I don’t know about you, but I have found this election cycle to be brutal. No matter whose team you’re playing on, the tenor of the “conversations” has been strident, personally insulting, and, in my opinion, way beneath the level of political discourse I believe we should have in a civilized, democratic nation.

You may work with one or more people on the other side of the political fence from you. If you’re working in a department where civility is the norm, you may avoid talking politics, or do so in ways that allow for constructive, informative dialogue. Unfortunately, many departments are not as enlightened. Without the skills for meaningful, collegial dialogue, these deep-seated feelings and beliefs will likely lead to anger, anxiety, or withdrawal.

In her blog post entitled, “Leading in the Age of Trump and #BlackLivesMatter” (http://www.workforce.com/2016/10/25/leading-age-trump-blacklivesmatter/), Susana Rinderle lists several points that can be helpful in navigating these murky and potentially rough waters:

1. When inclusivity is practiced correctly, the underlying theme is: “inclusion means everyone is included.” That means supporters of either candidate should be treated with dignity and respect.
2. Inclusion doesn’t mean any behavior is acceptable – obviously, it’s not. You can’t change others’ strongly held beliefs, but it is possible to hold others accountable for inappropriate behaviors.
3. What do you want to be remembered for? Being a hot-headed, vociferous partisan, or someone who evenhandedly listens, keeps volatile opinions within, and focuses on the work and constructive relationships?
4. If you are in a “hot” conversation with someone who disagrees with you, often the best strategy is to go for facts. Diving down into the “why’s” and “what’s” defining the opinions may switch the conversation from a heated to a more impartial exchange of data.
5. Listen for understanding. It’s hard to do that when emotions are running high, but perhaps if you truly understand the other person’s arguments, you will be better able to deal with this conflict. And if we can deal with political conflict, other types of conflict will be a breeze!
6. Listening and identifying facts takes curiosity. Getting curious about what’s going on, over and above your own emotions, may turn what might have been a heated, dysfunctional shouting match into a meaningful conversation.

The good news is that we’re less than a week away from the election. The bad news is that the rhetoric and negative feelings will persist. Perhaps the best we can do is to model civil conversations and hope they trickle up to influence the next two presidential candidates. After all, we have four years!