and Arthur F. and Mary J. O’Neil Director of The Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business Communication, Department of Management & Organization, University of Notre Dame
• Dr. Lisbeth A. Lipari, Professor in the Department of Communication, Denison University

Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: go.nd.edu/da255e.

This podcast is a part of the Communicating with Impact ThinkND Series titled “Civil Discourse: Becoming a Better Conversation Partner”.

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