NORFOLK, Neb. – The world has changed in recent years, including what seems like more political and social divisions.
But rather than focusing on the differences between one another, a lot of common ground – and understanding – can be achieved by talking.
That was one of the points that was demonstrated by Lai-Monté Hunter, Northeast Community College dean of students, during a Coffee & Conversations at Union 73 on Wednesday, Feb. 21. His talk, “Leading with Purpose: Cultivating Effective Leadership in an Educational Setting,” included considerable audience interaction.
Hunter requested at one point that his audience get together in groups of two or three to ask each other questions. The questions and answers were followed with the groups sharing what they learned about one another with the larger group.
Hunter said the idea of his talk was to build collaborative relationships and help each other in building leadership capacity.
Hunter laid out some ground rules at the start. They included those participating agreed to:
• Respect each individual.
• Each person would be allowed to speak their truth.
• Each person agreed to be nonjudgmental.
One person, for example, said after speaking in a group of three, he recognized the students for their individuality, rather than just the organizations he had seen them in previously. He learned about their individual interests, jobs, challenges, and hopes for life after college, making them distinctive.
Hunter volunteered to serve as the Coffee & Conversation speaker after the original speaker couldn’t make it because of a late conflict.
Coffee & Conversation speaker cutline
Lai-Monté Hunter, Northeast Community College dean of students, lays out some ground rules for his audience on Wednesday, Feb. 21, before the latest Coffee & Conversation at Union 73. (Northeast Community College)