Shye Robinson

Spring ‘22 Program Alumnus and student at Purdue University

Shye shared about her experience with the Living Room Conversation tool as a part of the Civic Synergy program.

Going into discussions with people I could potentially disagree with was no new foe; I had prior experience with an organization on my campus that had a similar method of talking about political issues called the Political Discourse Club. Even so, learning about the “Living Room Conversations” style of discussion was beneficial to me, specifically with the framing of my ideas and with the relationship building that we created within our group.

I believe the “Living Room Conversations” goal is to add humility to conversations that could ruffle our feathers. Being able to establish guidelines for discussion that respects everyone’s ability to speak and be heard was important in my group and encouraged in this conversational style. It was nice to be able to come to a mutual agreement about discussion before we went into them, which I believed helped our process during those six weeks.

Shye Robinson will graduate from Purdue University in 2024. She is studying Brain and Behavioral Science and Political Science and Government.