The holiday season brings much-needed family time. However, it could also ignite unnecessary controversies, especially if someone brought a political side dish no one requested.
The idea of turning those heated topics into civil conversations inspired the Conversations Across the Aisle, or CATA, project.
Bill Woodson said he started the project was created to bring people together.
Speaking recently on "Florida Matters Live & Local," Woodson explained participants will receive a framework for the day's topic. The conversations often touch on sensitive national issues such as immigration, voter access and voting integrity.
"We've talked about education," Woodson said. "Our most recent discussion was so popular, we're thinking about bringing it back. It was about the evolving relationship between church and state."
Bringing calm to the debate
CATA hosts between 40 and 60 people at a time, intentionally discussing political issues of the day. There are six to eight participants per table, along with a facilitator.
Dinner starts with all sides of the argument to ground the conversation.
Woodson explained this approach is distinctive from other organizations, as CATA encourages participants to break bread and get to know each other before taking up opposing sides.
"So, we have a nice catered dinner, people have a chance to get to know their neighbors as people before they roll up their sleeves and start talking about the issues," Woodson said.
The planning team requires RSVPs to maintain opinion balance at each table, but everyone is encouraged to join. Participants are expected to be respectful and hold a candid conversation. Woodson said ground rules are set.
"I'm someone who is very curious about how other people think, and how people who are thoughtful and well-informed might come to a different point of view. I don't think we can learn much when we only talk to people who think the same way that we think."Bill Woodson, chair and founder of the CATA project
"We set the tone for the evening to really prepare people to have a candid conversation but also set the expectation that this conversation needs to be respectful," Woodson said. "People need to know certain challenging ideas that they don't agree with, but not to attack the other party."
Woodson recalled his experiences when being told to avoid talking about politics at a Thanksgiving meal. He described it as a frustrating experience, and said political discourse has become taboo in our society.
"I'm someone who is very curious about how other people think, and how people who are thoughtful and well-informed might come to a different point of view," Woodson said. "I don't think we can learn much when we only talk to people who think the same way that we think."
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Woodson said that the hesitation to talk about sensitive topics has prevented people from getting to know each other.
"I think it creates a festering sore when you realize you have a point of view, and you don't understand how these other people have these different points of view," Woodson said.
He emphasized that talking doesn't change minds. Instead, participants get a better understanding one another's views, the first step to finding solutions.
What drives perceptions
Woodson pointed out that the political ideology dividing Americans is rooted in media, and people choose to accept only the information that aligns with their perceptions.
"We tend not to even have access to information that the other side of an argument is receiving," Woodson explained. "And so that is just a vicious cycle that continues to deepen the divide."
The model CATA created allows participants to communicate about the given topics, whether it aligns with or against their beliefs. Woodson said he believes this model helped curate a more credible source than a news outlet that intentionally leads them to a particular perspective.
"We spent nine months designing how this evening would go before our very first workshop back in October '23," Woodson said. "People are telling us that this was a more positive experience than they anticipated."
Woodland said the workshops have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Attendees were concerned at first, but they have grown to accept and deepen the appreciation for the opposing points of views.
"They're feeling that they are getting skills that can help them be more confident in navigating a challenging conversation outside of our workshop space," Woodson said. "I see CATA as an opportunity to strengthen our communities by helping us to be reintroduced to the opportunity to learn from people who think differently about ideas than we do."
Included in the feedback: food quality was highly rated. Woodson said CATA tried to serve a varied menu with different dietary options. No alcohol is served.
"We don't get too crazy on the food types, but we tried to provide fan favorites in every space," Woodson said. "Having a good meal to set the stage for a tough conversation is the best practice."
