Scott Althaus discusses how to turn a potentially negative conversation into a constructive one
College of LAS
May 21, 2020
Donkey vs. elephant graphic

Election graphicHow do you have a constructive political debate in a politically divided landscape?

In the video below, Scott Althaus, professor of political science and communication and director of the Cline Center for Advanced Social Research, gives advice on how to discuss issues with someone who doesn't share your point of view.

According to Althaus, there are four main things you can do:

  • Listen for understanding;
  • Hunt for common ground;
  • Get to the third “why," a way to clarify someone's statement; 
  • Take it local. Discuss local issues rather than heated national issues.

Additionally, Althaus explains why having political conversations with someone who has different beliefs than you can be beneficial.

"If you can sharpen the way that you're presenting your own political views, the next time around you're going to have an easier time of engaging in a conversation that is going to get more quickly to a place of really productive discussion as opposed to just exchanging insults," Althaus said. 

Watch the video below. See more stories about politics at the Politics and LAS page.

{"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/5rP4L6-GMW8.jpg?itok=ntu-19E8","video_url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rP4L6-GMW8","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"700","height":"394","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}

The Trail of Time at Grand Canyon National Park
How does politics influence interpretive signs at National Park Service sites?
 The Trump administration recently ordered the National Park Service to remove interpretive signs that discuss slavery at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, following an executive order issued last year stating that public monuments should not “inappropriately disparage...
An aerial view of the Main Quad on a sunny spring day
LAS celebrates leadership, alumni achievement
The College of LAS will recognize seven individuals during the 2026 alumni awards celebration in April. This year's honorees are researchers, philanthropists, and political thinkers who have made incredible impacts in their fields and communities.
Brian Gaines
What’s behind the surge in redrawing legislative maps?
 What accounts for the number of partisan gerrymandering efforts midway through the 10-year census cycle? Brian J. Gaines is a professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professor...