One Small Step: Talk Through Differences and Share Your Story
By Natalie Van Hoozer
One Small Step participants Leslie Mix and Antonio Solorio met for a conversation at the KUNR studios on July 16, 2024. They discussed their hopes and concerns for the upcoming presidential election. They also discussed how their different ties to Latin America and the northern Nevada Latino community shape their perspectives.
Photo by Natalie Van Hoozer/KUNR Public Radio.
In today’s political climate, connecting with our fellow community members on a human level is more important than ever. To promote this connection through storytelling, at KUNR Public Radio we partnered with StoryCorps to bring the One Small Step program to northern Nevada and eastern California. We invite community members to sign up to sit down with a stranger who has different political values. The conversation isn’t a political debate, though — it’s a chance to get to know each other through listening and constructive dialogue. Through this process, participants are often surprised that, by the end of the conversation, they feel they have more similarities than differences.
Are you interested in having a conversation with someone who has values that are different from yours? Would you like to record a conversation for the sake of oral history? Here are some helpful tips based on what we’ve learned conducting One Small Step conversations at KUNR:
1 - Start the conversation by exploring commonalities.
As a facilitator for One Small Step conversations, I’ve observed that the introductory portion of a discussion between two community members meeting each other for the first time is often one of the highlights of participants’ conversations. Many times, the energy and excitement during this phase of the conversation stem from finding common ground, whether that be a shared element of childhood, such as growing up in a similar area, or a shared passion, like animal rescue. Establishing common experiences, passions and interests can build rapport and trust that will then allow both conversation participants to open up, digging deeper into their different values and concerns.
2 - Emphasize curiosity and listening.
In a One Small Step conversation, a key component of the discussion is to share the conversation time equally. While it may seem self-explanatory to do so, as a facilitator, before the conversation officially starts, I guide the participants through reading a set of ground rules out loud. Verbalizing that we will maintain a respectful conversation and share the time talking keeps these elements of the conversation top-of-mind for all participants.
3 - Tie your conversation to personal experiences. Articulate moments when your ideology evolved and the factors that prompted that change.
I have paired dozens of northern Nevada community members together and witnessed different types of conversations unfold. Many participants constructively talk about their differences when they describe the people and events that have led them to evolve their ways of thinking. Discussing those transformative moments can help tie abstract personal values to concrete people and places, helping your conversation partner understand your perspective better.
Are you interested in learning more about recording your own oral history or civic dialogue? Join KUNR at the 2024 Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl on Saturday, October 12 in Reno where you’ll hear from One Small Step participants and KUNR reporters. There will also be a workshop to learn the basics of conducting your own One Small Step-style conversation.
You can explore KUNR’s previous work with StoryCorps on One Small Step by watching this virtual listening event, for which Nevada Humanities was a key community partner in 2021. You can check out StoryCorps One Small Step conversations from around the nation on the StoryCorps website.
Nevada Humanities is a key community partner for this initiative. If you are interested in volunteering your time for a 50-minute One Small Step conversation in English or Spanish, please sign up here. If you have questions, email KUNR Community Engagement Coordinator Natalie Van Hoozer at nvh@kunr.org.
Natalie Van Hoozer is a Spanish/English bilingual journalist, translator and media trainer in Reno, Nevada. She is a bilingual reporter and the community engagement coordinator for KUNR Public Radio, northern Nevada’s NPR member station.
Double Down blogger photo by Joey Lovato.