This Saturday, Feb. 23, Lynnwood Today, MLTnews and My Edmonds News will present the second installment of the 3 Practices – a methodology that individuals, schools, businesses and religious leaders are using to help people cross the difference divide.

The event will run from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 23 at Edmonds United Methodist Church, 728 Caspers St.

Here are the 3 Practices.

1. I’ll be unusually interested in others.
2. I’ll stay in the room with difference.
3. I’ll stop comparing my best with your worst

“The 3 Practices help us understand without capitulating,” said Jim Hancock, a facilitator and co-creator of the 3 Practice Group Method. “They lower the emotional temperature by increasing understanding between ideological opposites. Understanding doesn’t guarantee agreement, but it contributes to mutual respect when we disagree. We look forward to helping attendees refine their skills so that they can discuss tough issues in a respectful manner, regardless of personal or political ideology.”

While attendees will learn general principles to facilitate a respectful conversation on any topic, the Feb. 23 event will focus on a particular subject of recent interest not only locally but nationally: racism.

During the event, The 3 Practice Group Method co-creators Jim Henderson and Jim Hancock will explain what makes the 3 Practices work, and then quickly dive into modeling a group so that those attending can witness the process firsthand. Following this opening round, attendees will have the opportunity to respond, ask questions, and then try their hand at the first of the 3 Practices: “I’ll be unusually interested in others.” The event will wrap up with audience observations about the issues discussed.

Since 2016, over 40 of these 3 Practice events have been presented on hot topics of the day, including immigration, politics, race, diversity, gun control and economic inequity.

Jim Henderson says his mission is to address the civility crisis facing our community and our nation:

• Friends and families are finding it hard to stay in the room with each other.
• Business owners are at a loss as to how to handle political disagreement between employees
• Schools are struggling to find models to offer their students on how to share common ground.

“That gap between ideological opponents is what we call the difference divide,” Henderson said. “Our mission is to help people acquire the tools to cross that divide without abandoning their views.”

You can read more about our earlier 3 Practices Event here.