This year’s PRSA Western District Conference will dedicate a session to the third-rail of public discourse: seemingly untouchable topics such as gun control, immigration, and climate change.
PRSA Colorado is providing a rare opportunity to test and hone skills for discussing sensitive topics at the PRSA Western District Conference coming up April 11-13. Attendees will be invited to select a topic from a list taken from today’s headlines and have a respectful conversation about it with someone who may have a different point of view.
Those who want to participate (it’s strictly voluntary), will be invited to choose one or more of these topics:
- Gun policy
- Immigration
- Health care
- Climate change
- Trade tariffs
- Role of the press – advocates or objective observers?
Then they’ll be invited to think of up to three points to describe their opinions on the topic. Opinions might be based on:
- Current events
- News analysis
- Personal experience
- Emotional reaction
- Family history or cultural background
- Reading/research
- Opinions of others you respect
- What you see on social media
- Discussions with friends
We’ll explain more about the mechanics when attendees sign in, but they can prepare now by watching this TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/celeste_headlee_10_ways_to_have_a_better_conversation
PR Matters. And conversation matters. This activity is one way PRSA Colorado is helping our profession raise the level of discourse.
Denver Public Relations Blog 
I believe the PR profession should lead the way for thoughtful, respectful discourse. This activity will be going on throughout the entire conference and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Hope to see you there!