Past Events
Jad Abumrad: How to Talk to a Human
In-person March 26, 2026 | 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Jad Abumrad, podcast host and creator of Radiolab, explores the art and science of conversation in this multimedia presentation. Not just how journalists in his industry do it, but how do therapists do it? Salespeople? Hostage negotiators? Social workers? What are the techniques we can all use in our own lives when interacting with fellow humans? He will share insights, play clips, and lead the audience through interactive games.
Cultivating Conversation: Bridging Differences
February 18, 2026
At two workshops, more than 100 staff members practiced a framework for having conversations across difference. Facilitators Becca Kearl and Annie Caplan of Living Room Conversations guided participants through structured conversations designed to build skills and connection. Read more.
Speed Friending
November 20, 2025
Yale staff members made new connections over lunch at a Speed Friending event sponsored by Cultivating Conversation, Future Leaders of Yale, and Being Well at Yale. Question cards at each table offered plenty of conversation topics, and participants rotated tables for the chance to talk with everyone in the room.
October 28, 2025
In this interactive workshop open to all Yale staff members, participants learned how to ask better questions to create space for productive dialogue. Led by Dan Rothstein and Naomi Campbell of the
Right Question Institute, staff members practiced formulating questions to enhance problem-solving, decision-making capacity, and leadership abilities.
Read more.
September 24, 2025
Award-winning journalist Ann Curry explores how humanity and ethics in journalism can help us engage with one another despite differing perspectives, backgrounds, and beliefs. Drawing from her extensive career covering global conflicts and crises, Curry references storytelling’s power to foster understanding and meaningful dialogue. The event was facilitated by Kimberly Goff-Crews, secretary and vice president of university life at Yale, and co-hosted by Cultivating Conversation and the Poynter Fellowship in Journalism.
Read more.
Related Activities
Center for Civic Thought
Good Life Center
