Workshops and special events help U-M community members build skills to connect through dialogue, listening, and perspective-taking.
These sessions are presented by experts from Dialogue Michigan, The Program on Intergroup Relations, Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center (DDNRC), and units across U-M’s three campuses.
Register and download our 2026-2027 Dialogue Michigan faculty and staff workshops calendar below.
Upcoming events
Location or Zoom link will be provided upon registration.
October 13, 2026
Does This Sound Like You? Dialogic Advising in the Age of Generative AI
12:00-1:30 pm | In-person
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Ioannis Chremos – U-M Medical School Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
October 19, 2026
Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and American Democracy
4:00-5:30 pm | In-person | Rackham Amphitheater
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and students
Presented by: Peter Beinart, Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the CUNY Center
November 05, 2026
Pronouns 101
11:00-1:00 pm | Zoom
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Dawn Espy – Spectrum Center
November 11, 2026
Strengthening Workplace Culture through Dialogue & Community Support
11:30-1:00 pm | In-person
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Jazmin Hudson and Jeff Witt – School for Environment and Sustainability and University Library and Staff Ombuds
November 18, 2026
Facilitation in Practice: Practical Tools for Dialogue & Capacity Building
11:30-1:00 pm | Zoom
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Kelly Maxwell and Kathy Wong(Lau) – University of Michigan and California State University East Bay – Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center
December 03, 2026
Before the Conversation: Preparing Ourselves for Better Dialogue
11:30-1:00 pm | In-Person
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Eric Aiken – Office of the Provost
January 14, 2027
Building Stamina for Existential Listening
12-1:30 pm | Zoom
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Sarah Ropp – University of Pennsylvania – Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center
January 26, 2027
Curated Conversations: Dialogue with Images
11:30-1:30 pm | In-Person
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Grace VanderVliet and Dave Choberka – University of Michigan Museum of Art
February 05, 2027
Come for the Games, Stay for the Bonds
12-1:30 pm | In-Person
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Rebecca Wollenberg, LSA Judaic Studies
February 24, 2027
When Values Collide: Dialogue Across Generations
12-1:30 pm | In-Person
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Meagan Mitchell – School of Social Work
May 25-26, 2027
Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center Biennial Conference
All day | Ann Arbor, MI
Audience: College educators, students, scholars, and campus leaders
Presented by: Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center, Dialogue Michigan, The Program on Intergroup Relations
Past events
September 10, 2026
Rewilding Our Connections
12:30-2:00 pm | In-person
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Jessa Lytle – Michigan Recreation
September 17, 2026
Party for Democracy
5:00-7:00 pm | In-person
Audience: U-M students, faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Michigan Community Scholars Program
September 30, 2026
Community Circles
11:30-1:00 pm | In-person | LSA Multipurpose Room
Audience: U-M faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor community
Presented by: Grace Sekulidis and Carrie Landrum – Office of Student Conflict Resolution and the Office of Equity, Civil Rights & Title IX
Difficult Dialogues toolkit
Explore our living toolkit of resources used in Difficult Dialogues Meet the Moment webinars and sourced from participants.
